Making your own homemade soda is super easy and fun, especially when you get the kids involved. Everyone can select their favorite flavor and experiment. We chose to make ginger ale, but you can easily swap out any flavor you desire or even experiment with flavor combinations. This recipe is easily adjustable to personal tastes. We recommend sampling as it steeps to find the right ratios of citrus tart, honey sweet and ginger heat.

INGREDIENTS:
2-3 ounces fresh ginger, grated
4 ounces calamansi juice
1¼ cups of local honey
1 gallon of water

METHOD:
Bring the mixture of ingredients to a boil to pasteurize the soda. We force CO2 into our kegs but individuals making this at home can use yeast to create carbonation the old-fashioned way. Allow the mixture to cool to a safe temperature for the yeast and add it. Mix thoroughly and bottle.

Let the bottles sit at room temperature for a day or two to carbonate the beverage. When sufficient carbonation has accumulated, refrigerate to stop the process. WARNING: over carbonation can occur and bottles can burst if not monitored. We recommend plastic bottles as it is easier to assess the level of carbonation. Also note that a very small amount of alcohol is created in the soda if you carbonize with yeast.

An alternative home strategy is to create a concentrated syrup with the ingredients and then add seltzer water as needed.