Water Kefir

One of my favourite, fermented drinks that can be prepared in 24 to 48 hours and flavoured with pretty much anything.

I was first introduced to this drink by a young commis chef who worked for me. He made his with raisins instead of pure sugar (as do I) but if you want it nice and fizzy you should try it with sugar. It’s just not quite so healthy! In this recipe I use coconut sugar but you can use any white sugar. 

To make water kefir, you need water kefir grains. You can buy them on Amazon. They are often smaller than milk kefir grains and are translucent. They too, harbour many microorganisms. However, these yeast and bacteria eat simple sugar and not milk. 

To make water kefir, add water kefir grains to water and sugar. Leave it on the counter for a day or two and voilà!, you have a sweet, fizzy and tangy drink to sip when you want to cool off. 

I love making the kefir, straining it and adding to different teas like hibiscus or white peony from The Rare Tea Company.

It’s a soft drink, but natural and healthier! Water kefir is packed with probiotics and is much less sweet than store-bought carbonated drinks.

What I also love about fruit kefir is that it can be customised in endless ways. As I said, I love using different tea infusions, fresh sliced lemons, oranges, beetroot, cranberry or for something truly cleansing try aloe vera, or for those who want a probiotic and prebiotic, add raw garlic, chilli, ginger, turmeric, & black pepper to infuse in a cool place for 2/3 weeks.

JB