Sima ~ Finnish Fermented Lemonade

Name: Sima ~ Finnish Fermented Lemonade
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 1/2 cup honey (or brown sugar); 1 large lemon (thinly sliced, or juice and grated zest); 5 whole raisins (unsulfured); 1 pinch yeast (ideally wine yeast, but bread yeast will do); 2 1/2 cups water (near-boiling, enough to fill the jar)

Instructions

Prep:10min

Sima is a traditional Finnish fermented honey and lemon soda made for Vappu (May Day). It's naturally carbonated, lightly sweet, very low in alcohol, and ready to drink in 3 to 6 days from start to finish.

Updated at: Thu, 05 Nov 2026 00:54:57 GMT