LEMONGRASS KOMBUCHA

This delicately perfumed, Champagne-like kombucha is one of my absolute favourites. Use a light green tea for the Unflavoured Kombucha – it really allows the lemongrass to come through. In the early days of the business, a friend who is a wonderful chef suggested I start experimenting with lemongrass and the result is delicious! Lemongrass also works well paired with ginger or cardamom if you want to continue experimenting.

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

MAKES 1 BOTTLE AND SERVES 2–4 Cut off both ends of the lemongrass and peel to remove the tough outer skin. Finely chop the inner stem or pop into a blender and blitz for a minute or two until you have a fine paste. (The reason for blending is to create more surface area for the kombucha to draw flavour and goodness from.) Put this in the bottle and top up with unflavoured kombucha leaving a 1-cm/⅜-inch air space at the top, then seal tightly.

Step 2

Leave the sealed bottle at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, for 2 days before testing for carbonation (see page 17). Refrigerate when the taste and fizz are to your liking.

Step 3

You can strain the lemongrass away or leave it in. Serve cold with a stalk of fresh lemongrass and a straw to stir with.