GONE SOFT

By Ethan Allen Smith

The Brewer’s Guide to Soft Drinks

A British Coffeehouse, artist unknown, mid-seventeenth century

HISTORY

In the middle of the 13th century, English traders brought home with them knowl-edge of a brewed drink from Arabia, called sharbat. Unlike beers or wines, sharbat is consumed before the ingredients became highly alcoholic. Brewed in England as a “light mead” using dandelion and burdock root, it was instantly popular as a non-alco-holic (or “soft”) drink. In the seventeenth century, as trade began to flood Europe with new tastes from around the globe, non-alcoholic drinks became immensely fashionable. Previously, drinks like sharbet, kola, cacao, coffee, and tea had been enjoyed only by nobles and tradesmen. Sold in English coffeehouses, though, these drinks quickly became so wildly popular, it has been estimated that by the end of the century there were more than 2,000 houses in London alone. Brewers began experimenting with flavors and ingredients, creating a wide variety of flavorful soft drinks. “ Water im-perial,” for example, was a sweetened drink containing cream of tartar and “Manays

Cryste” was a sweetened cordial flavored with rosewater, violets, and cinnamon. Highly flavored and syrupy, these were marketed for their supposed healing prop-erties or brought out on special occasions as an alternative to wine. Through the eighteenth century, brewed lemonade made its way to through Europe. Made from freshly squeezed lemons and sweetened with sugar or honey, it was often diluted and served chilled. Orangeade also became popular as it gave growers a use for their more bitter orange harvests. In the 1770’s, an English apothecary, Thomas Henry, first began to create artificial mineral waters for sale to the public. By com-bining mineral salts, carbon dioxide gas, and water, he was able to manufacture a bubbly, non-brewed concoction. Almost overnight, naturally brewed soft drinks disappeared, as brewers opted to use the easier and quicker chemical process of carbonation to add bubbles to their drinks. Called “soda water,” it became the primary ingredient for all soft drink manufacturers.

Per 16 oz. bottle:

3 ounces simple syrup10 ounces warm water 1 ounce ginger juice2 ounces fresh lemon juice, finely strainedchampagne yeast

Mix liquid ingredients. While the ingredi-ents can be mixed within the bottles, you will have a more consistent flavor if you mix everything in a large container beforehand, then transfer your mixture to the bottles through a funnel.

Add roughly 25 granules of champagne yeast to each bottle. Yeast is a living organ-ism. It will feed on the sugar to produce CO2, which is how your soft drink will become carbonated. Champagne yeast is less “heavy” than other brewers’ yeasts, allowing your soft drink to remain sweet.

Seal the cap securely, shake well. During fermentation, your ingredients will settle. This is okay. You do not need to shake or further mix the drink during the process.

Store for exactly 48 hours in a warm, dark place. Do not store in sunlight or your drink will not only become alcoholic, but may burst the bottle.

Refrigerate immediately. Refrigeration halts the fermentation process so your soft drink won’t become heavily alcoholic.

Once chilled and ready to serve, up-end the bottle to gently mix your drink before pouring. Enjoy!

RECIPE

EXPERIMENT

When brewing your own soft drinks, it is always tempting to re-create the flavors we see in the super market. This becomes immeditely problematic if you want to make a traditionally brewed root beer. As it turns out, root beer’s primary ingredient, sassafras, is a controlled substance in the United States and therefore is illegal use as a drink ingredient. Unless you live where sassafras grows and can pick the root yourself, you will have to use a substitute. Rather than being a burden, howev-er, this should be an opportunity to use ingredients that are local, immediately available, and naturally grown. Almost any sweet plant will make a fine soft drink. Even a sweet, homegrown batch of tomatos can make an excellent drink. Don’t believe me? You should try it.

Here are a few suggestions. Remember, these recipies are per bottle. Each recipe still calls for:

3 ounces simple syrup10 ounces warm water champagne yeast

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2 ounces fennel juice1 ounce fresh lemon juice, finely strained2 large fresh mint leaves

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2 ounces fresh lime juice, finely strained1 ounce fresh lemon juice, finely strained2 large fresh mint leaves

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1 ounce sugar beet juice2 ounces fresh lime juice, finely strained2 large basil leaves

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1 ounce daikon juice2 ounces fresh lemon juice, finely strained2 large basil leaves

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1 ounce yacon juice2 ounces fresh lime juice, finely strainedfresh cinnamon

BUY LOCAL

Your best bet for delicious, locally-sourced ingredients is a farmers market. Typically, these markets offer foods which are grown in smaller batches by farmers who care and cultivate their harvest. Not only will you find “exotic” fruits growing right in your area, but they will almost always be sweeter and more flavorful than the foods you find at a large grocery store. Here are 10 tips for shopping at your local farmers market and finding the best ingredients for your own soft drinks. 1. Find a schedule of your local farm-ers markets and keep one copy on your fridge and one in your work bag so you can keep track of which days markets happen near your job, home or commute path. 2. Ask a lot of questions. The farmers and sellers are experts and they can point you toward the rights foods at the right time of year. Get to know your farmers and establish a relationship. Let them know about your plan and ask for specific advice. 3. Make a shopping plan before you go, based on how many bottles you are planning to brew. Learn how much of a par-ticular food you have to buy to get an ounce of juice, and buy accordingly.

5. Get to the market early if you want the best pick of the market. They will often run out of produce by the end of the day. 6. Walk the market once through before you purchase so you can get an overview of the offerings. Bring a cloth bag that has plenty of room and can hang over your shoulder. And never, ever shop on an empty stomach. 7. Bring cash, especially ones and $5 bills. The farmers will really appreciate that. Although a few vendors can take cred-it cards, you will be limiting your options. 8. If you have a favorite item, such as fennel or lemon, ask the farmers how they look this year and when they might be coming in so you can plan your bottling accordingly. 9. Some farmers charge different pric-es at different farmers markets. It’s true. See if your favorite farmer at an upscale market also sells in a less fancy part of town. Chances are the prices drop there. 10. Some markets sell non-local pro-duce. If this is a concern, ask. Some areas have laws about this, but others don’t. Be sure to ask if it’s grown locally.

In the middle of the seventeenth centu-ry, Britain’s first coffeehouse opened in Oxford. Previously, coffee had been enjoyed only by nobles and tradesmen. Coffee drinking soon became so wildly popular it has been estimated that by the end of the century there were more than 2,000 houses in London alone. It was through these cof-feehouses that England was introduced to both tea and chocolate

Ethan Allen Smith is a designer, crafter, fa-ther, and soft drink enthusiast. His parents are brewers who craft award winning beers using homegrown ingredients, including hops from their personal garden. For years, Ethan sought out exotic and interesting soft drinks. Experimenting with everything from imported African Kola, non-alcoholic British shandy, to traditional French limonade. While finding some wonderful drinks, he missed the culture that surrounds traditional alcoholic drinks, especially wine and “microbrew” beer. He started brewing his own soft drinks specifically for the experience of sharing them with friends.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR