FW17 VINTAGE
Vintage. It's always making a come back. Buying vintage is not only a way to shop sustainably and responsibly. And it's not only a way to score quality garments on the cheap. It's also a way...
Mint Pluot Kombucha Cocktails
You've probably heard the buzz around kombucha and a bit about the benefits of fermented foods. But do you actually know what the heck kombucha is?
So what does that mean? Kombucha is traditionally made with a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) fermenting in black or green tea and sugar. The SCOBY consumes the sugar and the tea as it ferments, leaving a finished product that is tangy and delicious. This process can take anywhere between one to three weeks. When individuals make kombucha at home, one can choose to ferment it for a shorter time if they prefer a sweeter taste, or a longer time for a less sweet beverage. I currently make my own kombucha at home, and will be posting a tutorial and how to do this at a later date. In the mean time, most health food stores and an increasingly large number of grocery stores sell kombucha. My favorite local kombucha, other than what I make at home, is Wild Culture Kombucha. This is a local Iowa City company run by Rachelle Schmidt and Tim Roed. They brew full-strength Kombucha flavored with fresh and local juice that is full of nutrient and probiotics. To learn where to find their delicious Kombucha, click here.
Before I indulge you with a delicious healthy kombucha cocktail recipe, let's talk about some of the health benefits of kombucha. This tangy beverage contains many probiotics, probiotics, and antioxidants. I am not going to go super into detail about the health benefits, as I am no expert. The wonderful Wellness Mama has a very detailed post on these if you want a more detailed explanation than what I am about to share.
The probiotics, enzymes, and acids in kombucha have been shown to help gut health and improve digestion and the immune system. These are created from the yeast in the SCOBY digesting the sugars. This gives off CO2, ethanol, and B vitamins. The fermentation bacteria in the SCOBY then eat the ethanol, sugar, and B vitamins and leave behind acids. One might think that bacteria is not healthy to eat, but it is actually very good for your gut and found in a lot of foods including cheese, yogurt, vinegar, soy sauce, and tempeh. Put simply, the scoby feeds on the sugar and tea, and that process produces lots of healthy things for us to consume.
After the fermentation process, Kombucha becomes a combination of a small amount of sugar, carbon dioxide/carbonic acid, vitamins (mainly B and C) left behind when the yeast breaks down the sugars, acetic acid, lactic acid, lactase and invertase (enzymes), acids (including ones that promote detoxification), caffeine leftover from the tea, and cellulose. Some people are worried about its alcoholic content, but in reality it is less than 1% alcohol.
According to Kombucha Brewers International, the main benefits of Kombucha include increasing energy, aids in digestion, supports healthy liver function, balances your internal pH, controls hunger, eases constipation, boosts immunity, enhances overall health and wellbeing, lowers bad cholesterol, and raises good cholesterol levels in the blood.
For an excellent book with a wealth of information on Kombucha, check out The Big Book of Kombucha: Brewing, Flavoring, and Enjoying the Health Benefits of Fermented Tea
Sources: Wellness Mama, Precise Nutrition, Kombucha Brewers International
What you'll need:
This recipe is fairly simple and can work with many substitutions. For this cocktail, I made my own pluot-mint flavoured kombucha. However, any flavour of kombucha would work! For example, if you had peach komucha, you could substitute the pluots for peaches and have another delicious drink! I also tried this recipe with a few different types of alcohol including gin and whiskey. I found the gin had the least alcoholic taste.
To make this cocktail, simply add 8 oz kombucha, 1 oz lemon juice, and 2 oz of rum directly into your cup, or directly into a shaker. If using a shaker, shake with ice, and then pour into glass. Either way you are making the drink, feel free to add ice if you prefer colder drinks. Next, add a few slices of pluot to your drink, and garnish with mint, and enjoy!
Have you ever tried a kombucha cocktail before? If so, I'd love to hear what you made it with and how you liked it! Comment below to share.
To discover more delicious recipes, how to grow your own food tutorials, and holistic lifestyle inspiration, check out Mindful Impact, Sophia's website. Recently, she has shared tutorials for how to easily grow your own sprouts and microgreens and a recipe for healthy superfood ice cream! And for behind the scenes cooking, health tips, and wellness inspiration, follow Sophia on Instagram @s000phisticated.
