Antidotes to alcohol: Kefir and Kombucha
Now I know what you’re thinking when the words drink and fermentation are put together……alcohol! And that’s true! Fermentation is an integral part of making any alcoholic drink. But there are lots of other drinks that use the principles of fermentation! Ginger beer plant, tibicos (water kefir), kombucha, kvass to name but a few! During my time exploring fermented foods I’ve had a lot of fun experimenting with fermented drinks. In particular water kefir and kombucha! Now technically, these drinks are slightly alcoholic, however, so too is an over-ripe banana! However, they certainly don’t contain sufficient alcohol to have any impact on you.
My transition from alcohol
Over the last year I’d started to have concerns about my alcohol intake. Although I didn’t have an addiction, one drink would quickly lead to four. This would happen most weekend evenings (and some weekdays). Although I wouldn’t wake up with a hangover, I’d feel groggy and grumpy. I definitely wasn’t the best of fun for my kids.
I’d previously tried Dry January but I’d never actually made it through a full month. The furthest I got was 30 January before having a drink. Most years at best I’d get to the second weekend of the month.
Now I like to drink! Generally, I mean – as in, the actual function of drinking! I can easily drink three or four litres of water at work, a few herbal teas and several cups of coffee. One thing that I’d realised was that part of my struggle in giving up alcohol was that I’d get home from work and want to drink something…in a lot of volume. But I would get bored of water. It’s not a good weekend drink to disassociate one’s self from work. And I don’t especially like soft drinks – Coke, Pepsi etc. they’re just far too sweet. What I loved so much about beer, was the bitter taste.
Up step kombucha and water kefir….
So leading up to Christmas 2021, I had had quite a boozy evening and whilst nursing a pint of Tanglefoot I thought to myself, this is my last ever beer. And so far, it has been! As part of my decision to give up alcohol, I signed up to an app called Reframe. This truly is a remarkable app and something I’ve written about here.
One thing it recommended was to replace alcohol with another drink. All this time I’d been making fermented drinks but not once had it dawned on me that they would make the perfect substitute! So how are they made? For those of you who haven’t made any fermented drinks, the process is extremely simple.
Add sugar to a drink – tea (kombucha), spring water (water kefir).
Add your ‘alien blob’, be it your SCOBY or tibicos and leave for a few days. Then separate out your alien buddy to the next batch. Transferring the initial ferment into airtight bottles and add a secondary source of sugar for your ‘F2’. I tend to use a combination of aromatics / herbs (rose petals, hibiscus, mint, cardamon), fruits (kiwi, strawberries, blueberries) and / or fruit juices. Cranberry is a particular favourite of mine. I also love brewing kombucha using hibiscus tea. This brings with it the health benefits of the hibiscus leaf.
By adding to an airtight bottle, after a further couple of days, you get a fantastically fizzy drink. But the fermentation process not only “eats away” the initial sugar but also the secondary sugar source. Leaving you with a bitter drink. Not only when I drink it, do I think of all the bacterial goodness. But it has also turned out to be the perfect replacement drink.
I’m now writing this in July 2022. I still haven’t touched a drop of alcohol since that last Tanglefoot. What’s more, kombucha is turning out to be one of the most hipster of drinks. Which means that when I go to bars (in fact I recently had one combined with CBD), I’m often able to have one, which doesn’t leave me feeling missing out. More recently, I have discovered some lovely Apple Cider Vinegars which can be drunk with sparkling water, or used to make ‘mocktails‘.
I truly love kombucha and water kefir and my next step is to explore making kvass!
I am now editing this post in April 2023, which makes me approximately 16 months dry and I still haven’t touched alcohol.
Most importantly, I had some blood work completed recently. The results came back showing a completely healthy liver!