Soda Series EP 1: Homemade Probiotic Cherry Cola
Made with fresh cherries, coconut sugar, vanilla, and a ginger bug for natural fizz without artificial flavors or synthetic dyes.
I may have created my best fermented soda yet.
It is deeply cherry-forward, lightly sweet, full of vanilla, and naturally fizzy enough to rival anything I could buy at the store. The best part is that I made it with fresh cherries, coconut sugar, and a ginger bug I have kept alive since April.
This Cherry Vanilla Cola is the first drink in a new fermented soda series I am starting. I have been experimenting with different fruits, sugars, flavor combinations, and fermentation times, and I am excited to bring you along.
It is no surprise that I love making homemade soda with a ginger bug, but lately I have become even more curious about what is possible. How close can I get to familiar soda flavors using real ingredients? Which sugars create the best carbonation? How much does summer heat change the fermentation time? And how many bottles can I open without spraying the ceiling?
For this recipe, I wanted to make my own version of cherry vanilla cola without refined sugar, artificial flavors, synthetic dyes, or a long list of additives. I used fresh cherries from the farmers market, removed every pit by hand, and simmered them into a rich cherry syrup. Coconut sugar gave the soda its darker color and deeper caramel-like flavor, while vanilla brought everything together.
I was initially worried that coconut sugar would not be effective enough to feed the ginger bug and create strong carbonation.
I could not have been more wrong.
Because it is summer and my kitchen can reach close to 80°F, the soda fermented incredibly fast. Within a day, it was bubbly, pressurized, and ready for the refrigerator.
This is exactly why fermented soda is so exciting. A few simple ingredients can turn into something completely alive, fizzy, and full of flavor, but the process changes with the temperature, the sugar, and the strength of your ginger bug.
Even after several days in the refrigerator, the bottle still opened with that satisfying pop. When I poured it into a glass, the soda foamed and fizzed just like canned cola, with tiny bubbles rising through every sip.
The final drink is richly cherry, slightly caramel-like, softly spiced from the ginger bug, and full of natural carbonation. It tastes like cherry vanilla cola, but fresher, brighter, and more alive.
Now let’s talk a bit of science. I’ll share a few first ferment and second ferment tips!
