The Donald, Citrus Bomb

This is the fourth batch of Live Soda. In my experiments, I've found a 10 Brix sugar level is just about right for my taste. The finished beverage tastes sweet but not overly so. I didn't always measure the specific gravity, but it sure helps to keep track of how much sugar to use per batch.

I'm calling it The Donald, Citrus Bomb with obvious references to our "Reality TV Presidential Candidate". And if he wins in the Florida Primary election then he will truly be the Citrus Bomb! Look out Florida Senator Marco Rubio. 

Okay, let's get to the ingredients

Brewed on 02-27-16

Brix: 10

Specific Gravity: 1.04

3-juice oranges,

1/3 cup of Jaggery

1-tsp of bourbon vanilla

Coriander

A few cloves

1/4 oz sliced ginger

Add the spices, water and sugar in a pot and simmer for a few minutes, cool and add orange juice. Pour through a sieve into a 1-liter bottle. Add about 1/3 cup of ginger bug and top up with water. Shake well, cap and let sit at room temperature for approximately 24 hours. I wanted to increase the ginger flavor with this batch, so I reserved some of the simmered sliced ginger and put it right into the bottle.

First impressions:

The color is beautiful. Like Florida sunshine. Good carbonation, with a rich orange/citrus taste. 

Mango-Pineapple Jaggery

Jaggery is made from unrefined palm sugar. It comes from the sap of the sugar palm tree that is found in South East Asia and Africa. The sap is usually collected in jars that have been coated with a bit of lime to inhibit fermentation. The jars are covered with a cloth to keep out insects and bats. The jars are collected daily to remove the sap which is then cooked down and concentrated and formed into balls for sale in the market. 

The sap is in some cases allowed to ferment right away and made into a alcoholic drink. One such drink is called Arrack. It a drink only locals would be familiar with because it is cheap, rough, and must be consumed quickly. 

When I heard about Jaggery, I was very excited to find it and make it into wine. I know of a grocery store nearby called Valli Produce that has a large east asian population and after careful exploration found the elusive Jaggery next to a huge selection of Indian spices.

I planned to use only Jaggery and Mango to make this wine. However, my fruit although ripe, was less than desirable and I added a banana and pineapple to make the beverage suitable for my tastes. I found the Mango on sale at a local fruit market and decided right then to make this wine. Had I known the quality of the fruit was poor, I would have used only pineapple and banana. 

Ingredients:

1-large pineapple

4-mango

1.8 lbs white sugar

13.5 oz. Jaggery

Enough water to make one U.S. gallon

Acid

Tannin

Yeast Nutrient

Pectic Enzyme

LALVIN EC-118 Wine Yeast

01-03-2016: made a yeast starter. 

Specific Gravity= 1.10 

Approx 13% ABV

Bring water to a boil and dissolve sugars. Meanwhile, wash, peel and cut the mangos and pineapple. Add the fruit to a mesh bag in the primary fermenter and crush with a potato masher. Pour the dissolved sugars over the fruit. Let cool and add the pectic enzyme and crushed campden tablet.