Lemon Kvass

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make lemon kvass? Very easily — you need only the bare minimum of ingredients. IMPORTANT! Never wash the raisins. The reaction that produces all those extra gas bubbles only happens with unwashed raisins, because they carry the bacteria the yeast needs. You can reduce or increase the amount of sugar to taste, but keep in mind that too much sugar kills the yeast.

2. Step 2:

   

   Pour water into a pot and set it over high heat. Add the sugar and bring it to a boil, stirring. Cook for 2–3 minutes. Take the syrup off the heat and cool it to room temperature (26–30°C).

3. Step 3:

   

   While the syrup cooks, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Pour boiling water over the lemons and dry them thoroughly to remove any residue from the skin. Peel a thin layer of zest from all the lemons, trying not to take any of the bitter white pith. I just grate the zest on a coarse grater — it's faster that way.

4. Step 4:

   

   Cut the lemons in half and squeeze out the juice. You'll get about a cup of lemon juice in all.

5. Step 5:

   

   Add 1 tsp of sugar to the yeast and mash it thoroughly into a smooth, viscous paste. You can replace the fresh yeast with dry yeast at a 3:1 ratio, i.e. you'll need 5 g. Mix it with sugar too and add 2–3 tbsp of warm water (40°C). Leave it for 10–15 minutes at room temperature until a foamy cap appears.

6. Step 6:

   

   Pour the lemon juice and dissolved yeast into the pot of cooled syrup, and add the zest. Stir everything together.

7. Step 7:

   

   Leave the pot at room temperature for 4–5 hours. Lots of small fizzing bubbles will appear on the surface.

8. Step 8:

   

   After that time, strain the kvass through a sieve or cheesecloth.

9. Step 9:

   

   Then pour it into containers. Add an equal amount of raisins to each. I have one three-liter jar, so I put all the raisins into it. Almost immediately the raisins will start bobbing rapidly up and down.

10. Step 10:

    

    Seal the kvass containers tightly and refrigerate for 2–3 days to mature. By the end, all the raisins should have risen to the surface.

11. Step 11:

    

    Pour the finished fizzy kvass into glasses and serve. Enjoy!