Kombucha as an Alcohol Mixer

We all know that drinking too much alcohol can be bad for you. But, sometimes, there’s nothing quite like enjoying a cool drink on a warm summer evening. At Booyah Vitality, we have the perfect way to balance fun and health- kombucha mixers! 

What is kombucha?

For those that are new to the game, kombucha is a refreshing, slightly fizzy drink chock full of health benefits. It is made by fermenting black or green tea with sugar and a SCOBY (a live colony of bacteria and yeast). During fermentation, millions of good bacteria called probiotics are made. Unlike the probiotics you’ll find in your yoghurt drinks, ours are carefully cultivated in small batches by hand, using only natural, organic ingredients. 

Can I drink kombucha with alcohol?

You sure can. 

Kombucha is a fabulously refreshing drink by itself, and we offer four delightful flavours; lemon and ginger, orange and cinnamon, lemon iced tea, and cucumber and mint. They are all a little sour and a little sweet- making them extremely versatile as alcohol mixers, or in cocktails. 

Spirit mixers

Ramp up your basic spirit mixers in one easy swap. 

• Instead of tonic with your gin, add a burst of flavour with lemon iced tea kombucha. 

• The orange and cinnamon flavour lends itself well to a golden or dark rum, for a rich, fruity drink. 

• Cucumber and mint (which we first named ‘ginbucha’) pairs well with Gin or white rum for a mojito-esque flavour without the fuss, or with vodka for a refreshingly sharp summer drink. 

• Lemon and ginger is so versatile, giving a fun, spicy kick to any spirit but works great with spiced rum. 

• You can add sparkling water too to make it into a longer drink.

Cocktails

Use kombucha in your cocktails and open up a whole new range of flavours. 

• Add a twist to your Moscow Mule with the lemon and ginger kombucha.

• Cinnamon and orange spiced Old Fashioned is rich and warming for chilly nights. 

• A lemon iced tea martini is about as refreshing as it comes. 

• Or how about Pimms with cucumber and mint kombucha?

Of course, these are only suggestions. Let your imagination run wild. Mixers such as lemonade or cola are crammed full of sugar, artificial sweeteners and flavourings, and empty calories. Our kombucha is made from a very small list of natural, organic ingredients; nothing artificial at all. 

Using kombucha instead of the usual mixers not only introduces a whole new depth of flavour, but adds a host of health benefits to your drink. 

What are the health benefits of kombucha?

Kombucha is a bit of a miracle drink. We’d love to claim credit for its discovery, but the health benefits of kombucha have been well known in China for over 2000 years! We’re a little late on the uptake here in the West, but now that we’re aware, you can buy kombucha in almost any supermarket or farm shop. Some people even home brew it- although the high risk of contamination means this isn’t advisable! 

While you can pop to the nearest chain supermarket and buy a bottle, most supermarket kombucha drinks are pasteurised. This means that, during the fermentation process, the mixture was heated to a certain temperature to kill off ‘bad’ bacteria. Unfortunately, this also destroys most of the beneficial bacteria too! At Booyah Vitality, our kombucha is raw. That means it is not heated, and the goodness is not cooked out of it. We also package ours in dark glass bottles, rather than tetra-packs. Not only is this so much better for the environment, but it also protects the probiotics in the drink. You can read more about why we use glass bottles in our blog. 

So why is kombucha so good for you?

1. Kombucha is antibacterial

This means that kombucha has the ability to destroy harmful microorganisms found in the body. Green tea, a key ingredient, has been shown to inhibit the growth of dangerous bacteria such as Staphylococcus Epidermidis, Listeria Monocytogenes, and Micrococcus Luteus- three very dangerous pathogens which can lead to skin infections, meningitis, pneumonia, blood poisoning, and so much more. 

2. Kombucha contains probiotics

Probiotics are healthy bacteria which live in our gut. They have been shown to lower blood pressure, reduce cholesterol, and improve weight loss. Probiotics boost the immune system, and keep our skin healthy. They play a key role in maintaining healthy digestion and helping us avoid issues such as constipation, diarrhoea, irritable bowel syndrome, and inflammatory bowel disease. Probiotics can even boost our mental health! Read more about what probiotics are and how they help in our probiotics blog. 

3. Kombucha is an antioxidant

Green and black tea contains polyphenols- a type of antioxidant. The fermentation process to make kombucha further enhances the antioxidant properties. Antioxidants combat a process called oxidation- where molecules called free radicals cause havoc in our body, damaging cells. This damage is the cause for most signs of aging, such as grey hair and wrinkles, but also leads to diabetes, vision decline, heart disease, and a whole host of diseases such as Parkinson’s and Dementia. 

Our bodies naturally make antioxidants… but not enough of them to combat the stressors of modern life.  This is why eating or drinking foods high in antioxidants can give our bodies a helping hand to combat degeneration.

4. Kombucha is high in vitamins and minerals

Kombucha contains many vitamins which are essential to our health. It is a great source of B1, B6 and B12, as well as vitamin C. It also contains minerals such as zinc, magnesium, iron, nickel, copper, and cobalt. It’s a bit of a falsehood that each vitamin has a specific job to do. In fact, each of these vitamins and minerals are responsible for a whole host of things and all work together to keep your body healthy. They improve energy levels, fight depression, keep vital organs healthy, resist infection… the list goes on. 

5. Kombucha is anti-fungal

One of the by-products of the fermentation process is acetic acid, which is used to treat infections caused by fungus. Kombucha is also virulent against candida infections, also known as yeast infections.  

Are there other benefits of kombucha?

Yes- loads! 

It would take a book to write about all the benefits of kombucha, especially when it’s been crafted using organic ingredients, cared for properly, and packaged appropriately. In short it can do everything from ease constipation to fight cancer. That’s pretty impressive if we do say so ourselves! 

So, next time you’re mixing up an alcoholic drink, swap your sugary, boring mixer for a boost of flavourful, healthy kombucha. Bottoms up!