Short answer
A cayennade is a lemonade-style drink with a little cayenne pepper for heat. To make cayennade kombucha, add about 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice and a very small pinch of cayenne to each 500 ml bottle of plain kombucha. Seal it and leave it at room temperature for two to three days. Start with less cayenne than you think you need.
What a cayennade is
The name is a play on lemonade, with cayenne pepper added. Lemon brings tartness, and cayenne adds a slow, building heat. In kombucha, lemon and cayenne suit the tart base. The heat is the part to control.
Ingredients (per 500 ml bottle)
- About 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
- A small pinch of cayenne pepper, less than 1/8 teaspoon
- Plain first-ferment kombucha, about 500 ml
- Optional: 1 teaspoon of sugar or honey, for extra fizz
Fresh lemon juice tastes better than bottled. Use a clean, pressure-rated swing-top bottle.
How to make it
- Wash the bottle well and rinse it.
- Add the lemon juice, the cayenne and the sugar or honey, if you are using it.
- Pour in the kombucha through a funnel, leaving about 2.5 cm (1 inch) of headspace.
- Seal the bottle and leave it at room temperature, out of direct sun, for two to three days.
- Burp the bottle once a day over a sink. Taste a small amount on day two.
- Chill it well when it is fizzy and the heat suits you. Strain if you prefer no flecks of pepper.
How much cayenne to use
Cayenne is strong, and the heat keeps building while the bottle sits. Start with a very small pinch per 500 ml bottle. Taste it after a day, then decide whether to add more next time. If a batch is too hot, chill it, strain it and top it up with a little plain kombucha. Do not try to fix it by adding more lemon, because that makes it sharper rather than milder.
What makes kombucha fizzy?
Fizz comes from the second ferment. The yeast in the bottle eats the sugar, makes carbon dioxide, and the gas dissolves into the drink because it cannot escape. Lemon juice adds very little sugar, so a lemon-only batch can be less fizzy than a fruit one. Adding a little sugar or honey helps.
Low-sugar versions
You can make a lower-sugar cayennade by using only the lemon juice and no added sugar. The trade-off is less fizz. Expect a gentler, flatter result, and check the bottle carefully, because the yeast still has some sugar to work with. A longer ferment in a warm room gives more fizz but less sweetness.
Teas to avoid for the base
The base tea matters for the culture. Use plain black or green tea for the first ferment. Herbal teas and teas with added flavourings or oils are not recommended, because they can affect the SCOBY. Save the flavour for the second ferment.
Can you add alcohol?
Adding spirits turns the drink into an alcoholic drink. It is a different product, so add any spirit when you serve, not in a bottle that is still fermenting. For the wider question of flavouring and alcohol, see how to flavour kombucha.
Related recipes
For another citrus-led batch, see the lemon lime bitters kombucha recipe. For a sweet and savoury option with a little heat, see the jalapeño, kiwi and cucumber kombucha.