Short answer
Add about 2 tablespoons of fresh orange juice, 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of honey or sugar to each 500 ml bottle of plain kombucha. Seal it, leave it at room temperature for three to five days, then chill. This is a home approximation of a bright, citrus-led style, not a replica of any brand’s recipe.
What “copycat” means here
We could not verify the exact formula of Rise Kombucha, so this is a copycat-style recipe. It aims for a similar feel: crisp, citrus-forward and lightly sweet. Treat it as a starting point and adjust it to suit your own taste.
Ingredients (per 500 ml bottle)
- About 2 tablespoons of fresh orange juice
- About 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon of honey or sugar, for fizz and balance
- Optional: 2 or 3 mint leaves, or a thin coin of fresh ginger
- Plain first-ferment kombucha, about 500 ml
- A pressure-rated swing-top bottle and a funnel
Fresh juice tastes cleaner than bottled. Use juice with no added sugar if you can, so you control the sweetness.
How to make it
- Squeeze the orange and lemon, and strain out the pips.
- Put the juice, the honey or sugar and any mint or ginger into a clean bottle.
- Pour in the kombucha, leaving about 2.5 cm (1 inch) of headspace.
- Seal the bottle and leave it at room temperature, out of direct sun, for three to five days.
- Burp the bottle once a day over a sink.
- Chill it when it is as fizzy as you like. Strain before serving if you added mint or ginger.
What’s the usual ratio for a first ferment?
The ratio you use in the first ferment matters more than the flavour step. Home brewers commonly use about ¾ to 1 cup of sugar per gallon (roughly 150 to 200 g per 3.8 litres), with 1 to 2 cups of starter tea per gallon. These are ranges, not rules, and how much sugar to use per litre works through the smaller sizes. Sugar is consumed during the ferment, so a longer first ferment gives a drier, more sour base, and left too long it can turn too vinegary. For the full method, see how to flavour kombucha.
Getting it fizzy
Fizz needs sugar, a sealed bottle, time and warmth. The orange juice and honey supply the sugar here, so this batch should carbonate in three to five days. If it stays flat, check the seal, warm the room a little and see why your kombucha is not fizzy.
Adjusting sweetness and fizz
- Too sweet: use less honey or sugar, or add a splash of plain kombucha to dilute.
- Too sharp: add a little more orange juice, which is milder than lemon.
- Too fizzy: chill sooner, burp more often, and leave out the honey next time.
Storage
Keep the bottles in the fridge once they are fizzy enough. Drink within a few weeks for the best flavour. Fermentation continues slowly in the fridge, so the drink gets more sour over time.
Troubleshooting
- Flat: see the seal and the temperature first.
- Cloudy: the juice pulp settles. Chill the bottle well and pour slowly.
- Off smell: if you smell rot, or see mould, discard the batch.
Questions about alcohol and kidneys
Adding spirits turns the drink into an alcoholic drink, so add any spirit when you serve, not in the bottle. For the kidney question, see is kombucha good for kidneys. For more on flavour pairings, see how to flavour kombucha.