Liz and I went back to my hometown recently, uneasy about what we would eat while we were there. My parents live in a small farm community in Northeast Ohio, about 35 miles south of Cleveland. There are probably a lot of people there that don’t even know what a vegan is. And, unlike C-U, where you can at least get a bean or veggie burger many places (suspending disbelief about it being completely vegan), that’s simply not an option there.
While we were in Ohio, we went to a nearby town called Oberlin, home to Oberlin College, a private liberal arts college, and some hip places that are veg-friendly. We were pleased to find a juice bar (something that would, ahem, be great to have here in C-U) called Café Sprouts where we stumbled upon kombucha floats. Admittedly, I thought this sounded a little unpleasant, despite my growing love for kombucha and my immediate love of coconut ice kream. I just wasn’t sure what the results would be when someone combined them. They were about $8-$9 apiece but we decided to be adventurous and give it a try. They were surprisingly good and we were inspired to create our own.
While we are waiting to start our own kombucha culture, we went with local store options for our goods. GTS Organic Raw Kombucha is available at Strawberry Fields and Common Ground Food Co-op. In all honesty, it’s actually a bit cheaper at the Co-op at $3.69/pint. Kombucha is a bit of an acquired taste and can be a little vinegary at times, but a float is a nice way to acclimate to its taste gradually. Just remember that kombucha is good for you- it will help you detox and it’s loaded with helpful probiotics that will help ease any stomach troubles you may be having as well. I wasn’t all that thrilled about it at first, but it grew on me quickly and I often want one more than a beer these days. I’d drink one every day if it was less expensive.
For our ice kream, we went with a pint of Almond Dream Vanilla, available for $4.99 at Strawberry Fields. Almond Dream has a great taste and a creamy consistency, similar to what you get with the more expensive coconut ice kream varieties that cost around $8/pint. Adding to our first kombucha float experiment, we went with red raspberries that we had frozen days before. They’re available for around $3 for 6 oz.
All in, all, we created our own kombucha floats for around $8 for 32 oz. The result is a cool and refreshing non-alcoholic drink with a bit of zip that will invigorate you and give your liver a break. With a variety of non-dairy ice kream choices, kombucha varieties, and fruits, you’ll have a lot of options for a quick dessert beverage to beat the heat. All you need are the three ingredients listed below and a blender.
16 oz. bottle of GTS Organic Raw Kombucha (we used Original)
½ pint Almond Dream Vanilla
¼ cup frozen red raspberries (or another fruit of your choice)
Blend together and serve. Top with fresh fruit (optional).