I had this idea that I want to try making homemade soda. I don't drink soda on a regular basis but every now and then I have a craving so I'd have a glass of coke/pepsi or buy one of those fancier and "supposedly" healthier soda from fancy grocery stores.
So I borrowed The Artisan Soda Workshop and Homemade Soda from the library. Flipping through both cookbooks, I opted to try the Golden Cola Syrup from Homemade Soda.
The recipe is pretty simple, requires combining cinnamon, minced fresh ginger, lemon and orange zest, star anise, and dried lavender. It sounded a bit odd to add dried flowers to me and it took me a while to find it but I added it anyway.
Then add water and sugar, bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Here is the result.
I strained the liquid and pour into a jar, then add seltzer or soda water.
Taste? It does not taste like coke or pepsi for sure. Which I guess is not the goal here. But the taste is very mild. Not enough cola-type taste and honestly I am a bit disappointed. I know I should not expect to have a coke in my hand (then I can quit my job and open a soda company lol). But I was expecting this to have more bite.
In any case, that ends my homemade drinks experiment for now. I think I'll stick to store-bought healthier in the meantime until the urge to experiment kicks in again.
If you would like to try making soda, I found a similar recipe on the NY Times.
What a fun experiment. Thanks for sharing the NY times link. I don't drink soda anymore, but it might be fun to try something bubbly!
ReplyDeleteJenn, how nice to hear from you on YS!
ReplyDeleteI love experimenting with homemade sodas etc. Too bad the recipe you tried was disappointing.Monika posted a brilliant ginger ale recipe years ago. It's worth a try if you're willing to give homemade soda another try:)http://www.monikakotus.com/2010/07/homemade-ginger-ale-two-ways.html
xoxo
E
Hi Erin! Thanks for the link to Monika's site. I will give it a try. It looks really good :).
ReplyDelete