The Conversation
There are so many unusually flavored sodas and soda syrups out there lately that we decided to try our hand at making a few flavors. It’s surprisingly easy to make—you need is flavored simple syrup and seltzer water or club soda. We made three flavors: basic ginger soda, lemon rosemary soda, and spiced chai soda. Plus, you don’t even need to use the stove for these recipes. You can make the simple syrup in the microwave—it’s a great kitchen hack! Check out the flavors below, and then tell us what flavor you’d make in the comments!
We love the way the steeping sodas look. They should each be steeped for at least 20 minutes. The ginger soda is best when left overnight.
All it takes is a few tablespoons of the syrup, then top off your glass with some ice and seltzer! First up, how to make simple syrup in the microwave.
Ingredients:
– 1 cup water
– 1 cup sugar
Instructions:
1. In a microwave save container (we used a mason jar), heat the water until it’s steaming, but not boiling. (Approximately 2 minutes on high.)
2. Pour in sugar and stir until the mixture turns clear.
If you make multiple soda syrups, you can set up a DIY soda bar for your next dinner party and let guests choose their flavors.
Ingredients:
– 1 batch microwave simple syrup
– juice of two lemons
– 3 sprigs of rosemary, washed
Instructions:
1. Combine lemon juice, rosemary sprigs and simple syrup in your mason jar.
2. Close the mason jar and let steep for at least 20 minutes, preferably longer.
3. Strain rosemary sprigs and any lemon seeds out of the syrup.
4. Chill before adding to seltzer and serving with a rosemary garnish.
Just a few simple ingredients make this tasty syrup. If you need to, fold the rosemary sprigs in half to fit in the jar.
You might not need to strain this syrup, if there aren’t any seeds. You can just remove the rosemary sprigs.
Chill the syrup before serving, and store in the refrigerator if you don’t use it up all at once.
Simply add seltzer or club soda to make the finished drink. You can vary the amount of syrup you use depending on how strong you want the flavor to be.
Ingredients:
– 1 batch microwave simple syrup
– juice of one lemon
– 1 medium-sized piece of ginger root, peeled and sliced
Instructions:
1. Combine lemon juice, ginger, and simple syrup in a mason jar.
2. Close mason jar tightly and let the syrup steep overnight.
3. Strain out ginger pieces and any lemon seeds.
4. Chill before adding to seltzer and serving.
You wan the ginger flavor to be strong, so the smaller the pieces the better. You can also mash them a bit before steeping.
Strain out any ginger and seeds. Beware of splashing!
The longer you leave the ginger steeping, the stronger the flavor will be.
Top with seltzer and serve!
Ingredients:
– 1 batch microwave simple syrup
– 3 black tea bags or 3 tablespoons loose leaf black tea
– 2 cinnamon sticks
– 1 2-inch piece of orange peel
– 2 whole star anise pods
– 4 cardamom pods
– 1/4 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
– 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
Instructions:
1. Combine simple syrup, tea bags, orange peel and spices in a mason jar.
2. Close jar tightly and let steep for at least 20 minutes
3. Remove tea bags then strain remaining spices.
4. Chill before adding seltzer and serving.
This syrup takes on a beautiful rich amber color almost immediately from the tea.
Be sure to close the jar tightly. If the tea bag strings get in the way, cut them off and simply strain out the tea bags.
You’ll have a lot more to discard with this recipe.
If you don’t want to make soda, you can also add this to steamed milk to make a chai latte.
We love the bright (and natural!) caramel color of this soda.
We used an at-home carbonator made by Sodastream for the seltzer we added to our syrups.
Garnish the drinks with a few of the ingredients for that extra touch.
Cheers! What kind of soda will you be making? Tell us in the comments!
Kristin Appenbrink
Kristin combines her love of words, a passion for creating, and a drive to learn new skills. Plus, as an obsessive ice cream maker and storyteller she always has a scoop to share.