If you drink a lot of soda, host many parties with soda, or own a carbonating machine, you can save money by using generic soda extracts. Making soda from extract often costs less than a third of the price of purchasing soda in bulk. This recipe is adapted from Cartoon Cuisine.
If you use a soda extract containing caffeine, do not add more than three times more than the proportion listed here (when scaling up or down) to avoid a caffeine overdose.
Ingredients
- ½ tbsp (7.5 ml) soda extract
- 1 cup (240 ml) water
- 1 cup (240 ml) white sugar
- 2 L carbonated water
Procedure
- Boil the soda extract, water, and sugar together to make a syrup of about 10 oz (300 ml).
- Mix the syrup with the carbonated water to make the finished soda.
Notes, tips, and variations
- Use water from a carbonating machine or a brand of pure carbonated water such as Polar Original Sparkling Water, Great Value Seltzer Water, or Signature Select Seltzer Water. Do not use a brand of mineral water such as Perrier, San Pellegrino, or Mineragua because the added minerals will ruin the taste. Avoid flavored sparkling water such as La Croix or Spindrift because the preexisting fruit flavors will ruin the drink.