Pop Recipe

Berry concentrate

Place raspberries and 1 tablespoon sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Crush the berries with the back of a spoon and simmer gently for 4–6 minutes until softened and syrupy. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing solids to extract juice. Discard solids. Cool to room temperature.

Citrus concentrate

If using orange juice, combine fresh orange juice with 1 tablespoon sugar in a small bowl and stir until sugar dissolves. Optionally warm gently to help dissolve but cool before using.

Ginger concentrate

Grate fresh ginger and mash with 1 tablespoon sugar in a small bowl. Let sit 5–10 minutes, then press through a fine sieve to collect gingery syrup. Discard solids.

Spiced syrup

Warm the 3 tablespoons sugar with light corn syrup and 2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves to create a simple syrup. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice, vanilla extract, and cola spice blend (or grated ginger if making ginger pop). Cool to room temperature.

Chill glasses in the fridge for 10 minutes if desired. Fill each glass halfway with ice.

For each 12-oz serving: add 2 tablespoons of your chosen flavor concentrate (berry, citrus, ginger, or 2 tablespoons of the spiced syrup) into the glass. If combining flavors, total flavor concentrate should not exceed 3 tablespoons to avoid overpowering sweetness.

Pour 1 cup (8 fl oz) cold carbonated water into the glass over the back of a spoon to preserve bubbles. Stir gently once with a bar spoon to incorporate the syrup/concentrate without flattening the carbonation.

Taste and adjust: if you prefer sweeter pop, stir in additional 1/2 teaspoon sugar or 1/2 teaspoon simple syrup; for brighter acidity add a few drops of lemon juice.

Garnish with a mint sprig and a lemon or orange slice. Serve immediately while fizzy.