Sodas Recipe

Combine 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat.

Stir until the sugar fully dissolves and the mixture comes just to a simmer (do not boil vigorously).

Once sugar is dissolved, reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 2 minutes; remove from heat.

Let the syrup cool to room temperature, then transfer to a clean jar. This yields about 1 cup of neutral simple syrup. Refrigerate up to 2 weeks.

Lemon or Orange Syrup

To the cooled simple syrup, add 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest (or orange zest). Let steep for 30 minutes, then strain through a fine mesh sieve into a jar. Discard zest. Refrigerate up to 2 weeks.

Ginger Syrup

Return the prepared simple syrup to a saucepan with 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh ginger. Warm gently for 5 minutes, then remove from heat and steep for 30 minutes. Strain out ginger and transfer syrup to a jar. Refrigerate up to 2 weeks.

Raspberry Syrup

Combine 1 cup fresh raspberries with the prepared simple syrup in a saucepan. Gently mash and warm over low heat for 3–4 minutes to release juices. Remove from heat, let steep 15 minutes, then strain through a fine mesh sieve, pressing solids to extract liquid. Discard solids and refrigerate syrup up to 1 week.

Vanilla Syrup

Stir 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (or seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean) into the cooled simple syrup. No straining needed. Refrigerate up to 2 weeks.

Fill four tall glasses with a few ice cubes (about 1/2 cup per glass).

Add 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice and 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice distributed across the glasses (about 1/2 tbsp lemon + 1/4 tbsp lime per glass) or adjust to taste.

Measure 1 cup flavored syrup total (about 1/4 cup per glass) or adjust to taste; for a lighter soda use 2–3 tablespoons syrup per glass. Pour the syrup evenly over the ice and citrus in the glasses.

Slowly top each glass with chilled carbonated water (about 1 cup total divided among 4 glasses; roughly 1/4 cup per glass if making concentrated servings) — if you prefer standard serving size, use 8–12 oz (240–350 ml) carbonated water per glass and scale syrup proportionally.

Gently stir once to combine, taking care not to flatten the carbonation.

Garnish each glass with a lemon or lime slice and 2 mint leaves if desired. Serve immediately.

The recipe yields approximately 4 small glasses (as written: 4 cups carbonated water). To make individual 12 oz sodas, use ~12–24 tablespoons (3/4–1 1/2 cup) flavored syrup per liter of carbonated water depending on desired sweetness.

All flavored syrup components are prepared from the simple syrup base; ensure the syrup you choose is strained and cooled before mixing with carbonated water to preserve fizz.