Coke Recipe
Carbonated soft drink with a classic cola flavor.
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Ingredients
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Cola syrup (concentrate)
Carbonation & finishing
Method
Cola syrup (concentrate)
- 1
Make spiced sugar syrup
Combine 1 cup water, 1 cup granulated sugar, and 1/4 cup dark brown sugar in a small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugars dissolve. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook 3–4 minutes to make a light syrup. Do not boil vigorously.
- 2
- 3
Add vanilla, lime, caramel and gum arabic
Remove the pan from heat. Stir in 1 tsp fresh lime juice, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon caramel for color, and 1/2 tsp gum arabic if using. Stir until combined. Taste and adjust: add a little more lime or vanilla if desired.
- 4
Strain and cool
Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a clean container to remove solids. Allow the syrup concentrate to cool to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This yields about 1 to 1 1/4 cups of cola concentrate.
Carbonation & finishing
- 5
Mixing the cola
Fill a tall glass with 1 cup ice. Pour 2–3 tablespoons (about 30–45 ml) of the chilled cola syrup over the ice. Add 2 cups cold club soda or sparkling water to the glass and stir gently to combine. Taste and adjust syrup-to-soda ratio to preference (standard is roughly 1:16 syrup to final drink, but homemade concentrates vary).
- 6
Serve
Garnish with a lime wedge if desired and serve immediately while fizzy. Store leftover syrup in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.