Soda Recipe

Combine sugar and water

In a small saucepan, combine 2 cups granulated sugar and 1 cup water. Stir briefly to moisten the sugar.

Dissolve and simmer

Place saucepan over medium heat and warm, stirring occasionally, until the sugar fully dissolves. Bring to a gentle simmer for 2–3 minutes to ensure a clear syrup. Do not boil vigorously.

Add corn syrup and acids

Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup light corn syrup (if using) and 2 tsp citric acid until fully incorporated. If using sodium benzoate as a preservative, stir in 1/8 tsp now.

Allow the syrup to cool to room temperature. Transfer to a clean jar or bottle; this yields roughly 1 to 1 1/4 cups of concentrated syrup (about 1 L beverage when diluted at recommended ratio).

Cola syrup (if making cola)

Measure 1/4 cup cola flavor concentrate and whisk into 1 cup of the cooled base syrup until homogenous. Taste and adjust with an extra 1–2 tsp citric acid or a few drops vanilla if needed.

Lemon-Lime syrup (if making lemon-lime)

Whisk together 1/2 cup lemon-lime concentrate (freshly squeezed lemon + lime juice and a little zest or a commercial concentrate) with 1 cup of the cooled base syrup. Taste and add up to 1 tsp more citric acid for brightness.

Orange syrup (if making orange soda)

Combine 1/2 cup orange concentrate (fresh orange juice, 1–2 tsp orange zest or orange extract) with 1 cup base syrup. Stir and taste; add a pinch more sugar if needed for sweetness balance.

Root beer syrup (if making root beer)

Stir 1/4 cup root beer concentrate (sassafras/sarsaparilla extract, wintergreen, and vanilla blend) into 1 cup base syrup. Adjust with 1/4 tsp vanilla or a small pinch of molasses for depth if desired.

Note: The concentrate-to-water dilution ratio below assumes roughly 1 part flavored syrup to 4 parts carbonated water. You can make more or less syrup by scaling ingredients proportionally.

Chill carbonated water

Ensure your carbonated water is well chilled — cold water retains carbonation best.

Mix soda

For each serving (about 12 fl oz / 360 ml), combine 3/4 cup (6 fl oz / ~180 ml) chilled carbonated water with 3 tbsp (approximately 1.5 fl oz / ~45 ml) flavored syrup (this is a 4:1 water-to-syrup ratio). Pour the carbonated water into a glass first, then slowly add the syrup down the side to preserve fizz. Stir gently once.

Adjust sweetness and fizz

Taste and adjust by adding an extra teaspoon of syrup for sweeter soda or a splash more carbonated water for a lighter flavor. If syrup was too concentrated for your preference, dilute future batches accordingly.

Garnish and serve

Add ice if desired and garnish with citrus slices for lemon-lime/orange or a maraschino cherry for cola/root beer. Serve immediately while fizzy.