Soda Recipe

Make simple lemon-scented syrup

Combine 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Add the grated lemon zest. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar fully dissolves (about 3–4 minutes). Do not boil vigorously. Once dissolved, remove from heat and stir in 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice. Let the syrup cool to room temperature (about 20–30 minutes) so the lemon flavor infuses.

Strain the cooled syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean jar to remove the zest solids. Refrigerate if not using immediately. This syrup is the sweet base for the soda and yields about 1 cup.

Prepare flavor additions

If using vanilla, stir 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract into 2 tablespoons of the cooled syrup. If using fruit puree or flavored syrup, mix 2 tablespoons of your chosen puree or syrup with the base syrup instead. If using mint, bruise the leaves lightly with the back of a spoon or in your palms to release oils; you can steep them in the cooled syrup for 5–10 minutes, then remove so the flavor remains bright rather than bitter.

Taste the flavored syrup and adjust: add up to 1 tablespoon more syrup for sweeter soda or a little extra lemon juice (1/4 tsp increments) for brighter acidity.

Mix soda

Fill four tall glasses with about 1/2 cup ice each (total about 2 cups). For each serving, add 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the flavored syrup to the glass. Pour 1 cup (240 ml) chilled club soda over the syrup and ice. Gently stir once to combine, taking care not to flatten the carbonation.

Garnish each glass with a lemon wheel or a sprig of fresh mint. Serve immediately. If making a pitcher: combine 1/2 cup flavored syrup with 4 cups chilled club soda in a pitcher, stir gently, and serve over ice.

Storage: keep leftover base syrup refrigerated up to 2 weeks. Do not carbonate syrup directly — always mix with chilled carbonated water at serving time.