Jarritos Orange Recipe

Make simple orange syrup

In a small saucepan combine 0.5 cups cold water and 0.75 cups granulated sugar. Add the orange zest. Heat gently over medium-low heat, stirring until sugar fully dissolves (about 3–5 minutes). Do not boil. Once sugar is dissolved and the mixture is fragrant, remove from heat and let steep for 10 minutes to extract orange aroma from the zest.

After steeping, strain the syrup through a fine mesh strainer into a heatproof container to remove zest. Allow syrup to cool to room temperature (about 15 minutes).

Stir the fresh orange juice (0.75 cups) and 1 tsp fresh lemon juice into the cooled syrup. Add 0.25 tsp pure orange extract and 1 tsp honey or agave if using — this enhances body and approximates the rounded mouthfeel of bottled Jarritos. If you want a brighter color, add a single drop of natural orange food coloring and stir until incorporated.

Taste the orange concentrate and adjust balance: add up to 0.5 tsp more lemon juice if it needs more acidity, or up to 1–2 tsp more sugar dissolved in a bit of warm water if it needs more sweetness. The concentrate should be noticeably sweet and citrusy but slightly stronger than a finished soda because it will be diluted with sparkling water.

Chill 2 cups sparkling water (make sure it is well chilled to preserve carbonation). Fill a serving glass with 1 cup ice if desired (this recipe lists 1 cup ice; adjust per glass size).

Measure out 3/4 cup of the orange concentrate (syrup + juice mixture) and pour it into the chilled sparkling water, or for a single 12–16 oz serving, use a ratio of about 1 part concentrate to 3 parts sparkling water (approx. 3–4 oz concentrate to 10–12 oz sparkling water). Gently stir once or twice with a bar spoon to combine without losing too much carbonation.

Taste and adjust: if too sweet, add a splash more sparkling water; if too tart, add a teaspoon of syrup. If you reduced carbonation during mixing, top with a small pour of fresh sparkling water.

Garnish with an orange slice on the rim and a mint sprig if desired. Serve immediately while cold and fizzy.

Store any leftover orange concentrate (syrup + juice mixture) in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Do not carbonate the concentrate; always mix with chilled sparkling water when ready to serve.