Rasberry and Lime / Cherry Basil Soda

Best Homemade Soda Recipes
Make Soda Pop at Home with Fruit

These Homemade Soda Recipes makes a great "do-it-yourself" sodas with fruit! You can make your own pop without a special soda machine. It's fun and easy!

Years ago, tall, slender bottles of soda, (real glass ones!), were a common treat, a thirst quencher, especially on hot summer days or evenings. With mouth-watering flavour, these soda bottles were often iced down in galvanized tubs.
Now, cans and plastic bottles of sugar, sweetened fizz seem to have replaced the thrill of soda sipping. The good news...these old-fashioned drinks are becoming exciting again, with homemade sodas becoming a popular drink idea. The additional bonus of making do-it-yourself soda, is that YOU control the ingredients and the sugar content! And, of course, you help to reduce the environmental impact of disposable cans and bottles!

Making soda drinks at home is easy...and you can even make them with the kids! The flavour options and possibilities are endless!

Instead of artificial flavours, you use REAL fruits (or vegetables), and carbonated water.
Deciding how to carbonate the syrups is probably the most difficult thing about making sodas at home. The quickest and easiest method is simply to buy seltzer or soda and mix it with the syrup base. Another option is to purchase a Sodastream Machine.

Here follows two homemade soda recipes, one for "Raspberry Lime Soda", and one for "Cherry Basil Soda". Enjoy!

Recipe #1 - Raspberry and Lime Soda

Ingredients
1 cup (250 ml) raspberries
1/4 cup (60 ml) lime juice, freshly squeezed
1 cup (250 ml) granulated sugar
seltzer, chilled
lime slices, for garnish, optional
Directions
In a small pan, mash the raspberries with a potato masher.
Add the lime juice and the sugar to the mashed raspberries, and stir until well combined.
Heat mixture on low heat, stirring often, (to avoid sticking and burning), until the sugar is completely dissolved, and the raspberries have released all their liquid.
Bring mixture to a boil, (stir constantly to avoid sticking and burning), and then remove from heat.
Allow mixture to cool, and then strain through a sieve or cheesecloth.

*Note - This syrup can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days.
Combine the syrup and the seltzer to taste, and with ice.
If desired, garnish with lime slices.

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Recipe #2 - Cherry Basil Soda

Ingredients
1 quart (1 litre) stemmed and pitted cherries
1/4 cup (60 ml) granulated sugar
1/8 tsp. (.5 ml) sea salt
1/4 cup (60 ml) chopped, fresh basil leaves
1 tsp. (5 ml) lemon juice
seltzer water, chilled
Directions
In a pan, combine the cherries, sugar and the salt.
Cook over low heat, stirring often to avoid sticking and burning, until the cherries are soft, and have released their liquid.
Puree the mixture in a blender or a food processor.
Stir in the basil and allow the mixture to cool.
Strain the mixture through a sieve or cheesecloth. Yield should be about 2 cups (500 ml) of juice.
Stir in the lemon juice.

*Note - This puree will keep in the refrigerator for a few days.
Combine equal parts, (or to taste), of puree and seltzer in a glass, stir, and add ice.


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