Soda Making

jmcnamara

jmcnamara

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Established Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2012
Messages
2,627
Reaction score
2,639
Points
113
Location
Rosedale, MD
So this is probably blasphemy on this site, but I got to thinking about making my own club soda last night. Tried to search for recipes and found nothing too conclusive. But I did find this link
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/articles/50-homemade-sodas.html

Practically all of them sound delicious and easy to make.

Anybody have experience with making their own soft drinks?
 
Well some nice recipes there JMcnamara especially if you want a change from the grog .
 
I make rootbeer, the kids in the family love it, went through 5 gallons at Christmas
 
I don't make soda very often any more since my kids grew up and left home. I've made ginger ale, root beer, and lemon lime in the past. I gave up sugar and sugar substitutes about 6 years ago, so started making club soda and carbonating things like iced ginger green tea. To do a super small amount, I just use a carbonator cap and a 2L bottle.

For a while, when my kids were young I played around with the carbonator cap and carbed up just about anything they asked me to. Carbonated juice, kool-aid, lemonade, etc. This may sound obvious to most people, but I know for a fact that carbonated chocolate milk is as gross as it sounds.

My son used champagne yeast to make root beer, and he loved playing "mad scientist" and doing that.
 
Yeah, I think I'll stay away from the milk

For those plastic 2l bottles, what psi did you use to carb them? The wife said she expected me to blow the first one up by going too strong on the gas
 
jmcnamara said:
Yeah, I think I'll stay away from the milk

For those plastic 2l bottles, what psi did you use to carb them? The wife said she expected me to blow the first one up by going too strong on the gas
Click to expand...

Hahaha, you can't really blow them up, that's why I use them. Soda is more highly carbonated than beer, so those 2L jugs hold quite a bit of pressure. I usually put the mix in the bottle, and either chill the bottle or use the mixed up stuff already cold. Then just put it on the gas at 30 psi and shake for about 5 minutes, until I don't hear gas going in any more.

This also works great for people who drink commercial sodas- no more flat club soda or tonic water either. Just slap the carbonator cap on, and recarb. That's mostly what I use mine for now- since I don't go through tonic water that fast it can get flat. I have several, but the one I like the best is all stainless. It's so much better than the plastic ones that leak. I just wish I could remember where I got it from!

One of the guys on the other forum I'm on has a club soda "recipe" that is like RO water plus 1 teaspoon baking soda for 5 gallons. It really turns out great, and I plan on having that on tap in the summer.
 
I have it posted in this forum somewhere its a year old I think but basically you use filtered water 1 four pound bag of sugar and 2 zatarains root beer concentrate, you need to boil it only to mix everything together otherwise the sugar just drops to the bottom
 
Went home and tried out that carbonation cap yesterday soda water in a few minutes mmmm all the fizzy possibilities :D. Cheers jmcnamara for starting this thread I may not be able to drink alcohol at this present time but there is nothing stopping me making some lemonade or something.
 
Trialben said:
Went home and tried out that carbonation cap yesterday soda water in a few minutes mmmm all the fizzy possibilities :D. Cheers jmcnamara for starting this thread I may not be able to drink alcohol at this present time but there is nothing stopping me making some lemonade or something.
Click to expand...

Glad I could be of service. Hope it tides you over till you can have beer again
 
Ive found you need to carb it high in order to taste right and it makes 5 gallons so start at a little over
 
I've got lemons coming outta me ears at the moment so a lemonade is definitely on me mind I'll be perusing the pages of that food network website.

I'm thinking one of these two. But I have to substitute sugar for fruit maybe green apples.
21. Lemon Ginger Ale Simmer 2 cups water, 1 cup each sugar and finely chopped ginger, and the zest (in wide strips) and juice of 2 lemons over medium heat until syrupy, 15 to 20 minutes; strain. Let cool completely. Mix with seltzer.

22. Spiced Lemon Ginger Ale Make Lemon Ginger Ale (No. 21), using the zest and juice of only 1 lemon and simmering 6 cardamom pods, 1 teaspoon allspice berries and 1 cinnamon stick in the syrup.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/articles/50-homemade-sodas.page-3.html?oc=linkback
 
Last edited:
We always keep some root beer on tap. Makes awesome floats if you hold back a touch on sugar from what the recipes call for. Lots of varieties out there. No need to boil if you heat the sugar with some water to around 170F then mix full volume.
 
Today's attempt at fizzy apple carrot ginger and lemon drink
 

Attachments

  • image.jpeg
    image.jpeg
    644.3 KB · Views: 277
anything you do to clarify a drink like that will lose 3/4 of the flavor
 
Two things I've already found when using the carb cap
1 chill water as cold as you can to better absorb co2.
2 leave a descent head space and it carbonates better.

Had two nephews here yesterday arvo and we had a lot of fun making things fizzy!
 
Got a cap today and ingredients for the blackberry lime soda. Super quick and easy to make up the syrup. And I've got it chilling right now

I got the plastic cap, which is a bit harder to fit my quick disconnect on. I had to connect that before I screwed the cap on.

Now that I'm thinking about it, I wonder if the carb cap is sized to fit the other disconnect

Edit: that is most definitely not the case. The gas one does fit much better
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Want no ads? Go Premium and unlock all our brewing tools!
Copyright © 2007-2025 Brewer's Friend, Inc. - Send Feedback - Terms - RSS Feed - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

Back
Top