By Rigo Gonzalez
Photo: i2.cdn.turner.com
Can you Make Your Own Soda, and save money at the same time? Absolutely! Did you know that it's really simple to make your own beverages at home? Just like with anything new there will be a slight learning curve as you learn which flavor combinations work best or how much of a particular ingredient you will need. Have fun with it, make healthier drinks, make fun flavors, and cut back on plastic and aluminum usage a little in the process. Are you ready?
Why Make Your Own Soda?
As you may already know brand name sodas are packed with calories and tons of high fructose corn syrup which is kind of unhealthy for you. In addition here are some other great reasons to Make Your Own Soda:
- Less usage of plastic bottles and aluminum cans
- Complete control over ingredients
- Many different flavor combinations
- You can use "Real" fruit instead of artificial flavors
- Ability to control the taste
- And much more
Last but certainly not least it's just downright fun to make your own soda creations. Drinking the same old boring name brands gets old. Do you remember when the gourmet soda company Jones Soda came out with a flavor called "Turkey & Gravy'? Yes now you can create the next crazy flavor
It Can't Be That Easy...Right?
When it comes to soda there are undoubtedly many flavors on the market, If you have ever watched one of those shows about "how things are made" and caught the one about the soda factory you will probably believe that only major corporations can churn out great tasting soda. Even though there are literally hundreds of different flavors of soda the truth is that most sodas share the same core parts of carbonation, flavor and sweetness. That's it really. Of course how great your soda will taste will depend on what method you use, and a few other factors such as how fizzy (carbonated) you like your water and how flavorful you like your soda.
Gettin "Fizzy" with it!
In order to have a great tasting soda you will need carbonation. To keep it simple there are two ways to achieve carbonation that won't break the bank. The first option is to simply buy a bottle of seltzer water from your local grocery store and mix it with your chosen ingredients. It can't get any simpler than that. With that said this method can add up over time. If you plan on making soda more consistently you may be better off utilizing a machine that can carbonate your plain tap water instead. You can also carbonate with dry ice, but we don't recommend this method as it can be very dangerous if not done properly.
Here Comes The Brand New "Flavor" In Your Root Beer
Ok so now that you have your carbonation method it's time to start thinking about different ways to flavor your carbonated water. First start with a simple syrup mixture consisting of one part water and one part sugar. You can then add at least two parts of your flavoring or more depending on your desired taste. Heat this combo up until it starts to boil then turn the heat off. Let this sit for about 30 minutes then transfer to another container and stick it in your refrigerator. As far as the ratio of carbonated water to flavoring you will have to decide by taste but 2-3 ounces of syrup to 12 ounces of carbonated water is a good place to start. The key here is to experiment with different flavor combinations and see what you can come up with. Make it fun, and who knows maybe you will come up with the next great soda flavor.
If you would prefer to have someone else be the mixologist then you can try using a premade flavor instead. This will shorten the learning curve and you can certainly still experiment and come up with many different recipes.
Just to give you an idea of what you can do with premade flavors here are a couple of recipes that you can create using SodaStream SodaMix flavors to get you going in the right direction:
Shirley Temple
8 oz. SodaStream Ginger Ale
1 1/2 oz. Grenadine or maraschino cherry juice
Maraschino cherries
Pour Grenadine or cherry juice over ice. Add Ginger Ale and serve with a cherry on top!
Berry Dream
4 oz. SodaStream Cranberry-Raspberry
2 oz. Light cream
1/4 cup Strawberries, raspberries or blueberries in syrup
1 cup ice
In a blender, puree ice, cream and berries until smooth and creamy
Pour into a cup and stir in soda
Extra special treat: Serve in a martini glass, garnished with a sprig of mint and fresh berries.
This is just the tip of the iceberg! You can make many more tasty drink recipes and the possibilities are truly endless. Whether you make your own flavors or opt for premade flavors learning to Make Your Own Soda will be fun, good for the environment, and very yummy for your tummy. Cheers!
Photo: i2.cdn.turner.com
Can you Make Your Own Soda, and save money at the same time? Absolutely! Did you know that it's really simple to make your own beverages at home? Just like with anything new there will be a slight learning curve as you learn which flavor combinations work best or how much of a particular ingredient you will need. Have fun with it, make healthier drinks, make fun flavors, and cut back on plastic and aluminum usage a little in the process. Are you ready?
Why Make Your Own Soda?
As you may already know brand name sodas are packed with calories and tons of high fructose corn syrup which is kind of unhealthy for you. In addition here are some other great reasons to Make Your Own Soda:
- Less usage of plastic bottles and aluminum cans
- Complete control over ingredients
- Many different flavor combinations
- You can use "Real" fruit instead of artificial flavors
- Ability to control the taste
- And much more
Last but certainly not least it's just downright fun to make your own soda creations. Drinking the same old boring name brands gets old. Do you remember when the gourmet soda company Jones Soda came out with a flavor called "Turkey & Gravy'? Yes now you can create the next crazy flavor
It Can't Be That Easy...Right?
When it comes to soda there are undoubtedly many flavors on the market, If you have ever watched one of those shows about "how things are made" and caught the one about the soda factory you will probably believe that only major corporations can churn out great tasting soda. Even though there are literally hundreds of different flavors of soda the truth is that most sodas share the same core parts of carbonation, flavor and sweetness. That's it really. Of course how great your soda will taste will depend on what method you use, and a few other factors such as how fizzy (carbonated) you like your water and how flavorful you like your soda.
Gettin "Fizzy" with it!
In order to have a great tasting soda you will need carbonation. To keep it simple there are two ways to achieve carbonation that won't break the bank. The first option is to simply buy a bottle of seltzer water from your local grocery store and mix it with your chosen ingredients. It can't get any simpler than that. With that said this method can add up over time. If you plan on making soda more consistently you may be better off utilizing a machine that can carbonate your plain tap water instead. You can also carbonate with dry ice, but we don't recommend this method as it can be very dangerous if not done properly.
Here Comes The Brand New "Flavor" In Your Root Beer
Ok so now that you have your carbonation method it's time to start thinking about different ways to flavor your carbonated water. First start with a simple syrup mixture consisting of one part water and one part sugar. You can then add at least two parts of your flavoring or more depending on your desired taste. Heat this combo up until it starts to boil then turn the heat off. Let this sit for about 30 minutes then transfer to another container and stick it in your refrigerator. As far as the ratio of carbonated water to flavoring you will have to decide by taste but 2-3 ounces of syrup to 12 ounces of carbonated water is a good place to start. The key here is to experiment with different flavor combinations and see what you can come up with. Make it fun, and who knows maybe you will come up with the next great soda flavor.
If you would prefer to have someone else be the mixologist then you can try using a premade flavor instead. This will shorten the learning curve and you can certainly still experiment and come up with many different recipes.
Just to give you an idea of what you can do with premade flavors here are a couple of recipes that you can create using SodaStream SodaMix flavors to get you going in the right direction:
Shirley Temple
8 oz. SodaStream Ginger Ale
1 1/2 oz. Grenadine or maraschino cherry juice
Maraschino cherries
Pour Grenadine or cherry juice over ice. Add Ginger Ale and serve with a cherry on top!
Berry Dream
4 oz. SodaStream Cranberry-Raspberry
2 oz. Light cream
1/4 cup Strawberries, raspberries or blueberries in syrup
1 cup ice
In a blender, puree ice, cream and berries until smooth and creamy
Pour into a cup and stir in soda
Extra special treat: Serve in a martini glass, garnished with a sprig of mint and fresh berries.
This is just the tip of the iceberg! You can make many more tasty drink recipes and the possibilities are truly endless. Whether you make your own flavors or opt for premade flavors learning to Make Your Own Soda will be fun, good for the environment, and very yummy for your tummy. Cheers!
Don't risk an explosion with Dry Ice! Forget about the expensive recurring cost of Seltzer Water. Learn how to carbonate your water in less than 30 seconds the "Easy" way. Check out the SodaStream Jet Starter Kit so you can make make your own fresh, sparkling water with absolutely no hassle. You can also check out additional SodaStream reviews by going to http://www.homesodamachines.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rigo_Gonzalez 
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