I’ve always had an interest in the nostalgia of the soda fountain.  The idea of carbonated beverages mixed in the same manner as cocktails appeals to me, especially since cocktails don’t.  While searching for syrup recipes, I came across this one for Apple Cider Soda Syrup and thought it apropos since it is apple orchard season.

To make the leap from syrup to soda, you’ll need some carbonated water.  The simplest solution is to go to the store and buy some seltzer water.  Since I plan on making this stuff more than just once, I went a step farther and bought a Primo Flavorstation
to carbonate my own water.

Ingredients:

Apple Cider — Amount is up to you.  I used 2 cups for my test batch.

Equipment:

Sauce pan large enough to hold your cider

Instructions:

Measure out your apple cider and pour it into the saucepan.

Simmer the cider on medium heat until it is reduced to 1/4 of the original volume.  When it gets close, watch it or it might go too far and turn in the deliciously sticky mess that is apple cider caramel.  Not the intention of this post, but I did it my first time.    You can either start over, or if you catch it early enough, just add more water and reduce again.

Pour the apple cider reduction into a seal-able container and let it cool on the counter until it can be put in the refrigerator.

Put a couple of tablespoons of the syrup into a glass and cover with carbonated water.  Mix well and drink up!  You can adjust the amount of syrup you add to increase or decrease the apple flavor.

The syrup should last at least a month in your refrigerator and maybe much longer.

There are plenty of other things you can carbonate as well.  I like blueberry pomegranate juice, lemonade, and a couple of the MiO flavors.  I’d really like to try a cola syrup next.  We’ll see how that goes.

What’s your favorite flavor?  Leave a comment and maybe, just maybe, I’ll give it a try!