On any given day, about one-half of the U.S. population drinks tea, and about half drinks coffee, according to the Tea Association of the USA and the Coffee Research Institute. I’m not sure where that leaves all us Scotch drinkers, but aside from water, tea and coffee are the most popular still beverages in the country. Although most of the coffee is consumed hot (less than 1 percent is consumed iced), about 85 percent of the tea drunk in the United States is iced. It’s my mission to add some sparkle to those figures.
To make tea-flavored sodas, you simply steep tea leaves in sugar syrup, often with other spices and herbs. You then carbonate the syrup in the same way as other sodas. Coffee sodas are made similarly to tea sodas, with ground coffee substituted for the tea leaves. You also can add sugar to already-brewed coffee and cook that mixture down into a syrup.
The third member of our intensely flavored, caffeinated beverage trio is chocolate. Though most of us tend to think of chocolate as a creamy rich solid bar, for most of history chocolate was sipped, not chewed. The Aztecs drank chocolate (unsweetened, mixed with ground chiles) as a medicinal to fortify themselves physically and mentally, and when the Spanish brought chocolate from the New World to the Old World, the fashion for drinking chocolate spread quickly through Europe, right around the same time that coffee was moving in from the Middle East and tea from China.
To turn cocoa powder into soda, you must first hydrate and sweeten it, in much the same way that tea and coffee syrups are made. You simply mix the cocoa with sugar, water, and other flavorings, and then simmer the mixture until the sugar and ground cocoa dissolve. Once the syrup is made, you can dilute it with carbonated water whenever you desire a chocolaty beverage, which for most people is any time.
This fragrant soda enriches the green vegetal flavor of green tea with a floral note from honey and the creamy nuttiness of coconut milk. For cooking I prefer full-fat coconut milk, but in this soda defatted coconut milk is better, since coconut oils congeal when chilled. Green tea contains moderate levels of anti-oxidant phenols that can help protect artery walls, prevent cell damage, and reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer.
ENOUGH FOR 3 SERVINGS
Combine the water and honey in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat, add the tea bags, and let steep for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags and let the syrup cool to room temperature. Stir in the coconut milk.
This syrup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
TO MIX WITH SELTZER1 SERVING
Pour the syrup into a tall glass. Add the seltzer and stir just until blended. Add ice and serve.
TO CARBONATE WITH A SIPHON3 SERVINGS
Pour the syrup into a 1-quart siphon. Add the water. Charge with CO2 according to the manufacturer’s directions. Siphon-charged sodas can be stored in the siphon in a refrigerator for up to 5 days. Disperse as desired into tall glasses filled with ice, and serve.
Chai, the spiced tea from South Asia, can have more than half a dozen spices in its blend. Cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, peppercorns, and star anise are common. You can mix up your own blend, or you can use any of the plentiful good-quality commercial chai tea blends. Because chai is typically served hot, it has a reputation for being soothing and calming. But chilling it and adding carbonation changes the chai experience dramatically. Chai spiced soda spurs the passions and is more sultry than sedating.
ENOUGH FOR 3 SERVINGS
Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves.
Remove from the heat, add the chai tea bags, and let steep for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags (or strain out the spices if using black tea and spice blend). Let the syrup cool to room temperature.
This syrup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
TO MIX WITH SELTZER1 SERVING
Pour the syrup into a tall glass. Add the seltzer and stir just until blended. Add ice and serve.
Note: If you prefer your chai latte-style, replace 1⁄2 cup of the seltzer with milk.
TO CARBONATE WITH A SIPHON3 SERVINGS
Pour the syrup into a 1-quart siphon. Add the water. Charge with CO2 according to the manufacturer’s directions. Siphon-charged sodas can be stored in the siphon in a refrigerator for up to 5 days. Disperse as desired into tall glasses filled with ice, and serve.
Note: If you prefer your chai latte-style, replace 1⁄2 cup
ENOUGH FOR 1 QUART OF CHAI
Combine the spices. For best flavor, use immediately; for good flavor, store in a sealed container away from light and heat, and use within 1 month.
TEAS ARE INFUSIONS made from the leaves of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis). The leaves are processed into four main types: green, black, oolong, and white.
GREEN TEA comes from young leaves that are steamed to kill enzymes that would darken them. The leaves are flattened, dried to 3 percent moisture, and sorted by size, from gunpowder (small) to hyson (large). Green teas are light green in color and have a fresh, grassy flavor.
BLACK TEA is made from mature leaves that are allowed to wither and blacken after being picked. Then they are flattened and held for several hours at high humidity to ferment, during which time tannins in the leaves oxidize and develop the characteristic tea flavor and a brown-red color. The leaves are then oven-dried and sorted by size from orange pekoe (small) to souchong (large).
OOLONG TEA falls between green and black. It’s made from mature leaves that are flattened right after being picking and then fermented, creating a tea that is grassy like green tea, mildly astringent like black tea, and pale brown in color. Oolong teas can be roasted, in which case they develop a subtle smokiness.
WHITE TEA comes from young leaves that are barely processed. The leaves are not flattened and are only very lightly fermented. White tea leaves are often silver-gray in color and produce a brew that is colorless and subtly sweet, with a fresh, grassy aroma.
Of all forms of tea, white tea has the highest levels of antioxidants. White tea leaves are the least processed. They are gently heated only enough to stop enzymatic activity that could cause them to ferment, and then they are dried naturally. That’s all. The result is tea that is exceptionally mild, without a trace of the astringency that characterizes fermented teas. When carbonated, white teas can taste washed out, so I usually boost their flavor with fruit. Citrus and tropical fruits are good complements, but my favorite is raspberry, for its tartness, flowery aroma, and beautiful color.
ENOUGH FOR 3 SERVINGS
Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat, add the tea bags and the raspberries, and let steep for 5 minutes.
Remove the tea bags and mash the raspberries with a vegetable masher or the back of a fork. Let the syrup cool to room temperature, and strain to remove bits of raspberry.
This syrup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
TO MIX WITH SELTZER1 SERVING
Pour the syrup into a tall glass. Add the seltzer and stir just until blended. Add ice and serve.
TO CARBONATE WITH A SIPHON3 SERVINGS
Pour the syrup into a 1-quart siphon. Add the water. Charge with CO2 according to the manufacturer’s directions. Siphon-charged sodas can be stored in the siphon in a refrigerator for up to 5 days. Disperse as desired into tall glasses filled with ice, and serve.
The first cup-size silk tea bags were patented in 1903 and marketed commercially starting in 1904 by Thomas Sullivan of New York City. Sullivan intended for his customers to remove the loose tea from the bags before brewing, but people found it convenient to brew cups of tea using the bags, and tea bags quickly replaced loose tea as the principal method of brewing tea in the States. The rectangular paper tea bag was introduced in 1944.
Extracted from the pulp inside the seedpods of the African tamarind tree, tamarind paste is sold in Indian groceries and sometimes in the Asian section of supermarkets. Tamarind pulp is quite sour, being about 20 percent acid (mostly tartaric), but it is also somewhat sweet and savory, with a complex roasted underpinning. In much of Asia, tamarind is used to acidify sauces, soups, preserves, and beverages. If you can’t find it, you could substitute a combination of lime juice and Marmite and come close. Tamarind paste will keep almost indefinitely in the refrigerator in a tightly closed container.
ENOUGH FOR 3 SERVINGS
Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat, add the tea bags, and let steep for 5 minutes.
Remove the tea bags, and pour 1⁄3 cup of the hot tea into a separate bowl. Add the tamarind paste, stir to dissolve, and then strain the mixture back into the tea. Let the syrup cool to room temperature.
This syrup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
TO MIX WITH SELTZER1 SERVING
Pour the syrup into a tall glass. Add the seltzer and stir just until blended. Add ice and serve.
TO CARBONATE WITH A SIPHON3 SERVINGS
Pour the syrup into a 1-quart siphon. Add the water. Charge with CO2 according to the manufacturer’s directions. Siphon-charged sodas can be stored in the siphon in a refrigerator for up to 5 days. Disperse as desired into tall glasses filled with ice, and serve.
Snapple began bottle juices “made from the best stuff on Earth” in 1972. The company, founded by Arnold Greenburg, who ran a health food store on the Lower East Side of New York City, his boyhood friend Leonard Marsh, and Marsh’s brother-in-law Hyman Golden, began by selling unusual fruit juice blends with quirky names to health food stores.
The company grew slowly, adding a new product about once a year, until 1987 when it launched a bottled brewed iced tea made without preservatives as a summertime beverage. By the end of 1988, Snapple’s yearly sales had increased to over $13 million, and its line of noncarbonated beverages, increasingly tea, had grown to include 53 flavors. In the first six months of 1989 the company’s revenues grew by 600 percent. Today it is the largest retailer of single-serve bottled iced tea in the United States and the second largest seller of fruit drinks. The three founders are given credit for fueling the movement in the beverage industry toward noncarbonated beverages.
When roses are left on the bush long enough to be fertilized, the spherical fruit that forms behind them is a rose hip. Rose hips have a fruity, astringent flavor, not unlike that of pomegranate, and they are exceptionally potent in vitamin C. Like other dark-pigmented vegetation they contain a good amount of anti-oxidant flavonoids. Although it is possible to buy rose hip syrup and dried or ground rose hips, the most common and cost-effective form is tea bags.
ENOUGH FOR 3 SERVINGS
Combine the pomegranate juice and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat, add the tea bags and the lime zest (if using), and let steep for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags and let the syrup cool to room temperature. If you’ve used lime zest, strain the syrup.
This syrup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
TO MIX WITH SELTZER1 SERVING
Pour the syrup into a tall glass. Add the seltzer and stir just until blended. Add ice and serve.
TO CARBONATE WITH A SIPHON3 SERVINGS
Pour the syrup into a 1-quart siphon. Add the water. Charge with CO2 according to the manufacturer’s directions. Siphon-charged sodas can be stored in the siphon in a refrigerator for up to 5 days. Disperse as desired into tall glasses filled with ice, and serve.
Jasmine’s scent is sweet and delicate, like honeyed baby powder. The best jasmine teas are made by mating the blossoms and tea leaves under controlled humidity and temperature until the tea leaves absorb the scent of the blossoms. Cheap jasmine teas are made by mixing dried tea leaves with jasmine oil. For this soda I underscore the jasmine’s floral fragrance with honey and a splash of vanilla.
ENOUGH FOR 3 SERVINGS
Combine the water and honey in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat, add the tea bags, and let steep for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags (or strain out the loose tea), and let the syrup cool to room temperature. Stir in the vanilla.
This syrup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
TO MIX WITH SELTZER1 SERVING
Pour the syrup into a tall glass. Add the seltzer and stir just until blended. Add ice and serve.
TO CARBONATE WITH A SIPHON3 SERVINGS
Pour the syrup into a 1-quart siphon. Add the water. Charge with CO2 according to the manufacturer’s directions. Siphon-charged sodas can be stored in the siphon in a refrigerator for up to 5 days. Disperse as desired into tall glasses filled with ice, and serve.
Green tea infused with mint is served several times a day in Moroccan homes. Moroccans tend to like their tea sweet, which makes it the perfect base for a cool, refreshing soda. All you have to do is make a pot of superstrong tea and cool it with some carbonated water.
ENOUGH FOR 3 SERVINGS
Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat, add the tea and mint leaves, and let steep for 5 minutes. Strain the syrup and let it cool to room temperature.
This syrup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
TO MIX WITH SELTZER1 SERVING
Pour the syrup into a tall glass. Add the seltzer and stir just until blended. Add ice and serve.
TO CARBONATE WITH A SIPHON3 SERVINGS
Pour the syrup into a 1-quart siphon. Add the water. Charge with CO2 according to the manufacturer’s directions. Siphon-charged sodas can be stored in the siphon in a refrigerator for up to 5 days. Disperse as desired into tall glasses filled with ice, and serve.
A triumvirate of summer thirst quenchers — iced tea, lemonade, and soda — join forces in this all-purpose soft drink. Use this recipe as a base formula, and by switching the type of tea you use, substituting lime or orange for lemon, and switching out the sugar for honey or agave syrup, you can parlay this easy beverage into an entire summer’s worth of refreshment.
ENOUGH FOR 3 SERVINGS
Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat, add the tea bags, and let steep for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags and stir in the lemon zest and juice. Let the syrup cool to room temperature, then strain to remove the lemon zest.
This syrup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
TO MIX WITH SELTZER1 SERVING
Pour the syrup into a tall glass. Add the seltzer and stir just until blended. Add ice and serve.
TO CARBONATE WITH A SIPHON3 SERVINGS
Pour the syrup into a 1-quart siphon. Add the water. Charge with CO2 according to the manufacturer’s directions. Siphon-charged sodas can be stored in the siphon in a refrigerator for up to 5 days. Disperse as desired into tall glasses filled with ice, and serve.
The astringent tannins that bloom during the fermentation of black tea leaves are so compatible with the savory flavors that develop in the formulation of colas that joining the two in a glass seems more redundant than inspired. But inspirational it proves to be. This manly beverage has the look and stature of Guinness or stout and the complex satiety of being both filling and refreshing all at once.
ENOUGH FOR 3 SERVINGS
Bring the cola syrup to a boil, then remove from the heat, add the tea bags, and let steep for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags and let the syrup cool to room temperature.
This syrup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
TO MIX WITH SELTZER1 SERVING
Pour the syrup into a tall glass. Add the seltzer and stir just until blended. Add ice and serve.
TO CARBONATE WITH A SIPHON3 SERVINGS
Pour the syrup into a 1-quart siphon. Add the water. Charge with CO2 according to the manufacturer’s directions. Siphon-charged sodas can be stored in the siphon in a refrigerator for up to 5 days. Disperse as desired into tall glasses filled with ice, and serve.
Ice cream sodas are sinful snacks: rich, sweet, effervescent, and available in any cloying flavor you could wish for. If they didn’t make you fat and lazy, we all might be indulging ’round the clock. Sparkling latte to the rescue: not too rich, mildly sweet, and just as effervescent as the naughty stuff, it is the guiltless ice cream soda.
ENOUGH FOR 3 SERVINGS
Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan; add the cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer until reduced to 1 cup (about half of the original volume).
Add the coffee and return to a boil. As soon as the mixture boils, remove it from the heat; set aside until the coffee settles to the bottom of the pot. Remove the cinnamon stick, and decant the liquid into a small bowl through a coffee filter to trap any stray coffee. Let cool to room temperature.
This syrup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
TO MIX WITH SELTZER1 SERVING
Combine the syrup and the milk in a tall glass, stirring to blend. Add the seltzer, and stir just until blended. Add ice and serve.
TO CARBONATE WITH A SIPHON3 SERVINGS
Pour the syrup and milk into a 1-quart siphon. Add the water. Charge with CO2 according to the manufacturer’s directions. Siphon-charged sodas can be stored in the siphon in a refrigerator for up to 5 days. Disperse as desired into tall glasses filled with ice, and serve.
THE FLAVOR OF COFFEE, and that of the soda brewed from it, will be affected by a few factors:
THE TYPE OF COFFEE BEAN. The two primary species of coffee are Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora, also called robusta. Arabica beans account for about 70 percent of the world’s crop. They have a complex aroma owing to their high sugar content. Robusta beans are more bitter and overt in flavor.
WHERE THE COFFEE GROWS. Coffee grows best at high elevations and has different characteristics depending upon its growing conditions. Coffee trees were traditionally grown in the shade of taller trees. Today most coffee is grown in full sun, which makes for higher yields but puts more wear and tear on the environment. Shade-grown coffee beans are smaller and more flavorful; also, since they don’t require the clear-cutting of tropical forest, they are more eco-friendly than beans from full-sun trees.
HOW THE COFFEE IS ROASTED. Coffee beans are roasted at high temperatures until they brown, ranging from lightly roasted (about 375ºF) to dark roasted (up to 425ºF). As the beans brown, they develop the rich caramelized flavors we associate with coffee. Lighter roasted beans will be fruitier and more acidic. A darker roast emphasizes richer, more pungent flavors, such as chocolate, dried fruit, and tobacco. When the beans reach 400ºF, the oils in the beans work their way to the surface, which is an indication that dark-roasted flavors have started to develop.
HOW THE COFFEE IS GROUND AND BREWED. The more finely coffee beans are ground, the more contact each particle makes with the water and the stronger the resulting coffee will be. The grind, along with how long the ground coffee is steeped, determines the finished coffee’s strength. Espresso coffee is brewed under pressure, so even though the grounds have very little contact with water, their volatile flavors are forced from them by the intense pressure of the water flow.
In making espresso, water is forced through coffee grounds under pressure in order to extract the most coffee flavor with the least amount of fluid. Espresso is not just strong, it is concentrated. I make a point out of this because starting with real espresso, though not essential, results in a huge difference in the mouthfeel and flavor of this soda. If you don’t have an espresso machine, you can replace the espresso with strong coffee and combine 11⁄2 teaspoons maltodextrin or 1⁄4 teaspoon gum arabic with the sugar to mimic the consistency of pressure-drawn espresso.
ENOUGH FOR 3 SERVINGS
Combine the espresso and sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
This syrup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
TO MIX WITH SELTZER1 SERVING
Pour the syrup into a tall glass. Add the seltzer and stir just until blended. Add ice and serve.
TO CARBONATE WITH A SIPHON3 SERVINGS
Pour the syrup into a 1-quart siphon. Add the water. Charge with CO2 according to the manufacturer’s directions. Siphon-charged sodas can be stored in the siphon in a refrigerator for up to 5 days. Disperse as desired into tall glasses filled with ice, and serve.
Also see Coffee Mixology.
Before Red Bull defined the market for energy drinks, there was Jolt Cola. Jolt stimulated the soft drink market in 1985, claiming to deliver “all the sugar and twice the caffeine” of regular cola. Jolt later changed its slogan to “All the Flavor and Twice the Caffeine” when the price of cane sugar forced the company to switch to using high-fructose corn syrup in its formula.
The pyrotechnics involved in presenting café brûlot in New Orleans restaurants is spectacular: a spiral of flaming orange peel held aloft above a cup of brandied coffee. But this showmanship is hardly essential in the privacy of your own home. It does nothing to flavor the beverage itself. In this recipe for soda inspired by café brûlot, you get all the flavor of the original (coffee, spices, orange, and brandy) plus some bubbles.
ENOUGH FOR 3 SERVINGS
Combine the coffee and sugar in a small saucepan; add the cinnamon stick and cloves. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the orange zest and let simmer until the mixture is reduced to 11⁄2 cups. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Remove the cinnamon stick, cloves, and orange zest. Stir in the brandy (if using).
This syrup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
TO MIX WITH SELTZER1 SERVING
Pour the syrup into a tall glass. Add the seltzer and stir just until blended. Add ice and serve.
TO CARBONATE WITH A SIPHON3 SERVINGS
Pour the syrup into a 1-quart siphon. Add the water. Charge with CO2 according to the manufacturer’s directions. Siphon-charged sodas can be stored in the siphon in a refrigerator for up to 5 days. Disperse as desired into tall glasses filled with ice, and serve.
Prepare the café brûlot syrup as described above, then carbonate as desired.
Pour 2 ounces (1⁄4 cup) Southern Comfort over a few ice cubes in a tall glass. Fill with Iced Café Brûlot.
Prepare the espresso syrup as described above, then carbonate as desired.
Mix 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) Kahlua and 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) vodka in a rocks glass. Add a few ice cubes and fill with Espresso Jolt.
Prepare the hazelnut coffee syrup, then carbonate as desired.
Pour 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) Irish whiskey into a rocks glass. Add a few ice cubes and top with Hazelnut Coffee Creamery.
Prepare the Kona syrup, then carbonate as desired.
Blend 11⁄2 ounces (3 tablespoons) golden rum with 1 cup crushed ice. Mix in 1 cup Kona Coconut Latte and pour into a tall glass.
For this cinnamon-scented coffee I prefer to use Vietnamese cinnamon, which is most often sold as Saigon cinnamon. It is a Southeast Asian variety that is overtly sweet and aromatic. In the recipe, the cinnamon stick is simmered with water and sugar into a syrup and then combined with coffee, since long simmering would diminish the aromatics in the coffee.
ENOUGH FOR 3 SERVINGS
Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan; add the cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer until reduced to 1⁄2 cups (about three-quarters of the original volume).
Add the coffee and return to a boil. As soon as the mixture boils, remove it from the heat; set aside until the coffee settles to the bottom of the pot. Remove the cinnamon stick, and decant the liquid into a small bowl through a coffee filter to trap any stray coffee. Let cool to room temperature.
This syrup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
TO MIX WITH SELTZER1 SERVING
Pour the syrup into a tall glass. Add the seltzer and stir just until blended. Add ice and serve.
TO CARBONATE WITH A SIPHON3 SERVINGS
Pour the syrup into a 1-quart siphon. Add the water. Charge with CO2 according to the manufacturer’s directions. Siphon-charged sodas can be stored in the siphon in a refrigerator for up to 5 days. Disperse as desired into tall glasses filled with ice, and serve.
Turkish coffee, made from coffee ground baby-powder fine, is boiled with sugar, rather than dripped or expressed, into a beverage that is the consistency of wet mud. It is sweet enough on its own to qualify for a soft drink. In this recipe I have just gone the extra step and added carbonation. Because the base is naturally thick, the finished soda has a slightly powdery mouthfeel.
ENOUGH FOR 3 SERVINGS
Combine the water, sugar, coffee, and cardamom in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Strain.
This syrup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
TO MIX WITH SELTZER1 SERVING
Pour the syrup into a tall glass. Add the seltzer and stir just until blended. Add ice and serve.
TO CARBONATE WITH A SIPHON3 SERVINGS
Pour the syrup into a 1-quart siphon. Add the water. Charge with CO2 according to the manufacturer’s directions. Siphon-charged sodas can be stored in the siphon in a refrigerator for up to 5 days. Disperse as desired into tall glasses filled with ice, and serve.
The flavor of hazelnut comes from a compound, heptenone (a.k.a. filbertone), that is present in minute quantities in raw hazelnuts but increases 600 to 800 times when the nuts are roasted. Because it is nearly impossible to infuse nut flavors into watery beverages like coffee, this soda is flavored with hazelnut syrup. Syrups for flavoring coffees are sold in most supermarkets.
ENOUGH FOR 3 SERVINGS
Combine the coffee and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer until the mixture is reduced to 3⁄4 cup (about one-third of its original volume). Let cool to room temperature. Stir in the hazelnut syrup and cream.
This syrup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
TO MIX WITH SELTZER1 SERVING
Pour the syrup into a tall glass. Add the seltzer and stir just until blended. Add ice and serve.
TO CARBONATE WITH A SIPHON3 SERVINGS
Pour the syrup into a 1-quart siphon. Add the water. Charge with CO2 according to the manufacturer’s directions. Siphon-charged sodas can be stored in the siphon in a refrigerator for up to 5 days. Disperse as desired into tall glasses filled with ice, and serve.
Also see Coffee Mixology.
In addition to the intensity of their flavor, tea, coffee, and chocolate all share a common characteristic: they are all sources for caffeine, the most common mood-altering drug in the world. This chemical affects several types of cells in the human body. Its most marked effect is on the central nervous system, which it stimulates, diminishing fatigue and quickening reaction time. It increases the ability of muscle cells to produce energy. Too much causes nervousness, jittery muscle reactions, insomnia, and an abnormally fast heartbeat. One thing it does not do is add flavor or texture to beverages, and because of that I have not included caffeine extract as an ingredient for any of the sodas in this book. The only caffeine you will find in these pages is in preparations that use flavorings that naturally contain caffeine, most notably coffee, chocolate, and tea.
*A few highly concentrated energy shots that are sold in extremely small serving sizes (less than 5 grams) have more than 2,000 mg of caffeine for every fluid ounce of product.
Kona is the premium coffee bean grown in a narrow strip of mineral-rich volcanic soil in the Kona districts of the Big Island of Hawaii. Kona coffee is rare and expensive because the growing region is tiny. It is a great coffee, but I cannot say that it is worth twice the price of other premium coffees. I chose it in this soda because its island origin pairs aesthetically with coconut milk, but any good-quality coffee will work as well. The coconut milk adds creaminess without dairy and a sweet nuttiness similar to that of hazelnut syrup.
ENOUGH FOR 3 SERVINGS
Combine the coffee and sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring often, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Stir in the coconut milk.
This syrup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
TO MIX WITH SELTZER1 SERVING
Pour the syrup into a tall glass. Add the seltzer and stir just until blended. Add ice and serve.
TO CARBONATE WITH A SIPHON3 SERVINGS
Pour the syrup into a 1-quart siphon. Add the water. Charge with CO2 according to the manufacturer’s directions. Siphon-charged sodas can be stored in the siphon in a refrigerator for up to 5 days. Disperse as desired into tall glasses filled with ice, and serve.
Also see Coffee Mixology.
This soda is all about brown: browned roasted coffee, brown fermented cocoa, brown sugar, and brown cinnamon. Brown tastes rich, roasted, meaty, spicy, and sweet. Brown is substantial. Brown is delicious. Because of the savory and slightly bitter character of some of the ingredients, the sweetness of this soda is restrained, making it a bit more adult than your average soft drink.
ENOUGH FOR 3 SERVINGS
Mix the brown sugar, coffee, and cocoa powder together in a small saucepan; add the cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar and cocoa dissolve, and then remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick.
This syrup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
TO MIX WITH SELTZER1 SERVING
Pour the syrup into a tall glass. Add the seltzer and stir just until blended. Add ice and serve.
TO CARBONATE WITH A SIPHON3 SERVINGS
Pour the syrup into a 1-quart siphon. Add the water. Charge with CO2 according to the manufacturer’s directions. Siphon-charged sodas can be stored in the siphon in a refrigerator for up to 5 days. Disperse as desired into tall glasses filled with ice, and serve.
The rich, sugary decadence of hot fudge sauce is the inspiration for this cold fudge soda. Fudge is a kind of chocolate caramel; when warmed it liquefies, becoming fudge sauce. You can make the fudge syrup for this soda ahead of time and refrigerate it, but it will solidify. To regain its saucy persona so it can be made into a beverage, it must first be softened to room temperature.
ENOUGH FOR 3 SERVINGS
Combine the cocoa and sugar in a small saucepan; add the water and stir with a small whisk until smooth. Stir in the milk, and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often to keep the syrup smooth; let simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and add the butter, stirring until it is melted and blended. Then let cool to room temperature.
This syrup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Bring back to room temperature before mixing into soda.
TO MIX WITH SELTZER1 SERVING
Pour the syrup into a tall glass. Add the seltzer and stir just until blended. Add ice and serve.
TO CARBONATE WITH A SIPHON3 SERVINGS
Pour the syrup into a 1-quart siphon. Add the water. Charge with CO2 according to the manufacturer’s directions. Siphon-charged sodas can be stored in the siphon in a refrigerator for up to 5 days. Disperse as desired into tall glasses filled with ice, and serve.
The bite of chiles and soothing caress of chocolate dance in a playful paso doble in this sexy Latin-style soda. You can use any chile that you desire, but I would steer you toward ground ancho chiles. With their mild fruity flavor, they deliver just enough heat to ignite, but not enough to really burn. Under no circumstances should you use commercial chili powder, which includes cumin and oregano in its blend.
ENOUGH FOR 3 SERVINGS
Combine the cocoa, sugar, chiles, and cinnamon in a small saucepan; add the water and stir with a small whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil, stirring often to keep the syrup smooth; let simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and add the butter, stirring until it is melted and blended. Then let the syrup cool to room temperature.
This syrup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. Bring back to room temperature before mixing into soda.
TO MIX WITH SELTZER1 SERVING
Pour the syrup into a tall glass. Add the seltzer and stir just until blended. Add ice and serve.
TO CARBONATE WITH A SIPHON3 SERVINGS
Pour the syrup into a 1-quart siphon. Add the water. Charge with CO2 according to the manufacturer’s directions. Siphon-charged sodas can be stored in the siphon in a refrigerator for up to 5 days. Disperse as desired into tall glasses filled with ice, and serve.
The mating of chocolate and ginger possesses a spicy titillation. Gingerol, the active flavoring agent in ginger, is cousin to capsaicin, the compound that gives chile peppers their heat. Dried ginger is spicier than fresh gingerroot, and cooking it into the chocolate syrup encourages some of its hotter properties. If you are familiar with Jamaican ginger beer, this soda has a comparable intensity.
ENOUGH FOR 3 SERVINGS
Combine the cocoa, sugar, and ginger in a small saucepan; add the water and stir with a small whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil, stirring often to keep the syrup smooth; let simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and add the butter, stirring until melted and blended. Let cool to room temperature.
This syrup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. Bring back to room temperature before mixing into soda.
TO MIX WITH SELTZER1 SERVING
Pour the syrup into a tall glass. Add the seltzer and stir just until blended. Add ice and serve.
TO CARBONATE WITH A SIPHON3 SERVINGS
Pour the syrup into a 1-quart siphon. Add the water. Charge with CO2 according to the manufacturer’s directions. Siphon-charged sodas can be stored in the siphon in a refrigerator for up to 5 days. Disperse as desired into tall glasses filled with ice, and serve.
Like coffee, cocoa is brewed from beans, in this case the beans of the cacao tree (Theobroma cacao). Chocolate is made from roasted cacao beans that are ground into a thick paste, composed of 30 percent cocoa solids and 55 percent cocoa butter; during processing the solids and fat are separated from one another. Chocolate bars are made by recombining the two in various ratios. Cocoa powder, made by drying and pulverizing chocolate solids, is the most concentrated and chocolaty form of chocolate, and the one that is most commonly used for making chocolate sodas.
If chocolate syrup mixed into a glass of milk is the cold beer of childhood, then this is the champagne. The only thing that trumps a squirt bottle of chocolate syrup is this homemade version, reinforced with a melted lozenge of pure chocolate. You can make the syrup anytime for an instant hit of chocolate soda. Just warm it up to room temperature before squirting; it sets up like a block of fudge when it gets cold.
ENOUGH FOR 3 SERVINGS
Combine the cocoa and sugar in a small saucepan; add the milk and stir with a small whisk until smooth. Bring to a simmer, stirring often to keep the syrup smooth; let simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate, stirring until melted and blended. Let cool to room temperature.
This syrup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Bring back to room temperature before mixing into soda.
TO MIX WITH SELTZER1 SERVING
Pour the syrup into a tall glass. Add the seltzer and stir just until blended. Add ice and serve.
TO CARBONATE WITH A SIPHON3 SERVINGS
Pour the syrup into a 1-quart siphon. Add the water. Charge with CO2 according to the manufacturer’s directions. Siphon-charged sodas can be stored in the siphon in a refrigerator for up to 5 days. Disperse as desired into tall glasses filled with ice, and serve.
Natale Olivieri produced Tru-Fruit Sodas from his store in northern New Jersey in the 1920s. He wanted to add a milk chocolate drink to the line but didn’t know how to package it so that it would not spoil. After watching his wife putting up tomato sauce, he tried heat-processing the soda after it was in the bottle, and with a little trial and error it worked. Yoo-hoo became the first milk-based soda to be bottled and sold commercially.
