Italian sodas look beautiful and seem very fancy and indulgent. They are, however, extremely fun and easy to make. Start with a big glass full of ice. Add sparkling water or club soda, and a tablespoon or two of flavored syrups.
These syrups can be found in the coffee section of most grocery stores, coffee shops, gourmet food stores, and are also available from Amazon. They come in myriad of flavors: vanilla, white chocolate, caramel, raspberry, pumpkin spice, peppermint, Tiramisu, amaretto, lime, cranberry, hazelnut, crème de menthe, Irish Crème, coconut, coffee, and even pomegranate and mango. A lot of the flavors are also available in sugar free versions.
Italian sodas are fun to serve for brunch or for a special dinner. But they are easy enough for average days. They are also sometimes a good way to entice sick children to drink those liquids the doctor says to push. I’m not sure how the sugar content compares to regular soda, but it seems like it’s less. Sometimes we just skip the sugar flavorings and mix about ½ sparkling water with ½ juice. This makes a very pretty drink, too. And I know its way better for the kids than soda.
One of our favorite versions of Italian sodas is also the easiest. Add a tablespoon of vanilla to the ice and sparkling water. It’s a light, sweet beverage. To be very fancy you can add a few fresh raspberries or strawberries, or a spring of mint.
What’s really funny though is mixing the flavors. Vanilla and raspberry? Yum. Vanilla and peppermint? Also great. Try raspberry and lime, or cranberry and lime.
Making Italian sodas is a great way to let your children experiment with flavors in the kitchen. Since these are recipes that don’t require knives or stoves, even young children can play chef.
Also See:
Homemade Lemonade – Kid Recipes