How To Make Italian Sodas

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Easy Homemade Italian Soda Recipe - How to Make

Let’s talk about how to make Italian sodas. They are delicious fizzy and fruity, and best of all, creamy. They are the perfect refreshing drink.

How To Make Italian Sodas

I’m so very excited about these Italian sodas. They’re maybe the prettiest thing I’ve made in quite some time, and my favorite part about this recipe is that it’s an idea-based recipe. You can apply the ratios below to any fruit and be met with delicious results. And seriously how gorgeous are the colors? I LOVE THEM!

If you’ve never had an Italian soda, they’re so rich and refreshing all at the same time. You may have had one using Torani syrup–they’re unfortunately super sweet filled with a bunch of additives that aren’t fun. These are way more natural. I decided on three flavors: rhubarb, blackberry and strawberry, but feel free to use up any fruit that cooks down well. Other fruit ideas are pineapple, blueberries, mulberries (they just came in season!) and even mangos. If you like, you can add a scoop of ice cream instead of half and half.

How is Italian Soda Different?

Italian sodas are unique because they consist of three parts: flavored fruity syrups, club soda or sparkling water and half and half.

Most typical American sodas are just syrup and sparkling water or club soda.

Crushed ice takes these to over the top. That’s probably the one big change I would make with the recipe pictured. Go with crushed ice, if you can!

How To Make Italian Sodas
How to Make Italian Sodas | www.acozykitchen.com

What are the Best Italian Soda Flavors?

The best Italian soda flavors are fruit flavored sodas. I prefer the ones pictured here: rhubarb, blackberry and raspberry.

I love the idea of serving this at a party and making an Italian Soda Bar, allowing people to sort of assemble them as they see fit.

And the inevitable question that I asked myself, and you’ll probably ask, too, is: HOW CAN I INCORPORATE ALCOHOL IN THIS?

Easy: vodka. Or whiskey. I mean, have you ever had a White Russian? My mom would order them when I was a kid and I always thought they looked so good.

They might be the most 80s drink ever invented, but who cares—this would be the modern 2014 version.

Is there Caffeine in Italian Soda?

There could be caffeine in Italian sodas if you wanted to add a coffee syrup, but in these fruit-flavored Italian sodas there is zero caffeine. While these Italian sodas are caffeine-free they are definitely not sugar-free. The syrups need the granulated sugar in order to give it a lovely viscosity.

What Equipment Do You Need to Make an Italian Soda?

The best part about Italian sodas is that they’re so simple to make. With this recipe, all you need is a saucepan, a sieve or strainer and a spoon. Super simple.

Hope you enjoyed this recipe for How to Make Italian Sodas. If you make them, let me know on Instagram! 

How To Make Italian Sodas
4.94 from 15 votes

Italian Soda Recipe

Prep: 15 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
This Italian Soda Recipe is made from fizzy water and natural homemade fruity syrups. Next, a bit of cream is added for a rich delicious addition.

Ingredients 

Rhubarb Syrup:

  • 1 stalk of rhubarb, chopped
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup granulated sugar

Blackberry Syrup:

  • 1 cup fresh or frozen blackberries
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup granulated sugar

Strawberry Syrup:

  • 1 cup diced strawberries, about 10 strawberries (fresh or frozen)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup granulated sugar

Italian Soda Assembly:

  • Half & Half, or you can mix together 1 parts heavy cream and 1 parts milk
  • Sparkling water

Instructions 

  • To Make the Syrups:
  • To make any of the syrups, add the fruit, water and sugar to a small saucepan. Place the saucepan over moderately medium heat and bring to a light simmer; cover the saucepan and cook for 10 minutes or so. The syrup is ready when the fruit has softened and the color of the syrup has changed. Mash the fruit with the back of a fork and pour the syrup through a sieve. Set the syrup aside and allow it to cool to room temperature.

To Assemble the Italian Sodas:

  • To assemble the drink, pour 1/4 cup of syrup in a glass, pour 1/4 cup half & half and top with a few splashes of sparkling water. Repeat with remaining Italian sodas.

Notes

Tips:
1. Use filtered water or bottled water for the syrups. I made a batch with unfiltered and oof, I could taste the terribleness.
2. This will absolutely work with frozen fruit, too!
3. If you live out of the U.S./Canada, you might have no idea what half & half is. You can make half & half by mixing together 1 cup heavy cream and 1 cup milk.
Milk Alternatives:
Almond milk tastes great, if you’re looking for a dairy alternative! Other milk alternatives that would work is light coconut milk, oat milk or soy milk.
Equipment: 
Saucepan | SodaStream | Silicon Spatulas 

Nutrition

Calories: 210kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Sodium: 5mg | Sugar: 75g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American, Italian
Like this Recipe? Please Rate & comment below!

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Hi! I'm Adrianna and this is my cozy space on the internet that is super-charged by butter, flour and copious amounts of pasta. Stay awhile, will you!

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65 Comments

  1. ok so in after thought.. we have some drink syrups here and they say 2 ounces for an italian ice on the bottle.. and it turns out 2 ounces IS 1/4 of a cup! i don’t no why but 2 oz sounded like less, and 1/4 cup sounded like a lot more.. i’ve never been good at gauging volume, LOL! ..and i’m very sorry if i sounded like a sugar snob! 😉

  2. Pouring a 1/4 cup of sugar into the glass i’m going to drink from sounds CRAZY! Can you imagine just dumping a 1/4 cup of sugar on your plate and eating it?… but that’s how much sugar is in one serving of these very small drinks.. yikes! Do you think this would still taste good using less syrup per serving? They look pretty though. 🙂

    1. You’re welcome to decrease this amount to your liking. That’s the nice thing about cooking in our own homes—all of us can make adjustments per our preferences.

  3. I understand that ‘Italian’ is simply an adjective and it does not refer to an Italian real drink, since in Italy we never (never) use rhubarb and we never drink these kind of sodas!

  4. My son loves Italian sodas but I don’t think they have ever been made with dairy. He likes caramel and vanilla. Any ideas on how to make syrups that are not fruit based? These would be a great idea for his graduation party I’m giving in a few weeks. Any ideas would be most appreciated!

    1. Vanilla syrup can be made the same way: adding the vanilla caviar and bean to the sugar and water (the water to sugar ratio of 1:1 will work!). As for caramel syrup, I’ve never made it so I’m not exactly sure. Sorry about that!

  5. My favorite, FAVORITE place to do blog work (editing photos, writing, etc.) is at a coffee shop. I find the energy very inspiring (or maybe I just like the idea of it and thats why). But really, I am most efficient when I’m at home and at a desk. Although if I’m writing, I like to sometimes lie down in bed too. So, I basically like everything, HA!

    These italian sodas are gorgeous lady!! I’m crushing on your glasses and Le Creuset pot.

  6. 5 stars
    Hello! This is my first time viewing your blog, and these Italian Sodas look divine! It’ll be strawberry season where I live in a few weeks and these fruit syrups definitely need to happen. One quick question: do you think these syrups could be processed/canned? The sugar content seems high enough, maybe just some acid from a lemon and/or a little pectin? I just think these would make lovely gifts/ would be great to have on the shelf through the winter!

    1. Oooo…good question and idea. I haven’t canned syrups but you most certainly can. If you’re going to can, like you said, it’s definitely going to need some acidity like lemon juice. Here’s a tutorial of a woman canning syrups. Seems pretty straightforward!

      http://www.growingagreenerworld.com/simple-syrup-video/