Description
A refreshing homemade cola made with simple pantry ingredients, bright lemon, warm spices, and sparkling water. This fizzy drink delivers classic cola flavor with a fresh homemade twist.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup filtered water
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon caramel color
- 1 cup sparkling water
- 1 cup ice cubes
- 1 lemon wedge
Instructions
- Place a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Add filtered water and granulated sugar to the saucepan and stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Continue heating the mixture gently while stirring until it becomes slightly syrupy.
- Stir in the fresh lemon juice, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, and caramel color.
- Let the mixture simmer gently for about 3 minutes to combine the flavors.
- Remove from heat and allow the syrup to cool completely.
- Fill a serving glass with ice cubes.
- Add about 2 tablespoons of the prepared cola syrup to the glass.
- Pour sparkling water over the syrup and stir gently.
- Garnish with a lemon wedge and serve immediately.
Notes
- Chill the sparkling water before mixing for the best fizz.
- Adjust the sweetness by adding more or less syrup.
- Store leftover syrup in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- For extra citrus flavor, add a small splash of lime juice.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 glass
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 29 g
- Sodium: 15 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 31 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: homemade cola, DIY soda, sparkling cola drink, homemade soda syrup, refreshing cola drink