This homemade Italian soda recipe is perfect for a fun fizzy drink that both kids and adults will enjoy. Mix these fresh fruit simple syrups with club soda and top them off with a bit of heavy cream for a deliciously refreshing treat!
Italian sodas are my oldest son's favorite drink. Almost every year for his birthday we make them with a few different flavors and everyone can mix and match to make their drink. It's perfect for birthday parties, summer cookouts or get togethers where you want to have a fun mocktail drink bar!
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🍋 Ingredient notes
- Simple syrup - A simple syrup is a 50/50 mix of water and sugar that has been heated until the sugar dissolves. It's great to use to sweeten drinks without getting that gritty taste from the sugar. Flavored with fresh fruit, juices, or herbs these syrups add extra flavor to drinks or baked goods. The recipe below includes directions for strawberry, lemon, and orange simple syrups. Each syrup yields between 2 ½ - 4 cups of syrup, which depending on how much you use per drink, should yield between 10-15 drinks each.
- Club soda - This is what gives these drinks their fizz. Alternatively, lemon-lime soda can be used for a sweeter drink. Other substitutes for club soda are sparkling water or seltzer water.
- Heavy cream - The addition of heavy cream turns this Italian soda recipe into an Italian cream soda. The heavy cream is optional and can be omitted. For a dairy free alternative, try coconut cream.
🥤 Step by step instructions
First, make your simple syrup by combining the ingredients for the syrup in a medium pot over medium high heat. Once the mixture begins to boil, reduce the heat to medium low and allow it to simmer for 15 minutes.
Strain any fruit and zest from the syrup and allow the mixture to cool completely in the refrigerator.
When you are ready to make your drinks, fill a tall glass about halfway with ice and pour in approximately ¼ cup of the simple syrup.
Next, add in about ½ cup of club soda.
Lastly, finish off with ¼ cup of heavy cream.
Stir gently and enjoy!
The actual amounts of the simple syrup and heavy cream can be adjusted based on your preferences.
If you ever don't recognize a tool or skill that I mention, be sure to look it up in the Glossary of Cooking Terms and Definitions for more information.
⭐ Top tip
Place the simple syrups in squeeze bottles for easy storage and serving!
🍒 Other flavor ideas
- Pineapple
- Cherry
- Lime
- Vanilla
- Peach
- Raspberry
- Blueberry
🥤Serving suggestions
- Simple syrup - Store simple syrups in squeeze bottles for easy serving
- Club soda - Use a gallon beverage dispenser to serve the club soda
- Heavy cream - Pour heavy cream into a glass quart pitcher for easy serving
📋 Storage instructions
Simple syrups can be made ahead of time and stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator before or after use for 3-4 weeks.
🍹 More drink recipes
If you loved this Italian soda recipe, check out these other tasty drink recipes that I know you will love as well!
📖 Recipe
Homemade Italian Cream Sodas
Ingredients
Lemon Simple Syrup
- 2 ½ cups water
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice approximately 3 lemons
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest approximately 3 lemons
Orange Simple Syrup
- 2 cups water
- 2 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup fresh orange juice approximately 3 large oranges
- 1 Tablespoon orange zest approximately 3 large oranges
Strawberry Simple Syrup
- 2 cups water
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 cups chopped strawberries approximately 1 pound
Italian Cream Sodas
- club soda
- heavy cream
- ice
Instructions
Fresh Fruit Simple Syrup
- Combine ingredients for the preferred flavor of simple syrup in a medium pot and stir to combine.
- Heat on the stove top over medium high heat until the mixture just starts to boil. Reduce heat to medium low and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.
- Strain fruit or zest from the syrup and allow it to cool in the refrigerator completely.
Italian Sodas
- Fill a tall glass halfway with ice and pour approximately ¼ cup of the flavored simple syrup on top of it.
- Add about ½ cup of club soda and top with ¼ cup heavy cream.
- Stir with a straw or spoon to combine and serve.
Notes
- Quantities for simple syrup, club soda, and heavy cream can be adjusted based on preferences.
- Lemon syrup yields approximately 3 cups, Orange syrup yields approximately 4 cups, Strawberry syrup yields approximately 2 ½ cups
Dianna
I wonder if instead of removing fruit, you pureed it into the simple syrup? Have you tried that? Results?
Amanda
You can definitely do that! The syrup will have more texture to it depending on how much you blend it and the strength of your blender. If you are using a squeeze bottle to serve the syrup, then you may need to cut a larger hole in the tip as well.
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen
I worked in a coffee shop in high school and we made gazillions of Italian sodas. These are taking me back--but ours never looked this pretty!
SaporitoKitchen
How funny! Thank you so much Kelsie!
camila
these are so fun, Amanda!!
Amanda
Thanks Camila!