A homemade soda can be as good as a factory-made soda.
Soda -- carbonated water -- can be made with either a soda machine, or by slightly fermenting the soda mixture to generate natural bubbles. Naturally fermented sodas need less equipment than sodas that are made by injecting carbon dioxide into the soda liquid, but fermentation takes time, so it is better to use the soda machine, if you are looking for a quick, home-made soda fix.
Instructions
Home-made Soda Machine Drinks
1. Sterilize the bottle for your soda. Soda bottles are often included with your soda machine, so they should attach to the carbon dioxide injector without any leaks. Boil the bottle for 10 minutes in a large stock pot containing enough water to cover the submerged bottle by 1 inch.
2. Prepare the soda mix. This can be flavored with any ingredients and sweeteners that taste good to you, or you can use prepared soda syrups that taste just like commercial soda -- all you have to do is add the proper concentration of water.
3. Pour the soda mix into the soda machine bottle, and attach the siphon head.
4. Close the carbonating valve, and thread a carbon dioxide cartridge into the siphon head. Once the cartridge is fully threaded into the siphon, open the carbonating valve and mix the carbon dioxide bubbles into your soda.
5. Shake the bottle and siphon as the carbon dioxide is released into the soda mix to ensure that the carbonation is distributed throughout the soda. When the carbon dioxide is no longer hissing, you can unscrew the bottle from the siphon and drink the soda.
Fermented Soda
6. Prepare any old soda bottles that you have saved by boiling them for 10 minutes with the caps off. You can use both glass and plastic bottles for home-made soda, though it is safer to start with plastic bottles in case the fermentation causes the bottle to explode.
7. Heat 1 gallon of water to 100 degrees F, measuring the temperature with a candy thermometer. Once the proper temperature is reached, add 1 to 2 cups sugar or sweetener, 1 to 2 tablespoons of your flavor extract, and stir until the sugar is well-mixed. You can use the same concentrations for fermented sodas and carbonated sodas, or you can replace the concentrate and water mixture with the same volume of home-made mixes, such as lemonade or tea.
8. Add 1/2 teaspoon of champagne or ale yeast to the mixture, stirring well.
9. Using a funnel if you have one, pour the mixture into your containers, leaving 1/2 inch of head space at the top for the gases to expand into.
10. Put the lids on the containers tightly, and shake the mixture to distribute the yeast evenly throughout the soda.
11. Label each bottle with the date and its contents, and store them in a warm, dark place for 2-3 days while the soda ferments. Once the soda has finished fermenting, refrigerate it until you drink it.
Tags: carbon dioxide, into soda, your soda, carbonating valve, fermented sodas