CO2 infinity & beyond
May 28, 2019 8:18 AM Subscribe
What kind of carbonated beverages do you make, Metafilter? I bought a countertop carbonator and I want your recipes, procedures, and tips for both storebought soda clones and also unusual, unsweet sour and/or bitter bubbly drinks.
The carbonator I bought is called a Drinkmate, which apparently can deal with non-water liquids better than a SodaStream as long as there's no pulp involved, so I'm open to getting crazy with culinary carbonation. I've found some good recipes for carbonated cocktails, but am struggling on the nonalcoholic front, in part because I don't have much in the way of flavor reference points for carbonated beverages. Personally, I've always hated soda since I was a kid because all of it tastes too sweet to me, and somehow CO2 bubbles accentuate the sweetness of even "unsweetened" flavored sparkling water. I've tried tangerine LaCroix and that tastes sweet to me somehow, but I made a test batch of half a liter of sparkling water with the juice of one lemon and one lime last night and that tasted awesome. In contrast, my spouse would love to get some kind of cola replacement going (or a lead on Coke zero syrup and mix-in ratios?), as well as more traditional soda and other flavored sparkling water clones. So I'd especially love some sour and bitter drink ideas, but if you've got a recipe for more "normal" bubbly beverages that will probably taste like a bag of Skittles threw up in a seltzer bottle to me, give me that too!
The carbonator I bought is called a Drinkmate, which apparently can deal with non-water liquids better than a SodaStream as long as there's no pulp involved, so I'm open to getting crazy with culinary carbonation. I've found some good recipes for carbonated cocktails, but am struggling on the nonalcoholic front, in part because I don't have much in the way of flavor reference points for carbonated beverages. Personally, I've always hated soda since I was a kid because all of it tastes too sweet to me, and somehow CO2 bubbles accentuate the sweetness of even "unsweetened" flavored sparkling water. I've tried tangerine LaCroix and that tastes sweet to me somehow, but I made a test batch of half a liter of sparkling water with the juice of one lemon and one lime last night and that tasted awesome. In contrast, my spouse would love to get some kind of cola replacement going (or a lead on Coke zero syrup and mix-in ratios?), as well as more traditional soda and other flavored sparkling water clones. So I'd especially love some sour and bitter drink ideas, but if you've got a recipe for more "normal" bubbly beverages that will probably taste like a bag of Skittles threw up in a seltzer bottle to me, give me that too!
Response by poster: Whoa! I have citric acid, but I’ve never considered adding it to a drink. Mind blown! A pinch per liter is about right, then?
posted by deludingmyself at 8:32 AM on May 28, 2019
posted by deludingmyself at 8:32 AM on May 28, 2019
I also got a Drinkmate just last week. I use mine, very boringly, just for water. But this brings me to the point that still water from the same source seems to taste different according to the level of carbonation. So don’t be afraid to experiment even with that simple variable.
posted by rongorongo at 8:40 AM on May 28, 2019
posted by rongorongo at 8:40 AM on May 28, 2019
I love carbonated water with a splash of cranberry juice (straight cranberry juice, not cran-apple or cranberry juice cocktail or anything). It's a little tart, a little bitter, a little sweet.
posted by mskyle at 9:01 AM on May 28, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by mskyle at 9:01 AM on May 28, 2019 [1 favorite]
When I was making "3 Ingredient Recipes" with my puppets (it makes sense, sort of) for YouTube, we made delicious ginger ale with a homemade ginger syrup. You could adjust the amount of sweetness and flavorings pretty easily, I think.
posted by xingcat at 9:15 AM on May 28, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by xingcat at 9:15 AM on May 28, 2019 [1 favorite]
I really like about 1 part 100% pomegranate juice to 2 parts seltzer, but it might be too sweet for you. To me the carbonation and dilution opens up the flavor of the pomegranate - just straight pomegranate juice doesn't really taste like pomegranates to me.
posted by needs more cowbell at 9:48 AM on May 28, 2019
posted by needs more cowbell at 9:48 AM on May 28, 2019
It wasn’t until after having a sodastream for several years that I discovered that I actually like the soda better with less than maximum carbonation. I’d always assumed more fizz was better. Be sure to try different levels!
My current favorite is plain seltzer with half a lime or lemon squeezed into it, a splash of elderflower syrup (from ikea), and either a shake of bitters or about a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. And lots of ice.
I love tonic water so I got a bottle of sodastream-brand tonic water syrup - turns out it’s awful if you use it as directed, but just a few drops per glass of soda goes great with lime juice.
posted by moonmilk at 11:03 AM on May 28, 2019
My current favorite is plain seltzer with half a lime or lemon squeezed into it, a splash of elderflower syrup (from ikea), and either a shake of bitters or about a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. And lots of ice.
I love tonic water so I got a bottle of sodastream-brand tonic water syrup - turns out it’s awful if you use it as directed, but just a few drops per glass of soda goes great with lime juice.
posted by moonmilk at 11:03 AM on May 28, 2019
A drop of tart cherry juice is a fun addition, and I figured out on NYE you can carbonate apple juice provided the juice is very cold ( cold liquids take carbonation better, we chilled the juice in the freezer for an hour).
posted by julie_of_the_jungle at 11:21 AM on May 28, 2019
posted by julie_of_the_jungle at 11:21 AM on May 28, 2019
Peel and chop up a bunch of ginger. Throw it in a saucepan and cover with water. Add granulated sugar (to taste, I've seen recipes call for 1:1 sugar-to-ginger by volume but I use a lot less). Throw in some lemon or lime slices if you have them sitting around. Let the mixture to simmer for an hour or so. Strain out the ginger chunks and pour the ginger syrup into a jar. Add a splash to your next soda.
posted by no regrets, coyote at 12:51 PM on May 28, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by no regrets, coyote at 12:51 PM on May 28, 2019 [1 favorite]
The tiniest pinch of Burton Water Salts after carbonation will mimic sparkling mineral water.
posted by msamye at 1:05 PM on May 28, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by msamye at 1:05 PM on May 28, 2019 [1 favorite]
I'm a big fan of having a muddler and a hand juicer, and then just go wild with fresh herbs and fruits.
posted by GenderNullPointerException at 1:48 PM on May 28, 2019
posted by GenderNullPointerException at 1:48 PM on May 28, 2019
I've been enjoying the DIY Cola series from Glen and Friends on Youtube - his final formula is based on Cube Cola with some modifications. He also did root beer and ginger beer (although I would be inclined to try Jeffrey Morgenthaler's recipe first). Note: these are all sweetened with sugar so make the appropriate reductions or substitions.
posted by O9scar at 12:51 AM on May 29, 2019
posted by O9scar at 12:51 AM on May 29, 2019
I did a big run of syrups last weekend. My favorites have been a ginger syrup and a grapefruit syrup. Basically, you can steep just about anything into a simple syrup, and for your purposes, you may want to cut the sugar in the simple syrup in half, or use even less.
Given your tastes, you may have good luck with just straight bitters + soda water. There are lots of different flavors out there now, but I'm partial to the classic Angostura bitters.
posted by craven_morhead at 11:39 AM on May 29, 2019
Given your tastes, you may have good luck with just straight bitters + soda water. There are lots of different flavors out there now, but I'm partial to the classic Angostura bitters.
posted by craven_morhead at 11:39 AM on May 29, 2019
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Tchad at 8:29 AM on May 28, 2019 [3 favorites]