The Italian Soda

I love Italian Sodas. They are so wonderful. I had my first one years ago. I believe it was at Schulers Cafe in Grand Rapids. And since then my friend Stindall and I have been on the hunt for the best ones from different coffee shops to restaurants we've tried our fair share. I think the best one I've had has been at Carino's - that Italian restaurant chain. It is so good. 

My husband and I are part of a small Bible study group on Thursday evenings where we do a dinner, Bible study, and fellowship. Each dinner time has a theme and this week was ITALIAN!! I was excited that we were signed up for drinks! I mean, come on, what's more Italian than Italian sodas!? Well, actually probably a lot, since they originated in the USA, but it's the name that counts.

So I went to the store to get all the ingredients of a good Italian soda at 11:30pm. [What is my life?!] Anyway, I go to one of the stores in town that I thought for sure would carry Torani syrup, but to no avail. Improvisation would be the word of the day. 

And here is my take on the Italian soda. 

Gather the club soda (or sparkling water), half & half, syrups, and ice. Yeah, it's that easy!! 

I read up on all the differences between club soda and sparkling water and basically there's not much of a difference when making Italian sodas. They are mostly interchangeable. Club soda has a little more salt, but since I got the low sodium kind, I'm not sure much more is different. 

Here's the part where I put my noggin to use and said there's gotta be something in this store that I can use other than Torani syrup because I'm definitely not going to another store at midnight. As I walked by the grenadine and lime juice I said, "AHA! That is it!" 

Some Italian sodas use cream and some don't, it's really up to you and your palatal preference. I like them with cream. It makes them more decadent, for sure. 

So I poured about 8 oz of club soda in a mason jar, these serve as my drinking glasses at home...they are cheap and don't break easily. Also, they have nice little measurements on the side, which was super handy. 

Then you add in grenadine till it has a nice pink color and a splash of sweetened lime juice. Then add the cream and watch it beautifully incorporate into the rest of the mixture. 

Isn't it beautiful? That is art right there. 

Then you end up with this sweet, creamy, and delicious concoction that is such a wonderful edition to your Italian feast! 

Drink up! 

Till next time. 

Love,

Food.




ITALIAN SODAS

8oz Club soda or sparkling water
1 oz (ish) of grenadine or Torani flavored syrup
a splash of sweetened lime juice (optional)
1 oz (ish) of half & half

Pour it all in your favorite drink container and drink to your heart's desire.