Recipe
At the height of summer there is always a moment when the berries are ripening faster than anyone can eat them. Instead of letting them soften in the fridge, turn them into a base for homemade soda. You only need fruit, sugar, something sour and a bottle of sparkling water.
Option one: quick berry syrup
Makes about one and a half cups.
- 2 cups berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries or a mix)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- a strip of lemon peel
Combine everything in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook for about ten minutes, pressing the berries with a spoon as they soften. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing gently but not forcing the pulp through, and let the syrup cool. It keeps in a clean jar in the fridge for about two weeks.
Option two: berry shrub
A shrub is a sweet and sour fruit syrup made with vinegar. It tastes brighter than plain syrup and makes the soda feel more grown up.
- 2 cups berries
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
Lightly crush the berries in a bowl, stir in the sugar, cover and leave in the fridge for one to two days, stirring once or twice, until the sugar has dissolved into a deep red syrup. Strain, stir in the vinegar and bottle it. The flavor softens and rounds out over the first week.
Mix the soda
Fill a glass with ice, add two to three tablespoons of syrup or shrub, and top with about a cup of cold sparkling water. Stir once and taste; add more syrup for sweetness or a squeeze of lemon or lime for tartness.
Combinations to try
- Strawberry and basil: add a torn basil leaf to the glass.
- Blackberry and sage: steep a few sage leaves in the warm syrup for ten minutes.
- Blueberry and lemon: finish with a long strip of lemon peel.
- Raspberry and lime: use lime juice instead of some of the vinegar in the shrub.
For a party, set out two or three syrups, a bucket of ice and plenty of sparkling water, and let everyone mix their own.
