Spruce Soda
This refreshingly crisp homemade soda is made with rosemary simple syrup, lemon, and sparkling water. It's a non-alcoholic version of Spruce Beer, which was a popular drink during Jane Austen's time.
Servings 1 soda (**See Recipe Notes)
Ingredients
- 1 lemon, peeled
- 2 large sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 cup still or tap water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1 cup sparkling water
- 4-5 ice cubes
- 1 lemon, sliced (optional, for garnish)
- 1 small sprig fresh rosemary (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
SPRUCE SIMPLE SYRUP INSTRUCTIONS
- Peel off the lemon rind with a vegetable peeler, making sure you leave behind the pith (the white part). Set the lemon rind aside. Store the lemon, covered, in the fridge for another use.
- Combine the still/tap water, sugar, ginger, lemon rind, and 2 rosemary springs in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir continuously until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a boil. Let boil 3 minutes, then remove pan from heat.
- Let simple syrup ingredients steep for one hour.
- Place a small strainer over a glass jar or container, then pour the syrup through the strainer. Discard the cooked lemon rind and rosemary sprigs.
- Refrigerate the spruce simple syrup until you’re ready to make the spruce soda.
SPRUCE SODA INSTRUCTIONS
- Add 4-5 ice cubes to an 8oz glass.
- Add 2 tbsp of spruce simple syrup to the glass, then pour in 1 cup of sparkling water. Stir well to combine.
- Repeat Soda Instructions #1 and #2 as needed for however many drinks you need.
- Garnish drink(s) with lemon slices and extra rosemary sprigs, if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
**The spruce simple syrup recipe makes a little over one cup of syrup, so you could make 8 drinks with this batch of syrup, provided you have enough sparkling water on hand.
Spruce Soda recipe is slightly adapted from Summer Spruce Beer recipe in The Jane Austen Diet by Brian Koszlowski, page 120, Turner Publishing