How to make Soft Drinks

Step 3 Recipe

My delivery of 12 bottles of syrup was in a box about 1/2 the size of a shoe box (I wear a size 12 shoe).

Syrups and sodas are mixed to taste. You may get more or less per bottle of concentrate, and you may use more or less sweetening.

I mix my soda with about 1/2 the sweetness of Prairie Moon's recipe. I also mix my soda with a little less syrup than suggested. I prefer the light, not overly sweet sodas that I can make at home.

MIXING INSTRUCTIONS

Syrup

1 oz (30mL) Concentrated Syrup Flavoring
30 Packets of Equal (Aspartame) The brand was on sale but I usually buy the generic
* I haven't found large quantity sweetener in anything but individual serve packets!
15 oz (420mL) Water 1/2 warm and 1/2 cold

1 oz (30mL) measure
16 oz (450mL) repurposed glass bottle - I use Snapple bottles mainly

Fill one half clean empty Snapple bottle with warm water.
Add 30 packets of Aspartame.

Cover and shake. Let bottle sit for a few minutes.
Then shake until sweetener is dissolved.

Add 1 oz (30mL) Concentrated Syrup Flavoring
Cover and Shake.

Fill the rest of the way to the top with Cold Filtered Water.

Refrigerate mixed syrup.

Syrup concentrate does not need to be refrigerated when unopened but will last longer if it is.

Mixing a single serving of Soft Drink

In a 16 oz (450mL) glass, add 1 oz (30 mL) mixed syrup (I use slightly less), pour in plain seltzer water from Soda Club bottle. Stir gently, add ice and top off with soda.

How Much does 4oz (118mL) Concentrate make?

32 oz (1.8L) Syrup

Finished soft drink -
*32 16oz 450mL servings
*3.75 gallons 14.5L

All estimates are based on my taste
Cost per 16oz (450mL) serving:
7 cents concentrate
1.3 cents sweetener
9 cents Soda Water (gas only)

Total 17.3 cents per 16oz 450mL serving of Soda

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BIG NOTE ABOUT MEASUREMENTS AND COSTS

There are huge possibilities for cost differences. I like a lightly flavored, lightly sweetened, highly carbonated soda. If you like a different style your costs and measurements will be different.

Costs change drastically with quantity also. I can only tell you what it costs for me.

*I rounded all Metric conversions to what I think is probably the common size used.

* * For example the 4oz bottle of concentrate actually contains 118mL. I used 120mL for the calculations.

* * A single serving in the U.S. is 16oz, that is 473mL. I used 450mL for the single serving conversion as I think that is the standard size used in many countries.

Please let me know if you find a large error. Small mismatches in conversions and cost estimates, are probably because of the simplification of measures.