Citrus Soda

For those of you cooking along, it's been a challenging couple of weeks, and the summer has been awfully hot besides. Wouldn't it be nice to enjoy a tasty soda? But not one of those nasty mass-market things, filled with unknown chemicals and questionable flavors. No, no, no. First grab yourself a citrus fruit, some sugar, and some water. I'll be using lime today.

You need to take 2:1 by weight of sugar and water, and place it into a sauce pan. Heat the water until the sugar dissolves.

While the water is heating, zest your fruit. You'll only need one fruit's worth of zest, but you can do two if you prefer.

When the sugar has dissolved, remove from heat and add your zest to it. You can either let it sit until it cools, then strain out the zest, or you can leave the zest in. I leave it in.

I put the syrup in a handy container and put it in the fridge until it's cool. When you're ready for a soda, combine 2 tablespoons of syrup, freshly squeezed juice from half of the fruit (this might be less for larger fruits, or more for tiny ones, of course. You're looking for anywhere from 3-6 tablespoons of juice, depending on your preference), and 10 or so ounces of soda water. Combine in a glass, and drink.

Simple, right? Absolutely. "But Brian," some of you might say, "That will take a minute to make! What if I'm very thirsty?" Well, taking just that bit of extra time is part of the point. We don't really need to drink soda with every sip we take throughout the day. This is a special treat, and should be made and consumed accordingly. If you're really thirsty, I recommend water. It's good stuff, as well.

For those of you who are of an age and a preference, the addition of a little gin to this drink is a nice way to round out an evening, or to spice up a party. There are plenty of variations in both the normal and the spirited versions. Please tell us about your favorite variations in the comments.