A favorite childhood drink… my Italian soda recipe! I’ve put together two great flavors of blueberry and strawberry, refreshing and delicious!
Growing up, these Italian sodas were my favorite!! My mom and I would always stop by a little coffee shack on our road trips to Oregon. I remember ordering the blueberry Italian soda in the summer instead of ice cream because they were so refreshing.
I hadn’t had one of these since I was a kid, so I wanted to recreate the easy recipe. I even made my own blueberry and strawberry syrup instead of using Torani.
If you don’t want to go through the hassle of making your own syrup, you can use syrup from the store.
Also, there aren’t any real measurements to these, it’s really your preference! Hope you enjoy and serve a few Italian sodas at your 4th of July BBQ! Is that odd?
How To Make This Italian Soda Recipe – Step By Step
Italian Soda
- Fill a glass with ice. Pour 1/4 part syrup over the ice. Add in the club soda. Pour in a small amount of cream and stir.
Homemade Sweet Syrup
- Boil the sugar and water until sugar is dissolved. Add in the berries and boil for at least 10 mins. Simmer for 10 more mins, berries should be mushy.
- Strain the mixture – keep the juice and discard the berries.
- Let the mixture cool before using. It will stay fresh for a few days in the fridge.
What Is An Italian Soda?
An Italian soda is a soft drink made from carbonated water and simple syrup, usually flavored.
Flavors can be fruit (e.g. cherry, blueberry) or modeled after the flavors of desserts, spices, or other beverages (e.g. amaretto, chai, chocolate). Some vendors add cream to the drink as well.
A Perfect Non-Alcoholic Drink For The Summer
This Italian soda recipe is perfect for summer BBQ’s, it’s easy to whip up a quick batch by multiplying the ingredient amounts.
They look lovely and colorful and taste fresh. You can add cream for a more float like drink, or leave the cream out and have a lighter version.
Easy Simple Syrup Recipe
Homemade simple syrup is such a great addition to this Italian soda recipe, it adds a flavorful and fruity punch. And – as the name may suggest – it’s pretty darn simple to make! Sugar, water and fruit in a pan, cook for 10 mins, then strain – voila, your secret ingredient!
Top Tips For This Italian Soda Recipe
- Let the simple syrup cool before mixing in.
- Use the freshest fruit available.
- Use a generous amount of ice.
- Garnish with berries.
Check Out These Other Refreshing Drink Recipes
The Best Peach Lemonade Recipe
4 Delicious Agua Fresca Recipes
Good Morning Sunburst – An Orange Juice Mocktail by The Worktop
Strawberry Margarita Mocktail by Life Straight Up
If you have tried this Italian Soda recipe, then please rate it and let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also FOLLOW us on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious, healthy, family friendly food!
Italian Sodas
Ingredients
Italian Soda
- homemade blueberry or strawberry syrup
- club soda
- cream (half and half)
Homemade Sweet Syrup
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/2 cup blueberries OR 2 cups of strawberries
Instructions
Italian Soda
- Fill a glass with ice. Pour 1/4 part syrup over the ice. Add in the club soda. Pour in a small amount of cream and stir.
Homemade Sweet Syrup
- Boil the sugar and water until sugar is dissolved. Add in the berries and boil for at least 10 mins. Simmer for 10 more mins, berries should be mushy.
- Strain the mixture through a mesh sieve – keep the juice and discard the berries.
- Let the mixture cool before using. It will stay fresh for a few days in the fridge.
YUM! Those look so tasty and I love the homemade syrup route!
These look delicious!
oohhhhhhh! I love Italian sodas!! I so want to try this!
When I was 17, I worked in a coffee shop and I was taught that when you added cream to an Italian Soda, it was called a French soda.
People would always be hesitant about adding cream to their soda, but after one taste, they were hooked.
Thanks for this recipe!
I don’t know Italian soda but it look lovely! The story which comes with them is lovely too. Sure I will give it a try. Cheers Susanne
These look so beautiful! Gotta try them!
Oh yes, Italy rocks! 😉 Hugs, Marianna
I’m in.
My son loves Italian Soda but daaaang they can be expensive. Loved this tutorial!!
Found you via Pinterest…your blog is super cute!!
Thanks Kristan!!
Ooh, yum! I will have to try it out with my Lilac Syrup.
they look so delish!
I make these all the time (raspberry is my favorite). They are so yummy. Don’t forget the whipped cream! You can’t have an Italian cream soda without the whipped cream. 🙂
delicious, raspberry absolutely teh best, great photos there too
Whipping cream works better than half and half, it does not separate, and you can use less to achieve even better results.
Yum yum!
I’m definitely going to try this! Is it just whipping cream that’s used?
Yummo
These look delicious! Thank you for sharing with us!
I love your blog, I am so obsessed with Italian sodas right now, love these photos too!
Thanks Sinny!!!!
Wonderful!
These look very delicious! i’ve never tried soda mixed with a dairy product, but they definitely look appealing enough to drink! thanks for the great post! I’ll have to try it!
Delicious! I usually omit the sparkling water for a fatter creamier version. Of course, you can’t drink too much of it then, but the ice melts and waters it down a bit and it’s sooooo good!
Lovely photos and glasses – and the recipes are fun too – I will wish to try these at my next outing/bbq outside –
looks perfect i love it
I was just wondering how thick is the syrup supposed to be? These look amazing!
Like a light maple syrup consistency 🙂
My university has an international food fair in April and I think I’m going to introduce people to the awesomeness of Italian and Mexican sodas. thanks for the recipe
We first tried these at Johnny Carinos and my girls and I fell in love! But WOW are they pricey. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us! I would love to make these in Raspberry, what measurement of raspberries would I need for the homemade syrup, and can I use frozen fruit? -Mo
Thanks for all of the comments! To answer a few questions, the syrup should a little less thick than maple syrup. Also, for raspberries, I would use about 1 1/2 cup either frozen or fresh… I always prefer fresh though 🙂
I’ve never heard of italian soda. I’m thrilled. Thanks for the great article.
I love Italian sodas but I’ve never made them myself. Really excited I found this!
Yummy! I’ve never heard of this before, but it sounds delicious.
Loved this recipe! I opted to not add cream though and made my own whipped cream to mix in. So good! I love this blog, I am so excited to see more ideas that you come up with 🙂
Wow, they look SO delicious! Going straight to the kitchen.
Where did you get the cute bottles for the syrups?
I bought them from The Container Store 🙂
we just made them with strawberries and they are fabulous. thanks!
Good Work !!!!!!!
Thanks Jesse!!
Yes! I find you right in time for summer.
Thanks for recreating, and sharing with us. I will definitely introduce this to my son; it’s not just refreshing, it’s nutritious too.
Those seriously look amazing! So pretty! And fairly healthy if you make homemade syrup. I started making my own boba (bubble) tea, and just use fresh or frozen fruit blended in the blender to sweeten.
http://threeblindwives.com/2012/03/14/homemade-boba-bubble-tea/
I wonder if that would work with this? I still want to try the syrup, though.
I can’t wait to try this myself. Ooh, and I’ll have some fresh black raspberries from my garden soon! I bet they’ll taste amazing with this recipe. Thanks for sharing!
~Daniél
These look absolutely perfect! What a great summer drink!
Love the colour of the blueberry one, perfect for a themed party or wedding.
Help…When I added (fresh) half – half it became lumpy (curdle). What went wrong, cream was fresh and I followed the directions.
I love Google because it helps me find lovely sites like your blog!
I’m looking foward to making these.
Thanks for sharing!
*bookmarks site*
After bottling these syrups, how long would they keep unrefrigerated? This is one more thing I’d like to make to sell at craft fairs if it seals good enough to keep for a while to sell?
I made these last night using whipping cream and it did a whole root beer float explosion type of thing lol. It foamed up a LOT. Did that happen for anyone else? I didn’t use any ice but other than that I followed the recipe.
I don’ think the syrups will stay fresh outside of the refrigerator for very long. There are no preservatives to keep them lasting 😉
Your blog is super cute. I love Italian Cream Soda and I actually did a blog post about this recipe from your cute site.
Thanks!
Kathy
http://www.LivingMyStyle.com
Thanks Kathy!! Glad you like Sugar and Charm and thank you for blogging about me!!
These look delicious. Thanks for the recipe. I’ve never had them before, but I’m going to try them out. They look cute for a party as well.
I also shared them on my blog. If you want to see it, here’s the link http://www.tparties.blogspot.com/2012/10/sweet-of-week-italian-sodas.html
i just tried it.. its amazing.. thnkx
Usually I try various syrups at home but I haven’t tried Italian sodas. It looks lovely and I will try this very soon.
Wow it makes me thirsty.I like both fruits,
Yummy. It looks so delicious. I really want to try this. Look at the color. Amazing.
This is a great (not to mention terribly simple!) beverage!
One question – Sugar & Charm:
How do you maintain your gorgeousness after indulging in sweets and all? 😉
Ummmm! These look lucious! It might be a good idea to use Seltzer rather than Club Soda. The reason being that Club Soda has alot of sodium and many people need to control that intake.
Your entire Blog is delicious!!
My granny always make it, so delicious!:)
amazing! and gorgeous photos… can’t wait to try!
The best way to serve an Italian soda is in a tall iced glass, with some whipped cream on the top.
I made the syrup tonight and will make the drinks tomorrow! It tastes wonderful. I kept the remaining cooked strawberries in a separate container to put on pancakes, waffles, crepes, or ice cream (it tastes too good to throw out!)
Great article indeed! An example of an alternative to Italian soda that is Italian in origin is a chinotto, a carbonated drink made from the juice of a native Italian citrus fruit called the myrtle-leaved orange or myrtifolia. By the way, thanks so much for your article.
wow……..looks delicious will definately will do this.
i cannot believe that i can do recipes from italy sitting in South Africa thanks God for technology……..love it thanks girl
This sounds really easy and can’t wait to try it.Always looking for new things to make that everyone would like
hey girl tomorrow i am having family gathering so i going to wow them with my italian sodas enjoy your weekend altogether
Italian Soda Recipe. WOW!!
So excited I found this sight,can’t wait to make the Italian sodas. Iam always looking for new recipes.
Awesome!! Thank you so much! Italian sodas are my favorite!!!
Do you strain using a cheesecloth??
Through a mesh sieve 🙂
Italian soda is the best! One of my favorites growing up! Can’t wait to make these for my kids!
These sodas are just perfect and refreshing! Always a warm weather favorite for us. Strawberry is our favorite flavor!
It’s the first time that I tried making our own Italian soda and it was a great hit at home! My family loved it, it’s not too sweet and my kids loved strawberry!