Drink | Black Cherry & Orange Mango Soda/Syrup

I got the idea to make soda the other day and after doing a little research I am happy to report that it is both incredibly easy AND delicious. It's all about the syrup and after this first session I already have a few adjustments I will make on the next round... and there will definitely be a next round, or two or three.

If you're going to use fresh fruit, choose fruits that are very ripe and juicy and either put them through a juicer or puree them and press through a strainer. If you use canned or bottled juices like I did, look for juices that have very high natural juice content, and a very low sugar content. The only issue I had with my syrup is that it's a little too thick so adjustments I would make for next time would be to add either a 1/4 cup juice back in to the syrup while it's cooling or another suggestion I read was to add 1 tablespoon corn syrup to the finished syrup to help keep it smooth. 

BLACK CHERRY & ORANGE MANGO SODA/SYRUP

1 cup water
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup fresh fruit juice or concentrated fruit juice (the more concentrated the juice, the more intense the final flavor)

1  |  Combine the ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and let simmer until the mixture is reduced by half. Taste the syrup to check the sweetness. At this point you can add different flavor extracts or herbs such as rosemary or thyme depending on the flavor of the syrup.

2  |  Store the finished syrup in a sealable glass jar or bottle in the refrigerator. To make homemade soda, simply add syrup to a glass of ice and top off with seltzer water or club soda.