Want to save money and consume less sugar? We sat down with Andrew Schloss, author of Homemade Soda, for some tips on making more healthful, inexpensive soda at home.
1. In your book Homemade Soda you give instructions for making sodas using three methods: seltzer, a siphon, or fermentation. Which one works best for a beginner?
>Andrew: Definitely adding seltzer to your homemade syrup by the glass is easiest, but none of the methods are complicated. Yeast fermentation takes time, but it’s very straightforward, and the flavors can be beautifully complex – fermented honey soda is a great example.
2. How did you get started making homemade soda? How has it changed your drinking habits?
>Andrew: I started making soda as an extension of my love of cooking. I never buy bottled sodas anymore. Wait that’s a lie. Even though I make delicious colas, I’ve never been able to exactly duplicate Coke (which I love), so I’ll occasionally sneak a bottle.
3. Is there a way to sweeten soda that doesn’t involve using sugar or “fake” sugar? What are some examples?
>Andrew: There are lots of natural liquid sweeteners that can be used instead of refined sugar. Like honey or agave. But, chemically, these are sugars as well.
4. Your recipe for root beer mentions its “creamy mouthfeel” from Maltodextrin – can you explain how that ingredient provides that creaminess?
>Andrew: Maltodextrin is chemically in between starch and sugar, allowing it to both sweeten and subtly thicken liquids, giving sodas a creamy consistency. But it doesn’t just give soda a pleasant softness; maltodextrin also increases flavor perception. By making liquid linger on the tongue longer, a little maltodextrin gives our taste buds more time to perceive all of the flavors in a soda, a boon for complex-flavored mixtures like root beers.
5. The history behind the creation of many sodas in the book (including Orange Crush, root beer, and others) is truly fascinating. What did you learn from your research that surprised you the most?
>Andrew: I love the fact that sodas were originally health beverages – a far cry from their image today, but one that is reclaimed when you take charge and make sodas yourself.
6. With the price of coconut water (for example) skyrocketing with recent trends, making it at home sure sounds like a good idea! Does making your own healthy juices and waters actually save you money?
>Andrew: It could, but the price of a lot of fruit and fresh coconut is also high. A great strategy is to buy frozen fruit (or freeze your own when prices are low), or buy bruised fruit on special. The bruises don’t matter when you are making juices, flavoring water, or making a syrup, and they often indicate that the rest of the fruit is fully ripe and at its peak of flavor.
Making your own soda is easy and inexpensive. Best of all, you control the sweetness level and ingredients, so you can create a drink that’s exactly what you want. Using a few simple techniques, anyone can make a spectacular variety of beverages!
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