International / basics / Drinks
Pepper Soda
A pepper soda is a soda flavored with multiple fruits and spices. This recipe does not contain peppers; rather, the name derives from Dr. Pepper. This recipe has been modified from one by Youtube channel xoxo cooks. Note that consuming high levels of caffeine can be very dangerous. If you are scaling the recipe up or down, make sure you scale the caffeine accordingly so that the per-serving caffeine amount stays the same or is lower. Absolutely do not use more than triple the listed proportion of caffeine.
Ingredients
- water, 240 ml1 cup
- prunes6
- ginger, 1/4 inch / 0.67 cm wide6 cube
- cherries, pitted; frozen20
- lemon, zested1
- orange, zested1
- mint8 leaf
- anise seed, 5 ml; or 2 star anise pods1 tsp
- allspice, 5 ml1 tsp
- cloves, 5 ml1 tsp
- coriander seeds, 5 ml1 tsp
- vanilla extract, 5 ml1 tsp
- sugar, white; 120 ml1/2 cup
- caffeine, optional10 mg
- soda water, as needed
Quantities are auto-calculated from the original recipe as a guide. Items without numbers (e.g. “to taste”) are not changed.
Method 4 steps
Combine the water, prunes, ginger, cherries, zest, mint, anise, allspice, cloves, coriander, vanilla, and sugar in a saucepan.
Boil the mixture until it becomes a thick syrup.
Strain the syrup, discarding the solids, and stir in the caffeine. You should have about 5 oz (150 ml) syrup.
To make the finished soda, mix 1 volume of syrup with 5 volumes of sparkling water.
Region evidence: no stated origin (basic dish)
