homemade cream soda.

i have to admit.

when i first stumbled across this recipe, i thought to myself...

"you can MAKE cream soda???"

and i answered myself.

"of course you can."

everything started in someone's kitchen.  right?

right.

and when i made it.

and tasted it.

i have to admit.

i did a little happy dance.

and i may have squealed a little bit too.

Homemade Vanilla Cream Soda

You will need:
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
a healthy supply of seltzer (carbonated/sparkling water), half and half (or milk), and cubed/crushed ice

step 1 Make syrup.

The first thing you need to do is make some simple syrup.
It's basically just a lot of sucrose crystals (table sugar) dissolved into water.

Put 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water into a small saucepan. Put it on the stove and crank the heat up to high. Stir it up until all of the sugar is dissolved. It will look cloudy, but let the solution come to a boil and it will automagically turn clear. Once it's clear take it off the heat and let it cool for about 5 minutes.

step 2 Add vanilla.

Now that your simple syrup has cooled down a little bit, stir in a tablespoon of vanilla extract.

Now use a funnel to pour your syrup into a storage container of some sort. I used 2 of the bottles I use for sugar cookie decorating.  You could also use a plastic dressing bottle. An old honey bottle. Whatever. Get crafty.

Store it in your refrigerator.   You don't want it to melt the ice in your soda, so it's best to chill it before use.

step 3 Mix it up. Enjoy.

Pour about an ounce and a half of the vanilla syrup into a 12 oz. glass. Add ice to preference, about 8 oz. seltzer (more or less to taste), and just a splash of half and half (or milk).

Stir it up and you're ready to enjoy!
If you want to get really crazy... make it into a float!!

Original recipe here.

p.s. I have searched and searched to give credit to the blog I found this on. I've been trying so hard to link back, and I'm sad I didn't do a good job remembering this one. They showed theirs in an adorable polka dot glass. If it was you, please let me know!  And I will keep searching..... i will find you.

Happy 4th!!

(and now i need to go make some more syrup for cream sodas!!)