Homemade Cola (Coke Copycat!)

A glass of homemade cola garnished with a lime wedge and red striped straw

Make your own soda at home! This Homemade Cola is a fun, from-scratch version of the classic Coke or Pepsi recipes, made with citrus and spices! A delicious caramely sweet beverage.

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Total Time 30

Servings 1-ounce servings

Calories 78

Author Elizabeth

Equipment

Ingredients

Coke Syrup

½ Cup White Cane Sugar
¼ Tablespoons Water
½ Cup Organic Light Brown Sugar can sub agave or sweetener of choice - if you do this, add an additional ½ tablespoon of molasses
¾ Cup Water
1 Tablespoon Molasses
1 Cinnamon Stick
1 Star Anise
Zest and juice of ½ orange
Zest and juice of ½ lemon
Zest and juice of ½ lime
Pinch Salt
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1-2 Teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar

Pepsi Syrup

¼ Cup White Cane Sugar
2 Tablespoons Water
¾ Cup Organic Light Brown Sugar can sub agave or sweetener of choice - if you do this, add an additional 2 teaspoons of molasses
¾ Cup Water
1 Tablespoon Molasses
1 Cinnamon Stick
1 Star Anise
Zest and juice of ½ orange
Zest and juice of ½ lemon
Zest and juice of ½ lime
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
¾ Teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
Pinch Salt

For Soda

1-2 Ounces Cola Syrup
Sparkling Water
Ice

Instructions

Caramelize the white sugar. Heat a small steel-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the white cane sugar and 2 tablespoons water, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. Once the sugar is dissolved do not stir. Do not touch the heat, but allow the mixture to bubble for about 25-30 minutes for the Coke version and 10-15 minutes for the Pepsi version, until you achieve a nice golden brown color. Gently swirl the pan if the mixture looks unevenly colored. If you have a kitchen thermometer, look for a temperature between 330℉ and 340℉.
As soon as the caramelized sugar is ready, add the brown sugar, remaining ¾ cup of water, molasses, cinnamon stick, star anise, zests and juices of the orange, lemon, and lime, and the salt. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, then allow to gently simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and apple cider vinegar. Let cool 30 minutes.
Strain through a fine mesh strainer. Then bottle and store for up to two months.
For soda, pour 1-2 ounces of syrup over ice and top with sparkling water. Garnish with a lime wedge and a fun straw!

Notes

Recipe Yield: 1 ½ cups syrup

Spice Substitutions: as much as possible I do not recommend subbing ground spices in for the whole versions - they will not be strained out as well and leave sediment in the final drink. If you must sub, here's what I recommend:

Cinnamon: ¼ teaspoon
Star Anise: 1/16 teaspoon (half of a ⅛ teaspoon measure)

Nutrition