Written by Ashley Dease
It’s May, and I’m ready for summertime flavors, so today we will be discussing how to make an espresso soda! This mocktail is made with citrus and carbonated water, creating a light and refreshing drink that is sure to awaken the senses. Perfect for a pick-me-up on a warm afternoon.
To start you will need these ingredients:
- A double-shot of espresso, chilled (40 g or 1.5 oz)
- Fresh squeezed lemon juice (1 tsp)
- Vanilla or regular simple syrup (1 tsp)
- Carbonated water (½ cup)
- Ice
The beauty of this recipe is that many of these ingredients can be substituted if you lack any. For instance, if you don’t have an espresso machine, you can substitute the espresso for strongly brewed coffee that has been chilled or cold brew. If you don’t have a lemon to juice, substitute it with lime or an orange. Experiment with this recipe and make it your own.
How to make the espresso
If you do have an espresso machine but don’t know how to make espresso, check out our blog post here explaining how to make it. We suggest making this espresso out of our newest bean offering from Colombia. With notes of chocolate and stone fruit, this is sure to pair well with this recipe.
How to make the simple syrup
Now that we have our espresso shot (or coffee) chilling in the fridge, we now need to make some simple syrup. The most basic simple syrup recipe is a sugar to water ratio of 1:1. I think I would personally like to try this recipe with vanilla simple syrup, so I plan to boil ⅓ cup of water with ⅓ cup of sugar, then add a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Due to this recipe only calling for 1 tsp of simple syrup, this means I will just have plenty of left over syrup for future coffee drinks. I think there are worse things to have!
Put it all together
Now that the pre-prepped ingredients are made, let’s get to assembling this drink. Into your cup full of ice, pour the espresso, simple syrup, and lemon juice and stir to incorporate. Then on top of that pour the carbonated water. Give this a gentle stir then you are all set! Sit back, relax, and enjoy your refreshing citrus espresso soda!