Homemade Honey Soda: Fizzy Drinks With Real Fruit and Herbs

Why make your own soda

A 12-ounce can of regular soda contains about 39 grams of sugar, more than the American Heart Association suggests for a whole day for most adults. Homemade honey soda lets you control sweetness, often using one tablespoon of honey syrup, which is about 8 to 9 grams of sugar. You also choose real flavors like fresh ginger, citrus and herbs instead of artificial ones.

The quick method

Make a honey syrup by stirring equal parts honey and warm water until smooth. Add flavorings while the syrup is warm, steep, then strain and chill. To serve, fill a glass with ice, add one to two tablespoons of syrup, top with cold sparkling water and stir gently. Garnish with fruit or herbs.

• 1/2 cup honey and 1/2 cup warm water
• Add flavorings and steep 20 to 30 minutes
• Strain and chill
• 1 to 2 tablespoons syrup per glass
• Top with 8 to 10 ounces sparkling water

Ratios by sweetness

Adjust to taste:

Honey ginger ale

Simmer a cup of thinly sliced fresh ginger in one cup of water for 15 minutes, strain, and stir in one cup of honey. Add lime juice to taste. Mix two tablespoons of this ginger syrup with sparkling water for a spicy, homemade ginger ale. Our article on honey and ginger explores the pairing.

Citrus honey soda

Add the zest of two lemons, limes or oranges to warm honey syrup and steep for 30 minutes. Strain, then add the fresh juice. Mixed with sparkling water, it tastes like a homemade lemon-lime or orange soda. Orange blossom honey makes this especially aromatic.

Berry honey soda

Simmer one cup of berries with half a cup of honey and half a cup of water for five minutes, mash, then strain. The ruby syrup makes a beautiful raspberry, strawberry or blueberry soda. Blueberry blossom honey pairs naturally with blueberry soda.

Herbal honey sodas

Steep mint, basil, rosemary, thyme or lavender in warm honey syrup. Try honey mint lime soda for a mojito-like mocktail, honey rosemary grapefruit for something more grown-up, or honey lavender lemon for a floral drink. Our article on honey and mint has more ideas.

Spiced honey cola

For a homemade cola-style soda, simmer honey syrup with orange and lemon peel, a cinnamon stick, a star anise, a few cloves, a split vanilla bean and a pinch of nutmeg. Strain and mix with sparkling water. It will not taste exactly like commercial cola, but it is warm, spiced and delicious.

Fermented honey soda basics

Traditional sodas were naturally carbonated by fermentation. A ginger bug, a starter made by feeding grated ginger, sugar or honey and water for several days, captures wild yeast and bacteria. Mixed with a flavored honey syrup and bottled, it carbonates over one to three days at room temperature. Raw honey may ferment slowly because of its low water content, so many recipes use a little sugar to start the bug.

Fermentation safety

Fermented sodas build pressure inside sealed bottles, and glass bottles can burst if left too long. Use bottles made for carbonation, check pressure daily by gently opening one, and refrigerate as soon as they are fizzy to slow fermentation. Fermented drinks can also contain small amounts of alcohol. Food safety guidance on home-fermented drinks like kombucha, such as from Colorado State University, stresses clean equipment and careful handling. When in doubt, the quick sparkling water method is the safest choice.

Storing syrups

Store honey syrups in clean, sealed jars in the fridge for up to two weeks. Fruit syrups may need to be used within a week. Discard any syrup that looks cloudy, smells off or grows mold.

Which honey to use

Raw Orange Blossom Honey, from Florida, brings citrus aroma to lemon and orange sodas. Raw Clover Honey, harvested in New York State, is clean and neutral for ginger ale. Raw Blueberry Blossom Honey, also from New York State, suits berry sodas. Raw Buckwheat Honey gives spiced cola real depth.

Kids and honey soda

Homemade honey soda is a fun alternative for children over 12 months, with less sugar than regular soda. Never give honey to babies under 12 months, as the CDC advises. Skip fermented versions for young children.

The takeaway on homemade honey soda

Homemade honey soda is quick with a flavored honey syrup and sparkling water, and you control the sugar. Try ginger, citrus, berry, herb and spiced versions, and handle fermented sodas with care.

Mix your first syrup

Start with Raw Orange Blossom Honey for citrus soda or Raw Clover Honey for ginger ale. Save with a 3 jar or 6 jar pack of any honey, and orders over $50 ship free. Visit our shop.