I recently purchased a book called, "Homemade Root Beer Soda & Pop" by Stephen Cresswell.

Yesterday I was the debut of my creation. My first flavour was cherry cinnamon & for a first try I have no complaints. But I know there are a few things I have to improve on.

- different amounts of ingredients
- and it needed to be more carbonated

Does anyone make their own soda?
What kinds do you make?
What ingredients do you use?

I acutally steered away from the recipie in the book and used a more unnatural approach to creating a cherry taste. KOOL AID!!! because 100% natural cherry juice does not taste the best. It's actually very bitter. I also used bread yeast to carbonate the soda.

- water
- kool aid
- sugar
- cinnamon sticks
- yeast

Any advice for an amateur???

Yes I have tried Rootbeer many times and so far I have not gotten a good batch, but I did get a sorta good batch of ginger ale.

I used that same book for my information. I don't have to much advice but your recipe sounds intresting. How mych of each ingrediant did you put in?

Yes, I've made soda for years, not only root beer but Cherry, Creme Soda, and Strawberry... probably others that I don't remember.

Don't use bread yeast, you want champagne yeast.

And make sure it's fresh. Once you use it and it's still bitter, there's too much yeast or you opened it before it's time.

Anyone remember the SodaStream?
http://www.sodastream.co.uk/gbretail/Home.asp

(I vaguely remember seeing commercials for this
in the US, back in the late 70's...but I haven't
heard of it since....it still seems to be pretty big in the UK, though)

I do recall a product similar to the SodaStream back in the 70's. It did not catch on as most soda pop drinkers were and are spoiled with cheap soda pop prices with a nice variety. I also recall that the CO2 canisters were not easy nor safe to use. Granted this was back some thirty years ago or so.

LOL...There was a store like Walmart named TOPPS back when I was growing up in Joliet,IL. They sold these round tablets that when placed in a glass of water fizzed. It was sort of like drinking carbonated kool-aid. Dose anyone remember this?

- water 17 cups
- 3 packs of cherry Kool Aid
- ummm 4 cups of sugar
- boiled 4 cinnamon sticks with 1 cup of water and 2 cups cherry juice
- 1/4 teaspoon yeast

(NOTE): i used too much cinnamon

*WONKA PETE - what kind of ingredients did you use to create your flavours?

thanks for the yeast tip!!!

Zabe, yes, I remember those tablets. I have some somewhere.. I'll look for them. You had instant alka-seltzer based soda pop.. haha.

For my 'ingredients', I use a simple store bought soda base extract. You can find them at several stores online. I don't make the flavors from scratch, I leave that up to someone else. I'd like to try though..