Italian Soda Recipe

Before you start

An Italian soda is flavored syrup and soda water poured over ice, and it becomes a cremosa or French soda when you float cream on top. Despite the name, it is mostly a fixture of American cafés and coffee bars. Its appeal is the layered look: color at the bottom, clear fizz in the middle and a cloud of cream drifting down from the top.

The order of building decides the look and the texture. Syrup goes in first, then ice, then soda poured gently, and cream last, poured slowly so it drifts. Fruity syrups are acidic, and acid plus cream can curdle, so very cold half-and-half and a light hand matter. Use a syrup you like on its own; it is the whole flavor of the drink.

Ingredients

• 30 to 45 ml (1 to 1½ oz) flavored syrup — raspberry, strawberry, peach, vanilla or hazelnut
• 1½ cups (about 225 g) ice cubes
• 240 ml (8 oz) cold soda water
• 30 ml (1 oz) cold half-and-half or heavy cream — optional, for a cremosa
• 1 dollop whipped cream — optional

Method

1. Pour the syrup into the bottom of a tall glass. Start with 30 ml for a lighter drink; 45 ml gives a sweet, café-style soda.
2. Fill the glass to the top with ice. Packing it full slows melting and helps the cream float later.
3. Tilt the glass and pour the soda water slowly down the inside until it is about 2 cm (¾ inch) from the rim. Do not stir if you want the color layers.
4. For a cremosa, pour the cold half-and-half slowly over the back of a spoon or onto an ice cube so it drifts down through the soda.
5. Top with whipped cream if you like. Serve with a long straw and let the drinker stir it together.

Tips for success

• Pick syrups made with real fruit for the clearest flavor. Very cheap syrups taste of flavoring and little else once diluted.
• Use half-and-half rather than milk. The extra fat makes it less likely to curdle against acidic fruit syrups.
• Two syrups can be layered: pour the heavier, sweeter one first. Raspberry under vanilla is a common café pairing.

Substitutions

Half-and-half

Heavy cream is richer and floats more dramatically. Coconut milk or a barista-style oat milk make a dairy-free cremosa but may separate slightly.

Store-bought syrup

Homemade fruit syrup works well; shake it well and use 45 ml, since homemade syrups are often less sweet.

Soda water

Sparkling mineral water is fine. Do not use tonic water, whose bitterness clashes with the sweet syrup.

Variations

Peaches and cream

Use 40 ml peach syrup and top with 30 ml heavy cream.

Blackberry lime

Use 35 ml blackberry syrup and add 10 ml fresh lime juice; skip the cream for a tart, clear soda.

Troubleshooting

The cream curdles

Acidic syrup and warm or low-fat dairy react. Use very cold half-and-half or cream, add it last and pour slowly; stir only when serving.

The drink is flat

The soda water was warm or opened earlier. Use a freshly opened, well-chilled bottle and pour gently.

Syrup stays at the bottom

That is the intended look, but stir thoroughly with a straw before drinking or the last sips will be pure syrup.

Storage

Serve immediately; the soda loses fizz and the cream starts to separate within minutes. A cremosa made with dairy should not sit at room temperature for more than 2 hours.