Things have started to get busy here at the headquarters of Brooklyn Soda Works (meaning the kitchen of the apartment). We're gearing up for our debut at the Brooklyn Flea in 9 days, trying to work out last minute technical glitches and ordering the last of our supplies, as well as trying to determine our starting lineup for flavors!
However that doesn't mean we haven't stopped working on new flavors and trying out new ingredients. I attempted a cream soda the other night. I have very fond memories of downing Schweppes cream sodas during summers in Hong Kong. The history of cream soda and its different variations across the globe can be read here. The main ingredient is vanilla, so I boiled up 2 vanilla beans for 45 minutes in 1L of water, let it cool, then added zest of half a lemon and 1tsp of lemon juice (for acidity).
The result!
It was a tad too lemony even with only 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, but wonderfully refreshing nonetheless with a great vanilla aroma that I admit was not present in my beloved Schweppes cream sodas of my childhood.