Homemade Grapefruit Soda – Homemade grapefruit syrup is added to sparkling water and finished with crushed ice and a pink straw to make the perfect refreshing drink
Drink recipes are some of my favorite ones to share with you guys soI am shocked that it’s been so long since I’ve shared one with you. The last one was a recipe for these Cranberry Champagne Poptails back in December- more than 4 months ago! A drink recipe is long overdue, don’t ya think???
Today’s drink recipe is inspired by a fruit that I’ve loved my entire life, but have been recently obsessing over. For the last couple of months, I have been enjoying one almost every day. It’s the delectably tart and subtly sweet grapefruit and it’s the star of my Homemade Grapefruit Soda!
But there’s something I must confess about this drink recipe…it’s one of the few on the blog that’s alcohol-free. I know we all need ideas about how to get our buzz on, especially during the summer. But there’s a very good reason why I’m laying off the booze today…
I’m PREGNANT!
We’re so thrilled to welcome a baby later this year. I’ve been feeling pretty great the last 6 months so the blog hasn’t suffered one bit as I grow this little human. I couldn’t imagine what kind of recipes I’d be sharing if I was nauseous all the time. Let’s hope my appetite keeps up for the next 4 months!
Okay, now that we’re all caught up, let’s get back to the recipe!
This soda was inspired by a drink I had at a new restaurant in town. We went to the opening a month ago and I was completely prepared to spend the night eating my calories since alcohol is now off-limits.
But I was shocked to find that they had a whole menu of homemade [non-alcoholic] sodas & fizzes! Because of my aforementioned love affair with grapefruit these last few months, it was the first one that I tried. I was expecting it to be a little too tart to handle but I gave it a shot anyway.
Man, was it refreshing! It was surprisingly sweet and had a nice tart finish but not one that made you pucker. I loved it!
To make it at home, all I needed to do was to make a grapefruit syrup and add it to sparkling water and ice. Using plain, ole grapefruit juice wouldn’t be concentrated enough because, when adding it to water, it would taste bland and watered-down and all that grapefruit flavor would be gone.
The syrup is so super simple to make. It’s just a simple syrup (water + sugar) with freshly squeezed grapefruit juice and lemon juice, plus the zest of two grapefruits. The zest is key for bringing the grapefruit flavor but without too much tartness.
We then bring the mixture to a boil and then let it cool down and steep for 1 hour. Then, you’ll have all you need to make 12 refreshing grapefruit sodas!
This recipe is incredibly easy so I don’t have many tips for you guys to help you through it. But I managed to think up a couple:
- I use my microplane to zest the grapefruit. It’s so easy to use and I absolutely love it. But if you don’t have a way to zest the grapefruit, you can just slice off the peel of the grapefruit and put that in the syrup. But make sure to peel off just the skin, not the white membrane. The membrane is super bitter and fibrous so we don’t want that messing with the flavor of the syrup.
- For best results, I recommend chilling the syrup before using. If it’s too warm, it’ll melt all the ice in the drink before you finish it.
Alrighty, that’s all there is to it! I love this simple soda so much that I am sure that I’ll have another one for you guys later in the summer. Do you guys have any homemade sodas that you adore?! Let me know in the comments below and maybe it’ll inspire me!
Homemade Grapefruit Soda
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- juice of 1 pink grapefruit
- zest of 2 pink grapefruits
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3 quarts sparkling water or seltzer water, for serving
- ice cubes for serving
- 12 straws for serving
- 12 grapefruit slices for garnish
Instructions
- Add sugar, juices, zest, salt, and 2 cups of water to a medium saucepan. Place over medium high heat until it begins to boil. Remove from heat and let the flavors steep for 1 hour. Transfer to large mason jar or other storage container and place in fridge until ready to use. Good for up to 2 weeks.
- When ready to make sodas, add 3 tablespoons to a large glass (12-16 oz). Fill glass 2/3 full with crushed ice. Fill the remaining of the glass with sparkling water. Stir together with a straw or spoon. Serve immediately. Syrup makes enough for 12 glasses.
Notes
Pin for later:
More drinks you’ll love:
Red, White, and Blue Sangria
Cranberry Lime Mojito
Berry Mimosas
Congrats on your baby and all the best, love seeing cute baby clothes. With the warm weather coming soon, I’m bookmarking your recipe, I love grapefruit soda but never thought of making my own,
Congratulations on your baby. You must be so excited. Your blog is beautiful and the drinks look so refreshing, I want to reach in a grab one.
Congrats on your pregnancy!! SO fun!! This drink looks so refreshing! When I was pregnant with my daughter, I craved grapefruit!! I would have loved to have this during my pregnancy!! I hope you enjoy it!!
Congratulations! That’s a pretty good reason to stay away from alcohol 😉 I never drink soda, but if I made this I’d totally be on board because it sounds so refreshing!
Homemade sodas are some of my favorites! I’ve yet to try grapefruit, but it sounds really good and perfect for spring. It’s also easy to make which is awesome!
This looks amazingly refreshing. I love the taste of grapefruit and I love carbonation so win-win for me! Congrats!!! That is so wonderful Momma:) Take care.
congratulations!!!!! on a different note, grapefruit is my fav beverage/flavor so seeing this makes me super happy!
Now this looks like a porch sipper! And congrats on your baby bump! At least you’re abstaining in style and for a happy reason! We can always toast with something stronger later this year 😉
I love anything grapefruit! And this sounds so refreshing! Congratulations on your baby girl!
First of all, congratulations! How exciting. 🙂 ANd this drink looks amaaaazing! THe perfect pregnancy cocktail!
Yay!! Congratulations!! You must be so excited!! Your grapefruit soda looks so delicious and refreshing! Such a nice alternative to a cocktail! Maybe not as fun 😉 but definitely just as yummy!
Congratulations on your baby girl!! This homemade grapefruit soda looks so
refreshing!
I am seeing a lot of grapefruit drink inspirations these days. I love grapefruits and this seems like a flavorful recipe with the zest and all that.
Me too! I really wish I could make cocktails like Palomas and such. But I’ll save those for post-pregnancy 😉
The drink looks so light and refreshing, love! But more importantly, OMG congratulations!!!!
Thank you so much!
This drink looks so refreshing! Congrats on the new baby!
Thanks so much!
Congratulations!!! That is so exciting :). And this sounds totally delicious and refreshing for summer. Pinned!
Yesss! My new favorite summer drink! Thanks so much!
Oh congratulations!! What wonderful news! And I am so happy you’re enjoying your pregnancy and not suffering from nausea, I had it BAD. And funnily enough this gorgeous drink is exactly the sort of refreshing citrusy goodness I’d have loved while pregnant! Pinned just in case there’s a next time 😉
Thank you so much! I hope you get a chance to try it 😉
This looks so refreshing! Congrats on the baby girl! My girlie was due in August too, but she’s a September baby now since she decided to wait. 🙂
Thank you so much! She’s due early August so let’s hope she won’t come in September, too!
This looks soooo good! I really want to make one right now. I’m going to have to
try this. Such a good idea!
Thanks so much! So glad you like it!