Cardamom Blood Orange Italian Soda with Cream
This Cardamom Blood Orange Italian Soda with Cream (often called a French soda) is my current favorite midday treat. Bright, sparkling, and reminiscent of a creamsicle, this homemade orange cream soda recipe is a booze-free libation I can get behind!
Servings: 1 French Soda
Calories: 75kcal
Ingredients
Cardamom Simple Syrup
- ½ cup Granulated Sugar
- ½ cup Water
- 3 Cardamom Pods
Blood Orange Cardamom French Soda
- 6 oz Blood Orange Soda
- ½ oz Cardamom Simple Syrup
- 1 oz Half & Half
Instructions
Cardamom Simple Syrup
- Pour your measured water and sugar into a saucepan and heat on medium.½ cup Granulated Sugar, ½ cup Water
- Cook, stirring the mixture until your sugar has completely dissolved.
- Add cardamom and continue heating for 30 seconds before removing from heat3 Cardamom Pods
- Allow syrup to infuse for half an hour as the simple syrup cools completely
- Strain syrup into an airtight container and store in the fridge
Blood Orange Cardamom French Syrup
- Fill your glass with ice and pour in the blood orange soda, and your cardamom syrup, stirring gently to combine.6 oz Blood Orange Soda, ½ oz Cardamom Simple Syrup
- Finally, pour in the half-and-half, stir until combined and enjoy!1 oz Half & Half
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between French Soda and Italian Soda? Italian soda is made by mixing club soda or sparkling water with your choice of syrup. It can come in any number of flavors, though I am quite partial to this cardamom & blood orange number. To turn Italian soda into French soda, all you need is a touch of half-and-half. So in short, an Italian soda is simply a flavored soda, but an Italian cream soda is actually known as a French soda.
Where can I find blood orange soda? There are actually quite a few brands that sell blood orange soda nowadays - Bundenberg, Lorina, San Pellegrino, or Fevertree are all good options.
What is the best Italian soda or French soda flavor? Taste is subjective, so that really depends on who you ask. I love the complexity of the warm, herbaceous cardamom against the bright acidity of blood oranges, but maybe that’s not your favorite. Maybe you’d prefer Lemon Lavender, Cranberry Chai, or Blackberry Lilac. Or maybe you want a plain orange cream soda without any cardamom. Or literally any other flavor combination that sounds good to you - the sky is the limit here!
Use my step-by-step guide to learn how to make your own homemade simple syrup.
Nutrition
Calories: 75kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 56mg | Potassium: 49mg | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 100IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 1mg
