Simple Lemon-Lime Soda

     We had my two girls, Maggie and Lucie, over this weekend and Tammy and I decided to get them involved in making a simple lemon-lime soda. We didn't really have a recipe for this one, so we decided to 'wing it.' After a short trip to the grocery store (we were short on lemons) we gathered the ingredients. They're seen here on Tammy's most recent table-scape:

     This recipe yields four servings (1/4 cup syrup per serving):

     -two medium sized lemons;

     -two limes;

     -1 cup sugar;

     -about 1/2 cup water.

     Start by juicing your lemons and limes. We still haven't invested in a juicer (but Christmas is coming!!!) so we pressed the girls into service squeezing the fruit. Don't worry, they washed their hands, and the syrup's going to be well-boiled.

     The girls (Maggie on left, Lucie on right) really enjoyed getting into squeezing the lemons and limes. The yield was 1/2 cup of combined lemon and lime juice, which we strained through a fine mesh strainer. We then added 1/2 cup water to make one cup of base. That was added to the one cup of sugar in a stainless steel saucepan and brought to simmer / light boil for 14 minutes and reduced to one cup of finished syrup.

     We let the syrup cool to room temperature and mixed 1/4 cup syrup with 1 1/3 cup cold seltzer water for a nice treat after dinner. The girls declared it to be much better than store-bought lemon-lime soda. I agree!

     The syrup had a light golden color, and the mixed soda has a nice gold tint, slighly less than a store-bought ginger ale. The citrus balance came down slightly in favor of the lime, which added a nice citrus bite (but not too much). The taste was excellent, and this will make a nice base for adding in other fruit flavors, maybe raspberry, mango....who knows. Try your own, and enjoy!