Strawberry-Thyme Soda
I don’t know about you, but sometimes my eyes are bigger than my stomach. I either pile too much food on my plate or pack my refrigerator to the brim with food. It’s only Squirrel and I, yet I buy enough food to feed a small army. Everybody loves coming to my house because they know there’s always something delicious stored in my fridge.
Sometimes I buy too many bananas. We all do it. They sit on the counter patiently waiting to be eaten, getting riper by the day. I swear that’s why banana bread was invented. Someone couldn’t eat all of there bananas before they turned to brown mush on the counter, so in a bowl they went.
The other day I may have went a little wild at the grocery store and bought one too many containers of strawberries. It’s hard to resist those intoxicatingly sweet berries when the aroma drifts your way as you walk by the neatly stacked containers. In the cart they went.
Some of my berries started getting a little soft before I was able to eat them all. What does one do with soft strawberries? Hmm, make syrup for soda? Yup!
Homemade soda is way better than any soda you’ll find at your local grocery store.
Making soda at home allows me to control the amount of sugar in the recipe.
This recipe is perfect for kids. It’s caffeine free and low in sugar.
Enjoy!
Strawberry-Thyme Soda
- 1 lb. fresh strawberries, hulled
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 10 sprigs fresh thyme
- Club soda
- In a medium-sized saucepan, add water, strawberries, lemon juice, thyme, and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Remove the mixture from the heat and strain through a mesh strainer into a large bowl (preferably one with a spout for easy transfer). Using a spatula, press down on the strawberries to release all of their juices.
- Transfer the strained mixture back to the saucepan and bring to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until the mixture reduces to about 2 cups of liquid.
- Chill the syrup in the refrigerator until completely cool, about 2 hours.
- Add ice to a glass, pour in desired amount of syrup, and top with club soda. Enjoy!
15 Comments on “Strawberry-Thyme Soda”
My kids would love this! So would I :)
Yes. Yes. This is a great idea for those soft strawberries!
This is a great idea for strawberries and a way to control sugar/ caffeine content!
I love this because I don’t drink regular soda or anything with caffeine and I love strawberries!
That is the epitome of yummy and delicious :)
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
I always buy waaaay too much food at the store. This time of year, I’m pretty uncontrollable around produce. Way to use up those strawberries!
HA, I over-shop and over-cook all the time, too. :) This soda looks very refreshing…especially if someone were to add a drop of vodka to it. ;)
Oh Jennie! This looks so incredibly refreshing and yummy! Pinned!
Awesome drink, I love the flavor! Now with a little vodka, it would be a perfect after-dinner treat! ;)
I love this soda so much!! And I seriously buy waaaay too much produce this time of year.
My eyes are *definitely* bigger than my stomach, so you aren’t alone! =) And I could probably drink a gallon of this soda – it looks AMAZING!
My eyes are always bigger than my stomach, although I’m training myself to rein it in at buffets. After all those years of piling plates up to the sky, I’m finally starting to feel a bit of shame at the stares of disbelief and gaping mouths as I walk back to my table. As for this soda, you posted it at just the right time, Jennie. I’m starting to make my own drinks because there’s just so much sugar in store bought juice. I love the clean, fresh flavours of this, especially the combo of fruit & thyme. Yum!
Such a refreshing summer drink!
How have I not commented on this post yet? I thought I did. I loved it so much I shared it on my FB page and clearly forgot to come back and actually tell you how very much I truly adore this soda. I love pairing herbs and fruit in unexpected places, like beverages so this lovely soda is definitely calling my name. Wonderful!
Whoa, what a hectic couple of weeks! I am looking forward to acquiring that pricey piece of paper one of these days, and I want to congratulate you on your intelligence that can be demonstrated.