------------------------------------------------------------------------------- McCormick Root Beer Concentrate (2 fl. oz.) Recipe 5 lb sugar 5 ga water 2 floz concentrate Ratios for 2L & 3L bottles, which are useful when doing ad hoc force carbonating (as opposed to batch yeast). 2.0 L water 1 cup, 3 T sugar (1.189 cup) 1 1/4 t concentrate (1.268 t) 3.0 L water 1 3/4 cup sugar (1.783 cup) 2 t concentrate (1.902 t) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Homemade Cola Ingredients: 1 tablespoon Simple Sugar Syrup, see directions 1/2 cup Soda water 1 teaspoon Vanilla 1 teaspoon Pure lemon juice 1/8 teaspoon Ground cinnamon, optional 1 teaspoon Instant coffee crystal, optional Simple Sugar Syrup 1 cup Sugar Water to make 1-1/2 cups liquid with sugar Directions: 1. SIMPLE SYRUP: Heat water. Place sugar in measuring cup and add enough hot water to make 1-1/2 cups liquid. 2. COLA: Mix ingredients as stated. Pour over ice and serve. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Almost 'Coke' Ingredients: 2 T Sugar 1 t Vanilla 1/4 t Cinnamon 1 t Bottled Lime Juice 1 C Club Soda Directions: Mix well and add lots of ice. This will look different than regular cola, but tastes similar. You can vary the lime juice and sugar amounts to suit your taste. Makes 1 Cup ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Homemade Cola Ingredients: 1/4 C cold black coffee 2 t Lipton instant lemon-tea powder 1/8 t vanilla extract 1 level t sugar or artificial sweetener few grains of black pepper Directions: Combine well together and mix with equal parts of club soda to make one tall drink. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OpenCola Ingredients: Flavoring * 3.50 ml orange oil * 1.00 ml lemon oil * 1.00 ml nutmeg oil * 1.25 ml cassia (cinnamon) oil * 0.25 ml coriander oil * 0.25 ml neroli oil (similar to bergamot, or bitter orange oil) * 2.75 ml lime oil * 0.25 ml lavender oil * 10.0 g gum arabic (thickener) * 3.00 ml water Concentrate * 2.00 tsp (10 ml) flavoring * 3.50 tsp (17.5 ml) 75% phosphoric acid or citric acid * 2.28 l water * 2.36 kg granulated white sugar * 0.50 tsp (2.5 ml) caffeine (optional. use caution) * 30.0 ml caramel color Directions: Flavoring 1. Mix the oils together. 2. Add gum arabic and mix completely. 3. Add water and mix well. For this step, use a hand mixer or blender to thoroughly mix together. 4. The flavoring can be made in advance and stored for use later. Place in a sealed glass jar and place in the refrigerator or keep at room temperature. * When stored, the oils and water will separate. Just mix again before use. When used, the gum arabic will keep things together. Concentrate 1. Mix 5 ml of flavoring with the phosphoric or citric acid. 2. Add the water and sugar and, while mixing, add caffeine if desired. * Make sure that the caffeine is completely dissolved before moving on to the next step. 3. Add caramel color and mix completely. Soda 1. Mix one part of concentrate with five parts water. In other words, however much you use of the concentrate, use five times as much of water. 2. Carbonate the beverage. There are a few ways this can be accomplished: * Carbonate the beverage yourself * Mix soda water directly with the concentrate, as described in the previous step * Use a soda fountain that will combine the concentrate with carbonated water at the tap Tips * It can be difficult to find all the different ingredients. They are not always available in supermarkets. Try looking at local specialty shops in their baking section. * Don't confuse this homemade recipe with the the canned cola that's been distributed at trade shows and through other venues or outlets. While the recipe is the same, the process of canning soda is beyond the scope of this article. Warnings * Caffeine can be toxic in high doses. Be careful not to add too much to your mixture, and do not ingest large quantities. * Many of the oils needed for flavoring can burn skin. Use caution when preparing. They can also dissolve the plastic lining of a refrigerator; store with caution. * Gum arabic is available in two forms, art grade, and food grade. Be sure to get food grade Gum arabic, or you could have an unpleasant toxic reaction. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------