DIY Soft Drinks

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

DIY soft drink making is attracting tinkerers who want more control over flavor, sugar content, and ingredients than commercial sodas allow. Commenters swap resources on recreating classics like Coca‑Cola, root beer, and Club‑Mate—covering flavor chemistry, emulsifiers like gum arabic, carbonation techniques, and brewing fermented alternatives such as kombucha, kvass, and water kefir. Alongside recipe tips, many frame home carbonation as a way to avoid unwanted additives, reduce sugar, sidestep boycott-targeted brands, and even build small beverage businesses.

DIY Cola & Other Flavors

  • Several people discuss recreating Coca‑Cola, including a year‑long GC/MS reverse‑engineering project and open recipes like OpenCola and Cube‑Cola.
  • Opinion is mixed on value: some find concentrates cheaper and easier than sourcing many essential oils; others like full DIY despite cost and effort.
  • Root beer, kvass, tonic‑style bitters drinks, and mate/Club‑Mate clones are popular DIY targets.
  • Resources frequently mentioned: historical/technical soda books and YouTube channels focused on flavor chemistry.

Carbonation Methods & Hardware

  • Some are disappointed when recipes omit carbonation; others suggest simply mixing syrups with store‑bought sparkling water.
  • Detailed tips for very fizzy water: de‑gas by boiling, chill to near 0°C, then carbonate.
  • Many describe setups using CO₂ cylinders, regulators, ball‑lock caps on PET bottles, or adapters to refill countertop carbonator cylinders from bulk CO₂.
  • Trade‑offs: countertop units are convenient but have expensive refills; DIY CO₂ is cheaper, more flexible, but needs safety precautions.

Emulsifiers, Gums & Flavoring

  • Gum arabic is highlighted as tricky; pre‑hydrated forms and mixing with dry ingredients first are recommended.
  • Some suggest using water‑soluble flavor concentrates to avoid emulsions altogether, noting that clear commercial sodas often use these.
  • Other emulsifiers (sucrose esters, polysorbate 80, propylene glycol) are discussed for better stability.

Fermented & Tea-Based Drinks

  • Kombucha, water kefir, kvass, switchel, and shrubs are cited as cheap, healthy, or fun alternatives to soda.
  • Recipes and experiences: 20L kombucha with ginger/lemongrass, homemade kvass from toasted rye bread or malt, cold‑brewed yerba mate “Club‑Mate” clones.
  • Alcohol levels in kvass and similar drinks are discussed; usually low but non‑zero.

Sweeteners, Health & Taste

  • Some avoid sugar; others avoid artificial sweeteners due to taste or distrust, despite acknowledgment that aspartame is well‑studied.
  • DIY zero‑sugar recipes use data from labels (e.g., Canadian disclosures for aspartame/ace‑K levels).
  • Concerns about acidic drinks and dental health are mentioned; some prefer unsweetened sparkling water with citrus or vinegar.

Politics, Ethics & Access

  • SodaStream and its parent company come up in the context of boycott movements; opinions differ on boycott effectiveness.
  • Broader suggestions include avoiding all large corporations, though practicality is debated.
  • Small‑town grocery viability and distributor minimums are discussed as barriers to accessing ingredients and products.