Time for hillbilly Margarita  ( fountain mist + tequila + heavy carbonated water )

What is this? It looks like some sort of Cthulu potion. My head can't exactly figure out what I am looking at. 

Wed Jun 23 2021 11:50:28 EDT from Nurb432 Subject: Yum

It was intentionally vague.

its a batch of semi-inverted sugar syrup where i just added my cola flavoring.  ( 4 pounds sugar, about 3 cups water, bit of citric acid and bit of cream of tartar.. *slowly* cook until clear + about 20 minutes more )

They are about the same constancy, so they dont mix on their own, and need a quick shake. But its fun to watch it flow down at first.  ( ok, im odd :) )

Very cool looking, but wicked and evil looking, stuff. 

Mon Jul 19 2021 19:04:05 EDT from Nurb432 Subject: Re: Yum

It was intentionally vague.

its a batch of semi-inverted sugar syrup where i just added my cola flavoring.  ( 4 pounds sugar, about 3 cups water, bit of citric acid and bit of cream of tartar.. *slowly* cook until clear + about 20 minutes more )

They are about the same constancy, so they dont mix on their own, and need a quick shake. But its fun to watch it flow down at first.  ( ok, im odd :) )

Once you shake it, looks like real cola, but darker.  ( not looking like the pee water you get from commodity drinks like Pepsi or Coke )

That is the one downside of making your own. After a while you cant stomach that crap the big brands try to pass off as cola.  Many craft colas are ok tho. 

Mon Jul 19 2021 11:09:21 PM EDT from ParanoidDelusions Subject: Re: Yum

Very cool looking, but wicked and evil looking, stuff. 

 

Does it have alcohol in it? If not, at least some cocaine? 

Tue Jul 20 2021 15:45:51 EDT from Nurb432 Subject: Re: Yum

Once you shake it, looks like real cola, but darker.  ( not looking like the pee water you get from commodity drinks like Pepsi or Coke )

That is the one downside of making your own. After a while you cant stomach that crap the big brands try to pass off as cola.  Many craft colas are ok tho. 

Mon Jul 19 2021 11:09:21 PM EDT from ParanoidDelusions Subject: Re: Yum

Very cool looking, but wicked and evil looking, stuff. 

 

 

If anyone is interested here is the recipe. I used to do this the hard way, cooking down the various spices and straining, etc. But switched to oil a few years ago. Its close enough and SOOOOO much easier.

It does take a bit of $ up front, but its cheaper in long run.   I have a 5 and 10 pound CO2 tank + beer keg valves, and PET bottle adapter .. ~ 150 bucks for it all. 5 pound lasts me 8+ months and i drink WAY too much. 10 bucks to refill the 5 pound tank. 15 for the 10 pound ( dont ask me to explain that one.  i dont understand it either )

____________________________________

Flavor emulsion:

7.00 mL orange oil 

7.00 mL lime oil 

2.00 mL lemon oil 

0.80 mL cassia oil 

1.50 mL nutmeg oil 

0.50 mL coriander oil  

0.50 mL lavender oil 

0.50 mL neroli oil

20g gum arabic ( i use powder )

40 mL water

200 mL double strength caramel coloring

65 mL citric acid ( i use powder )

100 mL water

22 mL vanilla extract ( real, not the fake crap )

2 - 5 mL Kola extract depending on your caffeine tolerance

( Oils are food grade essential oils. )

Method:

100ml water, vanilla, citric acid, arabic, and oils in blender. Hold back on caramel and 40ml extra water until its really well mixed.  

This is the cola concentrate flavor, which will make ~ 90L of cola total.

I use a dedicated mini drink blender and dedicated syringes with long needles to measure the fluids. Everything i use is used ONLY for cola. Don't want any stray flavors getting into the mix. It does not take much to screw it up.

Syrup: ( flavor + sugar )

3 cup water

4 pound sugar

Tbl spoon citric acid

Tbl spoon cream of tartar

*slowly* Cook under low heat, stirring often, until clear then let simmer 20 minutes longer to help invert some sugar

*can substitute some sweetener for sugar. Just don't go below 1/2 sugar or it will be bitter/aftertaste. 

I have used ( pure ) Sucralose  and Acesulfame Potassium, but have yet to get that ‘perfect’ combination of using sweeter, so normally its just sugar.  

Let fully cool to room temp

add ~ 2.5 tbs flavor   

add a little extra caramel coloring ( no flavor difference but i prefer a darker color.  no rational reason here )

Optional - 1tsp of phosphoric acid. gives it bite and a little sweeter. Not needed, but i do it.

This cola syrup will make ~ 14L of cola. i use a 1 gallon glass jug to store this in

Mixing the cola with water

The cola is a 7:1 mix for most people.

1 part cola syrup to 7 parts *cold* carbonated water. ( i use 2 oz syrup + enough water to make 500ml/18oz )  i add 1 oz of water with syrup and spin the glass to mix, then add rest of water down side of glass like you do beer to avoid losing fizz. 

Oh, and i have not found any local ( other flavors but not their cola ) so i cant prove it via a taste test, but i think Boylan uses the same basic formula for theirs. including using oils.

For what that is worth.

So, perhaps. ( Jury is still out  ill decide before i finish off this weekends batch but its promising ) that 6 cups of real sugar plus 1/4 tsp of both sweeteners may be ok.  Sure, 100% sugar is better. But when you drink as much as i do, need to cut back somehow.

Soda stream is about as complex as I get making my own soda. They have Happy Muslims and Happy Jews all working together in Israel... their boxes even say so... so, I'm doing a good thing for the world. 

I do like their cola and fountain mist. I will buy their cola when i'm too lazy to make a batch of my own, and mist, for tequila. 

Their hardware, while convenient, for me is far to expensive and limiting.  At least getting a tank adapter helps get you out of their grossly overpriced CO2 ecosystem, and is more 'wife friendly' ( especially if you go with 2 pound paint ball bottles. They will fit inside most of their machines, you cant even tell ) . But i still like more control over the pressure. 

I pretty much use them just to make soda water - then I add a squirt or two of that no-calorie drink flavor to a glass at a time. Or make Vodka, Soda and Lime. 

The thing about their bottles is that they'll keep the fizz in for weeks. 

Tue Jul 27 2021 16:55:14 EDT from Nurb432

I do like their cola and fountain mist. I will buy their cola when i'm too lazy to make a batch of my own, and mist, for tequila. 

Their hardware, while convenient, for me is far to expensive and limiting.  At least getting a tank adapter helps get you out of their grossly overpriced CO2 ecosystem, and is more 'wife friendly' ( especially if you go with 2 pound paint ball bottles. They will fit inside most of their machines, you cant even tell ) . But i still like more control over the pressure. 

 

fizz can last weeks? Id never knew. I go thru a good 2 liters a day.....

:)

LOL. I hear that is bad for you. :) 

Wed Jul 28 2021 16:35:32 EDT from Nurb432

fizz can last weeks? Id never knew. I go thru a good 2 liters a day.....

 

:)

Its one reason i switched to making my own, originally.  Not that its 'healthy' but its far 'less bad' than OTC commodity crap.

Thu Jul 29 2021 12:04:48 AM EDT from ParanoidDelusions

LOL. I hear that is bad for you. :) 

 

Another successful pizza ( or whatever we decided to call it around here :) ) .  That spring form is working out really great.  Releases the sides with on fuss, and gets crispy on the bottom without getting too hot for the rest of it.

( and yes, i know its a 1970s plate.  I have a full set, 2 sizes, bowls. I still use stainless steel tumblers to drink milk and juice out of too. My coke, i mix it in a 16 oz plastic measuring cup and drink it from there.  Its dedicated to only that. )