Cookbook:Cola I

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Cola I
Category	Beverages
Servings	3
Energy	80 kcal/100 g
Time	100 minutes
Difficulty

Cola is a type of soda that consists of flavors derived from citrus fruits and spices. The word "cola" derives from kola nuts, a plant originating in West Africa. Older cola recipes often contained this nut as a source of caffeine, but most modern recipes do not contain kola nuts. This recipe has been modified from one by Flavorlab.

Note that consuming high levels of caffeine can be very dangerous. If you are scaling the recipe up or down, make sure you scale the caffeine accordingly so that the per-serving caffeine amount stays the same or is lower. Absolutely do not use more than triple the listed proportion of caffeine.

Ingredients

• ½ ea. lemon, peel removed
• ½ ea. orange, peel removed
• 14 dried makrut lime leaves
• 25 mg caffeine (optional)
• ½ tsp (2.5 ml) powdered cinnamon
• 1 tsp (5 ml) powdered nutmeg
• 1 tsp (5 ml) coriander seed
• 5 tbsp (75 ml) water
• 1 cup (240 ml) water
• 5 tsp (25 ml) strained fresh lime juice
• ½ tsp (2.5 ml) finely powdered citric acid
• ¼ cup (60 ml) white sugar
• 1 cup (240 ml) white sugar
• Carbonated water, as needed

Procedure

1. Chop the lemon and orange peels into small pieces.
2. Combine the peels, lime leaves, caffeine, cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander, and 5 tbsp (75 ml) water in a mortar. Use the pestle to crush and grind everything together, ensuring that everything is well-blended to extract the flavors.
3. Transfer the ground mixture to a saucepan. Simmer for 10 minutes, then remove from the heat.
4. Strain the mixture, then combine it with the 1 cup water, lime juice, and citric acid. Set aside.
5. Transfer the ¼ cup (60 ml) sugar into a heavy saucepan. Carefully melt it over medium heat, making sure the entire mixture heats evenly and doesn't burn. Cook the sugar until caramelized.
6. Carefully stir the citrus mixture into the caramelized sugar, watching out for splatters, until it is homogenized.
7. Stir in the 1 cup (240 ml) sugar, and boil until it becomes a viscous and honey-like syrup of approximately 1¼ cup (300 ml) in volume. Remove from the heat and let cool.
8. To make the finished soda, combine 1 volume of syrup with 5 volumes of carbonated water.

Notes, tips, and variations

• Use water from a carbonating machine or a brand of pure carbonated water such as Polar Original Sparkling Water, Great Value Seltzer Water, or Signature Select Seltzer Water. Do not use a brand of mineral water such as Perrier, San Pellegrino, or Mineragua because the added minerals will ruin the taste. Avoid flavored sparkling water such as La Croix or Spindrift because the preexisting fruit flavors will ruin the drink.
• You can make cherry cola by adding five frozen cherries or 1 tsp (5 ml) of cherry extract during step 2.
• You can make vanilla cola by adding 1 tsp (5 ml) of vanilla extract during step 2.