Okay, so today I wanted to try making that “Starry” soda everyone’s talking about. I saw some stuff online about it being a lemon-lime soda, caffeine-free, and zero sugar, which sounds pretty good, right? So I gathered up some things I thought would work and got started.
First Try: The Basic Mix
I started with some plain sparkling water as the base. I figured that was a good place to begin, since it’s all bubbly and stuff. Then I squeezed in the juice of one whole lemon and about half a lime. I love that citrusy smell, so it already felt like a win. To sweeten it up without sugar, I added a few drops of that liquid stevia I use in my coffee sometimes. I gave it a good stir and took a sip.
- Plain sparkling water
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- Liquid stevia (to taste)
It was… okay. Definitely tasted like lemon and lime, but it was a bit too tart and not really sweet enough. It was kind of boring, honestly.
Second Try: Getting Bolder
For my next try, I decided to amp things up. I used the same sparkling water, but this time I zested the lemon and lime first before juicing them. I figured that would give it a stronger flavor. I also added a tiny pinch of salt, because I heard that can enhance flavors. And instead of just stevia, I also used a bit of this sugar-free lemon-lime syrup I found at the grocery store. I mixed it all up and took another sip.
- Plain sparkling water
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- Zest and juice of 1/2 lime
- Pinch of salt
- Liquid stevia (to taste)
- Sugar-free lemon-lime syrup (to taste)
Okay, this was way better! The zest really made a difference, and the combination of stevia and the syrup gave it the right amount of sweetness. It was still a little flat, though, not as “exciting” as I wanted it to be.
Third Try: The Winner!
So for my final try, I had a bit of a brainstorm. I grabbed some fresh mint leaves from my little herb garden and muddled them a bit in the bottom of the glass. Then I added everything from the second try, but with a little more of that sugar-free syrup. I also dumped in a few ice cubes to make it nice and cold. Finally, after mixing, I topped it all off with a fresh lime slice for garnish.
- Plain sparkling water
- Fresh mint leaves, muddled
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- Zest and juice of 1/2 lime
- Pinch of salt
- Liquid stevia (to taste)
- Sugar-free lemon-lime syrup (a bit more this time)
- Ice cubes
- Lime slice for garnish
Boom! This was it! The mint added a whole new level of freshness, and the extra syrup gave it that “bubbly” and bold taste I was looking for. It was refreshing, flavorful, and just sweet enough. I think I finally cracked the code for a pretty decent homemade “Starry” soda. It was totally a fun experiment, and I think I’ll be making this again for sure, especially on a hot day. Might even try it with different fruits sometime!
