Italian Sodas are a popular coffee shop drink made with flavored syrups, seltzer water, and a splash of something creamy (I’ll share a couple different ideas below!) This is one of our favorite things to do at parties and gatherings. An Italian soda bar is a fun way for people to create their own drink combinations with a few basic ingredients. Keep a few bottles of flavored syrup around and you can whip these up any time! Read below for lots of tips and tricks to make these for a crowd.
Ingredient and Equipment Notes
- Ice – any type of ice will do, but I particularly like pebble-style ice. If you don’t own a pebble ice maker, you can buy inexpensive bags of ice from Sonic. For a party-style Italian soda bar, place ice in a cooler or large bowl with a scoop.
- Cups – if I’m making these for a party, or particularly for groups of kids, I prefer plastic cups with lids. Restaurant Supply Stores are a great source for these. My preference is 16-20oz cups. Sometimes it’s tempting to get the largest cups available, but remember that larger cups just mean more ingredients used, so they will get used up faster.
- Straws – straws aren’t just fun to drink with, they’re necessary to stir the Italian Sodas. If you don’t have straws, you’ll need something available to stir.
- Flavored Syrups – these are the style of syrups used at coffee shops. They are shelf stable and come in lots of flavors. My favorite source for flavored syrups is local restaurant supply stores, and you can also order from Amazon! For a soda bar I highly recommend also purchasing pump tops for your bottles.
- Carbonated Water – anything fizzy! Seltzer water is the inexpensive standard and you can purchase it in 2 liter bottles for a crowd. Something like Topo Chico looks a little fancier if you want it to look extra nice. Another option is lightly flavored carbonated waters like LaCroix. Even if you hate drinking them on their own, they’re perfect for Italian sodas because you’ll be adding sweetness to them and they just add a slight hint of flavor to the overall drink. You can even use less-traditional but super delicious options like Fresca (my favorite) or 7-up or Sprite.
- Half and Half – at the end you’ll add a shot of something creamy. Half and half works great, but another fun option are flavored coffee creamers- Coconut is my favorite!
How to Make and Italian Soda
- Fill a cup about half full with ice.
- Add several pumps of flavored syrup. The exact ratios will be to preference. I’ve found I like a couple tablespoons (4-6 pumps) of syrup for a 20oz cup. You can always add more after stirring!
- Fill your cup almost full with your carbonation of choice.
- Add a shot of half and half or flavored creamer (about a tablespoon) and stir.
- Give it a taste and adjust ingredients as needed!
Tips for setting up an Italian Soda Bar
- Less is More – It’s tempting to have 10+ flavors out for variety, but I’ve found for and Italian soda bar for a large group, it’s great to stick to just a few that can be mixed and matched and are delicious in any combination. It keeps the line moving and decreases decision fatigue. I like to pick one berry flavor like blackberry, raspberry, strawberry or huckleberry. One other fruit or citrus flavor, like peach, lime, lemon or blood orange, and one creamy flavor– like coconut or vanilla.
- Help with Measuring – With direction, people can eyeball syrup and seltzer, but it helps to have a small shot-glass style measuring cup with the creamer/half and half. People often add way too much of this, overpowering the flavor of the syrup and causing them to go back and add more and more flavor.
- Give Instructions – Many people will see these ingredients and know exactly what to do, but others will feel lost. Print out instructions for how to make an Italian Soda, or cover your table with brown paper and write it right on the table!
Love Fun Fizzy Drinks? Here’s a few more you might like!
Strawberry Coconut Lime Spritzer
How To: Italian Sodas
Perfect for a party (and so much easier to pull off than you might think!) Perfect to make at home for one, or to serve a crowd.
Ingredients
- Clear Cups with Lids I prefer 20 oz
- Straws
- Flavored Syrups
- Ice preferably crushed or pebble style
- Soda water/sparkling water/seltzer
- Half and half or creamer
Instructions
- Fill cup about half way with ice.
- Add several pumps of flavored syrup (start with 4-6 for a 20 oz cup)
- Add sparkling water about 1-1 1/2" from the top.
- Add a splash of half and half (about 1 tablespoon).
- Stir with a straw and serve!
Notes
Note
- Berry flavored syrups work the best, other flavors are fun for mixing and matching.
- Coffee creamer also works as a great cream option.
- In place of sparkling water, you can use lightly flavored options like LaCroix, or even Fresca, Sprite, or Ginger Ale.
- feel free to use Feel free to mix and match flavors or add fresh fruit garnishes like cherries, strawberries, or lime or lemon wedges.
Did You Make This Recipe?Snap a picture, and hashtag it #ourbestbites. We love to see your creations on our Instagram @ourbestbites!
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Questions & Reviews
I’ve always LOVED Italian sodas and this post inspired me to track down the flavorings and make my own. I looked in lots of grocery stores (they all seem to be in the coffee aisle) but only ever found chocolate, vanilla, and hazelnut flavors. Finally I struck gold at World Market! They had about 20 flavors. We’ve been making Italian sodas every day now! The flavors are also awesome in snow cones or hot chocolate. Thanks for reminding me of this amazing thing!
I had your EXACT car in college, color and everything. And I loved getting Italian sodas at the Salt Lake Roasting Company on 400 South in Salt Lake City when I was going to the University of Utah. Thanks for the post! It brought me back!
I’m surprised the fruity flavors are preferred among your friends. Whenever I do this, the biggest hits are almond, caramel, vanilla, etc!!
I love the idea of the soda bar! I introduced italian sodas to my kids last summer, and they were so excited about them.
Hi, Kate! I am so excited about this post – I have been wanting to do these with our YW group, so the timing is great. 🙂 I finally found a place that has the Torani coconut syrup in stock, and it’s even for a great price. They also have the pumps for a great price too $1.99/each, (they are for the Torani syrups) I noticed in your stash of syrups you have torani coconut and the rest are Stasero brand found at Gygi’s. my question for you is does that mean you find the Stasero syrups better, or did it just turn out that way by chance? Also, are the pumps interchangeable between Torani and Stasero, or not so much? I just realized how annoying I probably seem right now with all these questions. I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t want to answer!
Liz, I don’t think Kate saw this- she’s not ignoring you! I’m not sure if the pumps are interchangeable, but we do like several brands of syrups. Often it’s just a matter of finding specific flavors in specific brands, that’s all!
Thank you Sara!
I was going to ask about the pumps as well. Do they tend to be a one size fits all thing?
No, they’re not always a one-size fits all thing. You’ll need to make sure you buy ones that clearly state that they’re made for the brand you are using. (I learned this the hard way!)
AWESOME idea for my daughter’s upcoming birthday, thanks for this post!
I just did these for our Sunday family dinner gathering last night and they were a BIG hit!! Thanks for the great idea!
I too would like to know about the sugar free syrups. Has anyone tried these or have any advice. We try to go healthier if possible and our good friends’ daughter has just been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and I hate for her to feel left out. Thanks!!
I just made a strawberry coconut Cremosa with sugar free syrup, and it was delish! Go for it.
We had sugar free Raspberry syrup at our party for my sister who is diabetic, and it was just as yummy as the regular 🙂
Yep, many of the sugar free syrups taste just as great. They are a bit thinner, but for dietary purposes, feel free to use them!
Okay so totally random bit of info about butcher paper… my husband works at our local newspaper and they do tons of printing. If you have a local paper or local printing place sometimes you can get their roll ends for free or a small fee. We use it a ton too and its handy for just about everything. I can get all kinds of paper… from thinner paper for newsprint to this nice thick book paper (which really comes in handy for homemade wrapping paper!) So anyway… just a thought if you didn’t know 🙂
The Tiger’s Blood flavor sounds delicious! Can’t wait to play around with all the different flavers