Boozy Rhubarb Soda

A tall glass of ice-cold rhubarb flavoured soda with a good splash of vodka is perfect for sipping on a hot summer day. Prepared with simple ingredients like sugary rhubarb syrup, vodka, and sparkling water, it’s sure to wake up your senses! When it comes to drinks suited for lounging in the backyard on a hot, summer day, nothing beats a Boozy Rhubarb Soda!

The hardest part of making this refreshing Boozy Rhubarb Soda is the wait for the rhubarb syrup to cool! The rhubarb syrup will add sweetness and rhubarb flavour. Now, even though I did mention a splash of vodka in the introduction above, that is not a hard-set rule. You can easily make this drink alcohol free by just simply omitting the vodka and adding a little more sparking water.

As I was leafing through one of my mixology cookbooks, I stumbled upon this beautiful cocktail. I have to be honest though, it wasn’t the beauty of the drink that caught my eye first, it was the name of it. I’m a sucker for anything with rhubarb in it – especially since I grow my own rhubarb right in my backyard!

HOW TO MAKE RHUBARB SIMPLE SYRUP

Add both the sugar and the water to a saucepan. Over high heat, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to lift the sugar off the bottom of the saucepan until the sugar is dissolved. Add in the rhubarb and stir. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer and allow the rhubarb to simmer for 20 minutes.

Once done, strain the mixture through a cheesecloth-lined colander over a bowl. Cool and transfer to a glass, food-safe bottle with a tight fitting lid. You can store your syrup in the fridge for up to two months.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Rhubarb – This will work with both fresh and frozen rhubarb. Please keep in mind that the colour of your syrup, which in turn will affect the colour of your finished soda, will greatly depend on the colour of your rhubarb stalks.
• Sugar – The addition of the sugar helps to create the simple syrup and makes it thick.
• Water
• Vodka – Vodka is a clear, unaged spirit produced using any ingredient that has fermentable sugars such as rye, barley, or wheat.  It can also be made with potatoes, grapes, or beets too.  In its purest form, Vodka is colourless, odourless, and flavourless, which means the cinnamon flavour will be dominant.
• Sparkling Water – You can also use club soda. 
• Ice

HOW TO MAKE A BOOZY RHUBARB SODA

You will first need to prepare the rhubarb syrup. To do that, add both the sugar and the water to a saucepan. Over high heat, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to lift the sugar off the bottom of the saucepan until the sugar is dissolved. Add in the rhubarb and stir. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer and allow the rhubarb to simmer for 20 minutes.

Once done, stain the mixture through a cheesecloth-lined colander over a bowl. Cool and transfer to a glass, food-safe bottle with a tight fitting lid. You can store your syrup in the fridge for up to two months.

For every drink you plan to make, you will need to measure the rhubarb syrup into a cocktail shaker along with the vodka. You don’t need any ice in the shaker, because you’re going to pour the mixture over ice. Just shake the vodka and syrup so that it is mixed well. The syrup is really thick, so give it a good shake! Now, fill a cocktail glass half full with ice. Pour the vodka and rhubarb syrup mixture over the ice. Top the glass off with sparking water. Garnish and serve immediately.

WHAT IS SIMPLE SYRUP

Simple syrup can be used to add sweetness to foods, or even increase the sweetness level in foods that are already a little sweet. A perfect example is a fruit salad. Even though fruit is already naturally sweet, some people like to add a simple syrup to their fruit salad to increase the sweetness, but to also act as a shiny glaze.

It is often found in desserts. Just like the shiny glaze in the fruit salad, simple syrup can be used to glaze baked goods. Think of things like donuts or sugary, sweet buns. That stickiness and sweetness on the outside is easily achieved with a simple syrup drizzle.

HOW TO STORE YOUR RHUBARB SYRUP

If you have any rhubarb syrup leftover, you can easily store it. In fact, if you really like this cocktail, you can double or even triple the syrup ingredients and store the unused syrup in the fridge. The best way to store your homemade simple syrup is to pour it into a very clean jar. I like to use a mason jar or a jar with a rubber resealable gasket. Both will work just fine.

Store your syrup in the fridge for up to two months. I keep mine on the side of my fridge door right where I keep my extracts. All you need to do once you have made it, is to find enough recipes to use it in before the two months is up. Don’t worry; you won’t have to worry too much about using it up before it expiries. You can use it on baked goods, in your tea or coffee, and even on waffles instead of maple syrup.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!