Lemon Lime Soda Dex+

Sweetened drinks. They are everywhere. We all love them. When I talk about Dex+, I see the pained look on faces after I mention not drinking sweet drinks, whether sugared, natural juices, or artificially sweetened. The kids struggle with it too. 

We have a Soda Stream, and Simple Syrup Dex+. I've tried to re-create Dr Pepper, and so far failed. Colas are mysterious. Then it struck me: lemon lime soda. We usually have both. How hard can it be? Turns out, not very!

So simple, crisp and tasty. We tried adding vanilla, but that actually muted the flavor. There is just enough syrup to sweeten the fruit. A typical soda from the store is much sweeter.

Pro tip: cut the pithy tips off and discard, before slicing lemons or limes into eight wedges.

These small and large containers work great for lemons and limes.

Add a lemon and a lime wedge to each glass. Crush the fruit; a muddler works well. Add syrup.

Add a little carbonated water, and stir well.

Add more water and ice. One pink glass has cherry Kool-Aid added, the other has Grenadine Dex+.

 To add a little extra flavor, mix a pack of Kool-Aid with two tablespoons water, and add a few drops to the drinks. My son prefers to crush the fruit before adding the syrup, to keep the muddler cleaner. I found that crushing with the syrup keeps the lemon from spraying out of the glass if the muddler slips.

Lemon-Lime Soda Dex+

Ingredients, per glass:

• 1 lemon wedge (1/8th of a lemon)
• 1 lime wedge (1/8th of a lime)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp (60 g) Simple Syrup Dex+
• 12 oz carbonated water
• ice

Directions:

1. Crush the lemon and lime wedges in a glass. 
2. Add the syrup and a small amount of carbonated water, and stir well.
3. Add the remaining water, stir gently, and add ice.