Dragon's Blood (Fruit Punch Soda) Dex#

 

This is currently our favorite flavor of home-made soda. I sometimes mix up a batch of "candy cherry flavor" as a separate recipe, because this is such a nice flavor combo to use in other recipes. It is shelf-stable, and can be made in larger batches. I've also broken out the exact amount needed for one 2-liter bottle of Fruit Punch Soda. The syrup is in a previous post, Home-Made Soda: The Syrup, Dex#, and is repeated here in case you prefer making just enough for one bottle of soda.

Ingredients

• 288 g (.9 cups) soda syrup, one fourth of a recipe from this blog post, or make just enough (see below).
• 0.67 ml (14 drops) lemon oil
• 0.95 ml (20 drops) orange oil
• 2.8 g (0.63 tsp) pineapple extract
• 2.5 g (0.38 tsp) citric acid
• 1.3 g (0.13 tsp) salt

Candy Cherry ingredients***

• 2.33 g (0.55 tsp) almond extract
• 1.17 g (0.27 tsp) real cherry extract
• 1.17 g (0.27 tsp) imitation cherry extract
• 2.19 g (0.49 tsp) malic acid
• 0.15 g (4.67 x drop) stevia liquid "NOW"
• 1 drops scarlet coloring**

Instructions:

1. For Syrup: Add flavorings to the soda syrup and blend well with an immersion blender. 
2. For soda: Add to cold soda water, or to cold water and use a carbonation system like the one discussed here: Home-Made Soda: Let's talk Fizzzzz, to make 1.8 liters.

**Add more to your liking. Who knows what color dragon's blood really is anyway?

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***Candy Cherry flavor

Yield: 48 g (3 Tbsp) (1.5 fl oz) 

Substitute 7 g of this flavor mixture for the candy cherry ingredients listed above.

• 16 g (3.75 tsp) almond extract
• 8 g (1.88 tsp) real cherry extract
• 8 g (1.88 tsp) imitation cherry extract
• 15 g (3.38 tsp) malic acid
• 1 g (32 x drop) stevia liquid "NOW"
• 2 drops scarlet coloring

WARNING! Mixture will become cold as malic acid dissolves. Combine in a non-sensitive container. Do not mix directly in a glass jar with threaded top, as the rim may crack off.

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Soda Syrup, Just enough for this recipe

If you don't already have some made up, and want to make just enough for the cherry syrup, make this first. Yield: 288 g (.9 cups) soda syrup

Ingredients

• 27 g (0.14 cup) sugar
• 116 g (1.01 cup) dextrose
• 42 g (0.5 cup) Benefiber, Dex#
• 9 g (0.11 cup) Benefiber, Dex++
• 0.02 tsp (0.05 g) cream of tartar
• 103 g (0.46 cup) water
• 0.25 tsp table salt
• 0.09 tsp accent
• 0.5 drops glycerin
• 1.3 g (0.26 tsp, 42 drops) stevia drops
• 1.2 g (0.21 tsp) gum arabic*
• 0.14 g (0.02 tsp) xanthan gum*

*If you've got some mixed up from the other blog post, use 1.3 g (0.23 tsp) emulsifier blend to replace the gum arabic and xanthan gum.

Instructions

1. In the pot, mix together sugar, dextrose, fiber, and cream of tartar. Add water and optional salts for soda syrup, and stir to combine over low heat.
2. Note: be prepared to remove the pot from the heat If it begins to boil over.
3. Increase heat to medium-high, continue to stir while bring to a gentle boil (250). Wash any sugars off the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush. Reduce heat (220), cover, and simmer 10 min. Remove from heat and cool 30 minutes or to room temperature.
4. Add water to achieve final weight/volume, to account for evaporated water.
5. Add stevia, and emulsifiers. Blend well with an immersion blender.
6. Store refrigerated.