Italian Soda
Sparkling water and flavored syrup with optional cream — the Torani company (San Francisco, 1925) popularizing the format in American coffee shops.
- 1 ozflavored syrup(raspberry or peach or vanilla)
- 6 ozclub soda
- 1 ozhalf and half(optional for a creamy version)
- lemon wheelgarnish
- 1Fill a highball glass with ice.
- 2Add flavored syrup of your choice.
- 3Top with club soda.
- 4Stir briefly to combine.
- 5Add cream on top if desired for a creamy Italian soda.
- 6Garnish with a lemon wheel.
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Italian Soda is the American adaptation of a European carbonated water-and-flavored-syrup tradition, popularized in the United States through the Torani syrup company, which was founded in San Francisco in 1925 by Rinaldo and Ezilda Torre using traditional recipes from their home region of Lucca, Italy. Italian sodas combine sparkling water with flavored syrups in a simple preparation that became a fixture of American coffee shops and cafes from the 1970s onward, particularly in the Pacific Northwest where espresso culture took deep root. The cream Italian Soda — which adds a splash of half-and-half or cream over the flavored sparkling water — is a distinctly American adaptation without Italian precedent, developed by West Coast baristas. The category expanded dramatically when Torani, Monin, and Davinci Gourmet began supplying flavored syrups to commercial cafes.
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