Italian Soda
ClassicFlavored syrup, soda water, and a float of cream. The coffeehouse counter classic.
Sweet and fruity from the raspberry syrup, lifted by soda water's fizz, with the cream float adding a rich, dessert-like finish once it's stirred through.
Ingredients
- 1 oz Raspberry Syrup
- 6 oz Soda Water
- 1 oz Heavy Cream Floated
- None · optional garnish
Method
- 1
Fill a highball glass with cubed ice.
- 2
Pour in the raspberry syrup, then top with soda water and stir.
- 3
Slowly pour the cream over the back of a spoon so it floats rather than sinks.
- 4
Serve with a straw, stirring the cream in as you drink.
The Story
Italian sodas took off at American coffeehouses in the 1980s and 90s, riding the same espresso-bar wave that popularized flavored syrups in the first place — despite the name, the drink itself has little to do with Italy and everything to do with the syrup pumps already sitting behind every counter that made lattes. The cream float turned a plain flavored soda into something closer to a dessert, and it has stayed a fixture of coffee-shop menus ever since.
Recipe card
The whole recipe in one shareable image.
