CHERRY COLA

Making homemade cherry cola is honestly so easy to put together at home and it really all come together in a deeply flavourful syrup that gets stretched out with soda water to create that beloved soft drink. The classic cola flavour you’re chasing is a layered cocktail of caramel sweetness, citrus lift, vanilla roundness, and subtle spices, all of which you can echo at home. Caramel notes come from using brown sugar, citrus is provided by lemon, lime and orange zest and juice, vanilla extract reproduces the creamy note, while small amounts of cinnamon, nutmeg, and coriander seeds add that mysterious warm spice complexity.

All of the above is what I put together to get that classic homemade cola, a recipe I created in 2025 to great success. The addition of fresh cherries just changes the dynamic of the drink. It creates a deep bright red colour which is insanely visually pleasing, but also this tart juiciness that takes it to another level. To really hit it home I have added some cherry liqueur that gives it that final push before simmering down to cook the alcohol out but keep all that wonderful cherry flavour.

CHERRY COLA

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CHERRY COLA 〰️

Time: 30 minutes

3 cinnamon sticks

1 tea spoon coriander seeds

1/8 nutmeg, freshly grated

1 heaped cup fresh/frozen cherries

1 orange, peel & 1/2 juice

1 lemon, peel & 1/2 juice

1 lime, peel & 1/2 juice

1 tea spoon orange bitters

1 table spoon vanilla essence

1 table spoon cherry liqueur

2 packed cups brown sugar

Soda water

In a medium pot add in cinnamon, coriander seeds and nutmeg and place on medium heat for 1-2 minutes to toast spices until fragrant. Pour in 1/4 cup cold water & cherries, along the peels of the orange, lemon and lime and bring to a gentle bubble and simmer for 5 minutes. Using a potato masher now the cherries have softened push down on all of them to allow the juice to come out. Then add in orange bitters, vanilla essence and cherry liqueur and again let it gently bubble for 5 more minutes. Then add in the brown sugar and let it gently bubble for five more minutes. Finally add in the juice of half the orange, half the lemon and half the lime and let it cook through for a minute on the heat before taking off heat. 

Let the syrup cool to room temperature before straining and placing in a sterilised jar in the fridge. To serve pour in 45ml in a glass, top with ice and then soda water and mix through. Adjust syrup to taste, if you like it stronger add more and vice versa for weaker. Syrup should hold for up to a year, but just check when you use it.