Incredibly popular in my homeland of Australia, Creamy Soda is known for its smooth, creamy flavour and bright pink or pale golden colour, depending on the brand. Despite its name, creamy soda does not usually contain cream or dairy products. Instead, its distinctive taste comes from a combination of sugar or sweeteners, carbonated water and artificial or natural flavourings. The flavour is often described as a blend of vanilla, caramel and fruity notes, sometimes with hints of raspberry or other berry flavours, creating a sweet taste that resembles a creamy dessert.

For my own homemade version I have really leaned into the vanilla flavour but I also wanted to get that slightly creamy texture but in a pleasant way, being heavily inspired by ‘Calpico’ a lactose fermented Japanese soda drink. For the ingredients we have the obvious additions like vanilla sugar and vanilla essence for a strong vanilla hit, and then citric acid to help balance and get a nice citrus tang through the drink. My favourite addition is the malted milk drink which gives it’s more golden colour, that creaminess I wanted plus the malted aspect allows a caramel like tone through out the drink which really brings it together.