The Complete Soda Making Book by Jill Houk

The angle: All the sodas you love, but less expensive and better for you

Recipes for right now: Cola, Orange Cream Soda, Kiwi-Apple Soda, Lemongrass Soda, Mango Mint Soda, Hibiscus Soda, Lavender Soda, Strawberry-Rhubarb Sparkler, Lemon-Gin Sparkling Cocktail, Sparkling Cosmopolitan

Who would enjoy this book? Parents with soda-loving kids, grown-up soda lovers, anyone who loves a little mad-scientist action in the kitchen

• Who wrote it: Jill Houk

• Who published it: Adams Media

• Number of recipes: 100

• Other highlights: Any of the recipes can be made with any kind of carbonation system — the Soda Stream, siphons, take your pick. I like the versatility this offers. The recipes are for soda bases, which are then added to carbonated water in whatever strength or quantity you desire.

The recipes cover a good range of classic sodas (cola, root beer, lemon-lime) along with recipes that will spark your grown-up tastes (pineapple, grapefruit-sage, cucumber). Although the author emphasizes the health benefits of making your own sodas instead of buying them in the introduction, this doesn’t feel too heavy-handed throughout the book. The recipes feel fun and intriguing no matter your ultimate reason for making them.

Find the book at your local library, independent bookstore, or Amazon: The Complete Soda Making Book by Jill Houk

Apartment Therapy Media makes every effort to test and review products fairly and transparently. The views expressed in this review are the personal views of the reviewer and this particular product review was not sponsored or paid for in any way by the manufacturer or an agent working on their behalf. However, the manufacturer did give us the product for testing and review purposes.