Flavored Lemonade | SodaStream

 * This post is sponsored by SodaStream. All opinions and text are 100% my own. *

I recently discovered a machine that I am quickly falling in love with! It is called SodaStream and it is so fantastic. Basically, you can make your own carbonated drinks and sodas right at home with way less sugar and calories than a normal soda would have.  We have had so much fun playing with the different drinks you can make, and I figured I would share some flavored lemonade with you that we like that would be perfect to serve during the holidays!

Anyway, let’s get right to the good stuff! I first wanted to make a lemonade that used flavors that are in season to make this more of a holiday party drink. The first thing that came to my mind was cranberry. I looked at the flavors that were available from SodaStream and found that they had a cran-raspberry juice flavoring that would be perfect! I ordered that flavor along with the Country Time Lemonade flavoring and found that they worked perfectly together!

To make all three of the lemonades, I used 3 liters of water and then followed the instructions to carbonate all of them. In the first liter (each bottle that comes with the SodaStream is one liter) I mixed the cran-raspberry juice mix into the water, and in the other two liters, I added Country Time Lemonade flavoring. I purchased glass jars from IKEA to serve the drinks from because I figured they would not only look amazing, but they would also help keep the lemonade carbonated since they seal tightly. I put 2/3 of a liter of the cranberry juice and 1/3 liter of lemonade into the bottle and mixed. That was it! It really couldn’t be any easier than that! I added fresh cranberries on top and the cran-raspberry lemonade was ready to go!

For my second bottle of lemonade, I decided to go with a mixed berry lemonade. I started by purchasing a small bag of frozen mixed berries from the grocery store and pureeing them all together.  There were strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and blueberries in the mix, just in case you are wondering, and it was about 1 1/2 cups of total fruit. I let them defrost for a little bit and then put them into a blender with some of the lemonade I had made to puree them together. I put about 2/3 liter of lemonade in the IKEA container and then poured the pureed fruit into the jar as well and then gently mixed the two together by closing the jar and tilting it back and forth.

Since the berries weren’t completely defrosted, the puree helped to chill the lemonade and it was tasty! For a party, just add some mint or basil leaves to garnish the top of the drink. The color contrast between the drink and the crisp green herbs is beautiful!

I decided to leave the last jar as plain lemonade with nothing fancy added to it as an alternative drink for anyone that just likes the basics. Between the three drinks, I am ready for a party! Who wouldn’t love a nice cup of sparkling lemonade that is seriously delicious?! The bonus is how quickly they were to make. I could easily keep the things on hand to make these drinks to serve even if someone is just stopping by.

On top of the drink options that are available, they also have different “skins” that you can put on your machine to personalize the machine. I have had my machine for less than a week and I have been trying to decide what I want to put on my machine to make it more “me” since there is a code that come with each machine to be able to get the skin for free. I am thinking of designing my own, but haven’t found just the right pattern yet. I’ll definitely let you know when I find just the right look! In the meantime, anyone want to come over and try some lemonade? Just 5 cents per glass. 🙂 (just kidding, it’s on the house!)