I adore fizzy drinks. A sparkling beverage can lift my mood instantly; it’s hard to stay cranky with bubbles in hand. My children share that love for sparkling water, and we’re big fans of our SodaStream Play Machine.

We used an older SodaStream for nearly seven years with daily use, and I didn’t plan to replace it until I saw the new Play Machine. The updated design and the option to customize skins through SodaStream’s SkinIt program made the new model irresistible. The sleeker look fit perfectly in our kitchen.

One of the best features of the SodaStream Play is control: you decide how fizzy your water will be. We tend to over-carbonate because we like aggressive bubbles that tickle, while a friend prefers barely a fizz—when she visits, we dial the carbonation way down.

Plain sparkling water gets the most use in our house, but sometimes we like to dress it up. A favourite trick is to toss a handful of frozen blueberries, strawberries, cherries, or peach slices into a pint jar and pour sparkling water over them. The fruit infuses a gentle flavour, keeps the drink cold without diluting it, and doubles as a snack after the drink is finished. This is a great way to hydrate kids recovering from illness while adding nutritious calories.

When a sweeter fizzy treat is wanted, making homemade soda is quick, customizable, and can be healthier than store-bought options. My kids’ go-to is what they call “Healthy Soda”: fill a glass with ice, add unsweetened fruit juice (apple, grape, cranberry, etc.) about a third of the way up, then top with sparkling water from our Play Machine. A gentle stir with a chopstick or butter knife blends it perfectly and the result is refreshingly fizzy without excessive sugar.

We also experiment with homemade syrups and mixers. One of our all-time favourites is a versatile Mega Vanilla Syrup that transforms sparkling water into a rich, homemade cream soda. The syrup is also wonderful drizzled on ice cream, stirred into coffee, or used in baked goods like crisps and cobblers.

Mega Vanilla Syrup and Homemade Cream Soda

Rebecca Lindamood

Ingredients

For the Mega Vanilla Syrup:

2 vanilla beans split in half lengthwise
1 cup raw sugar
1 cup water

For the Homemade Cream Soda:

ice
2 to 4 tablespoons Mega Vanilla Syrup
fresh cold sparkling water from your SodaStream

Instructions

To Make the Mega Vanilla Syrup:

Combine the vanilla beans, raw sugar, and water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat over medium-high, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a gentle boil, then turn off the heat, cover, and let cool to room temperature. Once cool, transfer the syrup and vanilla beans to a clean jar, seal tightly, and store in the refrigerator for up to one month.

To Make Homemade Cream Soda:

Fill a glass with ice and add about 2 tablespoons of Mega Vanilla Syrup. Top with cold sparkling water, stir gently with a chopstick or butter knife, and taste. Add more syrup in small increments if you prefer a sweeter drink.

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. Calculate nutrition using your actual ingredients and preferred calculator.

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Make Your Own Soda

Ginger Stomach Soother: A warming ginger syrup that soothes an upset stomach and tastes wonderful on its own. It’s simple to make with just water, fresh ginger root, and sugar. We enjoy it as a homemade ginger ale and sometimes use it in place of ginger beer in a Moscow Mule.

Homemade Calorie-Free Hibiscus Lime Syrup: This bright, citrusy syrup is sweetened with stevia to keep it low-calorie. The hibiscus and lime add a punch of Vitamin C, making it a feel-good option for kids compared with commercial diet sodas.

Homemade Root Beer Syrup: We keep this syrup in the fridge almost all the time. Made from botanicals, herbs, roots, and barks, it delivers an authentic old-fashioned root beer flavor—different from commercial versions but deeply satisfying.

Blueberry Syrup: While perfect on pancakes and waffles, our favourite use is blueberry soda: ice, a splash of blueberry syrup, and sparkling water make an impressive, simple drink.

Boiled Cider (Apple Molasses): Cider reduced to a concentrated, shelf-stable syrup. It’s fantastic in baking or drizzled over ice cream, but my favourite use is stirred into cold sparkling water for an intensely autumnal Apple Cider Soda.

Celery Soda: This light, herbal beverage is a classic deli pairing. It’s crisp and refreshing alongside rich, cheese-filled sandwiches like Reubens, patty melts, and pastrami on rye.

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by SodaStream. All recipes and opinions are the author’s own. Sponsored partnerships help support Foodie with Family.