Drinklage #7: Like the Soda-Jerks of Olde!

 Who said Drinklage had to only be about booze?  :D

 Lemon-lime soda.  It's one of the classic flavors to be sure, but like many things, it could always be better.  So many of the store-bought brands tend to be full of weird ingredients and have tons of calories; wouldn't it be nice to be able to make a lemon-lime soda that's not only decently healthy, but also has a flavor that'll knock any of the name-brand ones out of the water?  Well, it's far easier than you'd think!

Totally worth the extra effort.

 All you need to do is combine the juice of 1 lemon, 1 lime, about 2Tbsp of simple syrup (or 1Tbsp of sugar... but you can use more or less to taste), then toss some ice in the cup, top with Club Soda, and stir gently.  DONE!  Prepare to have your mind blown by the most delicious lemon-lime soda you've ever had, and... it's actually good for you too!

 Also, since the juice of citrus fruits pretty much universally work well in mixtures like this, you can apply this exact same process to oranges (AWESOME), tangerines (like a Tang soda!), grapefruit (pretty good, but could use extra sugar), blood oranges (also pretty good), Ugli Fruit (tastes like Ecto-Cooler and Sweet Tarts!), or my favorite...
... PUMMELO!  These massive chunks of awesome are pretty much the ancestor of all modern citrus, and have a flavor that takes the best attributes of all the different citruses (citri?) and combines them all into a single, awesome fruit.

Pummelos = the ultimate happy.

Okay, fine, I'll throw in a booze addendum...

 There are some liqueurs out there which are pretty much BEGGING to be turned into sodas.  I'm not talking about mixing them with other sodas for mixing / watering down... but actually using the liqueur itself as the flavor for the soda!  Any of these, used in a 1:1 ratio with Club Soda (and some ice) have enough flavor to rival even the best of sodas out there.  Plus, you can get drunk from them!  WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE?!

 Here are some liqueurs I've found to make particularly awesome sodas:

Now you have another use for all those things you only bought for shots or the one or two recipes their sweetness doesn't overpower.  You're welcome!

• Licor 43:  This one creates a result similar to cream soda, but so much better and more complex.
• Midori:  Makes a soda that's a dead-ringer for the melon flavor of Ramune, but with a slight kick.
• Blackmaker's Rootbeer Liqueur:  Remember the best rootbeer you've ever had?  Imagine that, but made 10x better.  Highly recommended.
• Campari:  Makes a delicious, if bitter, soda.  Can be mixed in equal parts with Gin and sweet Vermouth before adding Club Soda to equal the total booze to make a Negroni soda, which is AMAZING.
• Kahlua:  Coffee soda is pretty awesome.  Add in a splash of Creme de Cacao and prepare to have your mind blown by a flavor you never would've expected to be soda-able.
• Triple-Sec:  Like orange soda, but better.  A higher-quality Triple-Sec will definitely make a notable difference here.
• Dutch Harbor Breeze Grog:  Something I only recently discovered, this one has a flavor that's hard to pinpoint, but is like a really complex rootbeer.  Lots of layers to its flavor; highly recommended!
• Chambord:  This one is pretty interesting, as the raspberry presents an almost "warm" flavor in spite of the coldness of the beverage.  Can be balanced with a splash of something like Rumple Minze Berry.

 Of course, these are just suggestions.  Feel free to experiment on your own!

 Cheers!