homemade Orangina

In Southern California citrus is available all year round but it’s especially delicious this time of year. Juicy and sweet, you just can’t beat oranges that are fresh from the tree.

My kids love Orangina, the carbonated citrus beverage that used to come from France. I used to drink it when I lived in Italy, but nowadays I think it’s been taken over by an American corporation and I have to say it doesn’t quite taste the same.

We were gifted a ton of oranges picked fresh so I told the kids that I was pretty sure I could recreate Orangina at home. As luck would have it my version came out pretty close and the kids loved it!

ingredients:
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1-1/2 cups fresh squeezed orange juice
juice of half a lemon
1-1/2 cups cold water

tonic water

First you’re going to make a simple syrup which will sweeten the juice evenly. In a saucepan boil the sugar and water until the sugar dissolves and is clear. Let cool slightly.

In a closeable juice container combine the orange juice, lemon juice and cold water. Add the cooled simple syrup to combine and shake well.

To serve, use a 1 to 1 ratio of tonic water to juice. So in a cup add 8 ounces of tonic water to 8 ounces of juice, stir and serve!