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Learn how to make gazoz, Israel’s version of homemade soda, using Torani syrups, seasonal fresh fruit, herbs and sparkling water.
Think summer is hot where you live? You know where it is really hot? Israel. Check the weather forecast for Eilat, Israel’s southernmost city. It’s supposed to be over 100 degrees every day this week. Now that’s hot. Needless to say, over the years, Israelis have developed many strategies for beating the heat: from doing outdoor work early, or late, in the day and resting during the midday heat to growing sweet, refreshing watermelon — lots and lots of watermelon.
Israelis have even invented their own super-refreshing, fizzy summer drink: gazoz. Gazoz is simply a mix of fruit, a sweet, flavored syrup, and carbonated water. Dating back to the country’s earliest days, gazoz was a homemade treat in an era when commercial, bottled sodas were a rarity.
Earlier versions of gazoz featured sickly sweet, artifically flavored syrups in a range of shocking hues. Today, however, mixologists in cities like Tel Aviv, which has an exciting and dynamic food scene, craft gazoz from small-batch syrups, fresh and fermented fruit, and herbs to create aromatic and refreshing drinks that reflect the changing seasons. The most famous of these gazoz stands is Cafe Levinsky 41 in Tel Aviv’s Levinsky Market.
But you don’t need a flight to Tel Aviv to sample gazoz. This drink began as a homemade treat and is still easy to craft at home, particularly with at-home carbonated water machines — or bottled seltezer — and the wide variety of Torani syrups available in stores. Torani syrups are made with real, simple ingredients like pure cane sugar and natural flavors, so they are in keeping with the trend toward artisanal gazoz.
One of Torani’s best-known syrups is Vanilla — source of so many homemade vanilla lattes — and this flavor is ideal for adding sweetness when you want the flavor of the fruit and herbs to shine. But with the huge variety of Torani syrups — including flavors like raspberry, peach, mango and passion fruit — the possibilities for creating beautiful, intensely flavored gazoz are infinite. The only limitation is your imagination.
To get you started, I am posting my recipe for Peach-Blueberry Gazoz made with Torani Vanilla Syrup and garnished with fresh mint. But this is just a guideline. I encourage you to come up with your own combinations of Torani syrups, fruit and fresh herbs. Don’t limit yourself to mint either! Try basil, lavender, tarragon and even rosemary.
Gazoz make a fun and festive beverage for all your summer gatherings and, of course, they are entirely family-friendly. So take a page from our Israeli friends and beat the heat this summer with refreshing, seasonal gazoz that you craft at home. Cheers!
Ingredients
- 1 pint blueberries
- 2 peaches, sliced
- 1/2 cup Torani Vanilla Syrup
- 1 liter sparkling water, seltzer or club soda
- 4 stalks mint
Instructions
- Divide blueberries and peach slices equally among four tall glasses.
- Add 2 TB of Torani Vanilla Syrup to each glass.
- Muddle the fruit and syrup together.
- Fill each glass with ice cubes. Top with sparkling water and stir.
- Garnish each glass with a stalk of mint. Serve immediately.
