Make Your Own Fizzy Iced Green Tea and Sparkling Espresso Cocktail with the SodaStream

Brought to you by Nuffnang and SodaStream

How do you turn a humble glass of water into a refreshing and healthy drink or a fun and energising cocktail? With a SodaStream of course! I recently got to try out the new SodaStream Power, and within seconds I transformed a bottle of chilled tap water into sparkling water with the press of a button – it’s really that easy!

I almost never buy soft drinks these days as I find them expensive, wasteful (my recycling bin was often overflowing) and too sickly sweet for my taste buds. The thought of being able to make my own sparkling drinks at home sounded super appealing, and I already had a million recipe ideas racing through my head.

The SodaStream carbonating bottle is safe and reusable, meaning it can save both the environment and the average Aussie family over 2000 bottles and cans over the three year life span of the bottle. That’s impressive – think of all the money you can save too! Plus the gas cylinder the machine comes with will give you 60L of bubbles before it needs to be exchanged. To reduce cylinder landfill, SodaStream will refill all empty cylinders and offer a discounted exchange price.

And in addition to the SodaStream being great for the environment and your wallet, it turns out it’s good for you too. Why? If you get super busy during the day and completely forget to drink water, then I hope these recipes inspire you to drink up. A lot of people thing water is “boring” and I don’t disagree, so being able to make your own sparkling water from scratch with your own flavourings at the press of a button has motivated me to keep my liquid intake up!

It’s Summer here in Australia right now – the days are long and the nights are warm and I seem to have a constant internal battle with whether I should be heading to the gym or out for a cocktail with the girls. So I’ve created 2 recipes with the SodaStream around the themes of “Celebrate or Hydrate”? I wanted to take 2 flavours I drink every day and turn them into something new and delicious – so these 2 drinks were inspired by my daily green tea and coffee.

The first recipe I created is a twist on a drink I have been enjoying a lot over summer – iced green tea. Adding homemade sparkling water and infusing it with cucumber, lime and mint turned this standard iced tea into something very fancy indeed. Plus, it tastes seriously good and I honestly can’t stop drinking it – I think I have tripled my water intake already. And if you’re concerned about the caffeine intake, just brew your green tea for less time so you can fully control how strong the drink is – I made mine quite weak so it tasted more like green tea-infused water.

Fizzy Iced Green Tea
Makes: 2 – 4 glasses

• 1 cup boiling water, cooled slightly
• 2 green tea bags
• 2 limes, plus extra to garnish
• ¼ cucumber
• Fresh mint leaves
• 1 bottle of SodaStream sparkling water
• Ice

1. Bring the kettle to the boil and then allow the water to cool for 5 minutes. This is because it’s best to brew green tea at a lower temperature (80°C) to prevent bitterness. Once your water has reached the correct temperature, steep your green tea bags in 1 cup of water for 5-10 minutes, depending on how strong you want your tea.
2. Add the lime juice, cucumber slices and mint leaves to the tea mixture and transfer to the fridge to chill.
3. When ready to serve, place a small handful of ice into each glass, distribute the green tea between glasses and then top with your SodaStream sparkling water.
4. Garnish with cucumber or lime slices and some fresh mint and you’ve got a light, tasty and healthy drink to get you through the day!

And now for my “Celebrate” drink… well this was inspired by one of my favourite cocktails – the espresso martini. I took the cafe trend of adding sparkling water to espresso and made it a little naughty with the addition of booze to turn it into an energising cocktail to get you in the mood for a great night out.

I combined chilled espresso, coffee liqueur and vodka and topped my glass up with sparkling water and ice. You can add some simple syrup if you prefer your cocktail on the sweeter side, or even a dash of condensed milk for an indulgent alternative. But this cocktail in its original format was perfect for my tastebuds – the coffee flavour was strong but not overpowering, the liqueur added sweetness and the sparkling water made it light and refreshing.

Sparkling Espresso Cocktail
Makes: 1 cocktail

• 40ml espresso coffee, cooled
• 20ml coffee liqueur (I used Mr Black Cold Press Coffee Liqueur)
• 20ml vodka
• Ice
• SodaStream sparkling water
• Coffee beans, to decorate

1. Combine cooled coffee, liqueur and vodka in a tall glass and stir until combined.
2. Add in ice cubes and top with your SodaStream sparkling water.
3. Garnish with coffee beans.

Now that I have 2 very easy, very tasty drinks sorted for my weekend, I’ve been asked to flip a coin to decide whether I’m going to “Celebrate OR Hydrate”

…. And hydrate won!

That means I’m going to be enjoying my fizzy iced green tea today which I am totally ok with (and makes sticking to my New Year’s Resolutions that much easier…)

I poured my green tea drink into a BPA-free reusable drink bottle and took it to the gym with me – it provided the perfect post-workout pick me up and hydration that I needed after a hot and sweaty yoga class.

Win a SodaStream Power machine worth $249

Would you like to win your very own SodaStream Power machine? Tell me what kind of drink you would create with your SodaStream in the comments and the best answer will win. Good luck!

Giveaway terms and conditions: Giveaway is open to Australian residents only and entries close 5pm Monday 20th March 2017. The most original and creative comment will be chosen and the winner will be contacted via email.