Flat Fizz, Fresh Tricks: Turning Leftover Soda into Fruity Ice Cubes
Am I the only one who doesn’t enjoy flat lemonade?
It doesn’t take much. Someone forgets to screw the cap back on for a second, and that glorious fizz vanishes into thin air. For years, I grumbled every time it happened. It always felt like such a waste of perfectly good (and usually perfectly sugary) drink.
Until recently.
One afternoon, I had a nearly-flat bottle of lemonade and a few blueberries left behind by my ravenous teenage boys. Before they vanished entirely, I decided to pop them into ice cube trays with a splash of the remaining soda. I also had a handful of mini kiwifruit (the size of cherry tomatoes) that I’d been given to try. Into the trays they went too.
The result?
A tray of sweet, fizzy ice cubes that looked fancy, tasted refreshing, and made the most of ingredients that were on their way out.
As they melt, the fruit gently sinks to the bottom of your glass. A little surprise at the end.
Added to a glass of sparkling water on a hot summers day, these flavoured ice-cubes add:
- a hit of sweetness (from the flat lemonade, cola, or what ever flavoured soda you’ve used)
- a hit of fruit (and a hit of vitamins never hurts)
- a hit of glee (knowing that nothing has gone to waste)
More Ideas for Leftover Soda Ice Cubes
If you’ve got an open bottle of soda (or even just the last few sips), don’t pour it down the sink. Try one of these instead:
- Citrus Sparkle Cubes: Use flat lemonade or lemon-lime soda with a slice of lemon, lime, or orange. Great for adding flavour to water or iced tea.
- Berry Breeze Cubes: Add raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries to flat soda for a naturally sweet, colourful ice cube that jazzes up any glass.
- Mint & Ginger Cubes: Mix flat ginger ale with fresh mint leaves. Use in sparkling water or iced herbal teas.
- Coffee Cola Cubes: If you’ve got flat cola and a splash of leftover brewed coffee, try combining them for a bold ice cube twist. Works surprisingly well in iced coffee.
- Fruit Juice Fizz Cubes: Mix soda with a little leftover juice (for example apple, cranberry, or pineapple) and freeze with chopped fruit or edible flowers.
- Frozen Mocktail Bases: Mix soda with herbs, a touch of citrus, and freeze in large molds or silicone shapes. Pop one into a glass of water or soda water for an instant mocktail.
