A refreshing homemade summer drink with sparkling water flavored with rose syrup popularly known as paneer soda. Check out how to make this popular aerated drink at home with a detailed video.
Before getting into the recipe, let me clarify the term paneer here. It’s not the Indian cottage cheese. Paneer means rose-flavored water. It also refers to one of the rose varieties called “panner/paneer”. I think that’s how the name came about. So the rose-flavored soda is popularly known as paneer soda in Tamil.
Paneer soda and goli soda (mild lemon-flavored soda) are popular aerated drinks back in my native, and I am sure pretty much that’s the case in all places in my state. These were the humble drinks popular among the people before the giant aerated companies took over the market.
Growing up, I have seen these two sodas and nannari sarbath in all the nook and corner street shops, and I still remember the goli soda bottle shape and the marble inside it. I will share those details in another post. Among these, my favorite one is paneer soda and nannari sarbath. While nannari sarbath is a regular fare, paneer soda is a once in a while treat as its slightly carbonated.
When compared to the present day aerated drinks, I would say paneer is far better, and it’s good to see these drinks back in the market. During my 2017 and 2019 India trip, I was so happy to relish these drinks again!
Now paneer soda recipe is not something new. You can find quite a few recipes on the internet. Now you might all wonder, why my paneer soda is not white/transparent and golden in color. Because along with sugar, I added palm candy. It’s optional, but as we are slowly shifting to coconut sugar, I thought of including it for my soda as well.
The recipe is very straightforward. We need to make the rose syrup the base of the paneer soda and mix it with sparkling water or club soda. So now, let’s talk about the main ingredients, rose essence, and the sparkling water.
Rose Water or Rose Essence-
You can add either one. If you are using rose water, I would recommend 3 to 4 tbsp for this measure. The amount we add might vary depending upon the brand and the quality of the rose essence and water. Of course, your personal flavor preference comes into the picture as well.
For this recipe, I used the rose essence.
Rose Essence measure –
If the flavor of rose essence is dominant, ⅓ to ½ tsp would be sufficient. Also, keep in mind that, as you store rose syrup for a longer time, the rose essence’s flavor will decrease. So when I made the soda with fresh rose syrup, the taste was strong, but that was not the case after a week.
So I recommend 1 tsp of rose essence if you are planning to store it for a long time. When you make soda with fresh syrup, use 2 tsps of rose syrup or go with 1 tbsp of rose syrup as mentioned in the recipe but add more sparkling water.
You can easily adjust the measure as per your liking. By the way, you can find both rose water and rose essence in Indian groceries and on amazon online. I used the viola brand, which is available on amazon.
Sparkling Water or Club Soda-
In simple words, club soda is artificially carbonated water, whereas sparkling mineral water is naturally carbonated from a spring or well. There is a slight difference in taste, but you can use either one. But make sure you are using the plain unflavored ones for this recipe. You can read more about the difference in the Healthline website.
I went with sparkling water for this recipe.
Servings-
With this below measure, you can make 6 to 8 glasses of paneer soda. I have given minimal servings. The number of servings might vary depending upon the amount of rose syrup and sparkling water you add.
Now that I have shared all the information let’s get straight into the recipe.
Watch me make the paneer soda-
Paneer Soda Recipe Instructions-
Prepare the rose syrup-
- In a saucepan, add the water and also the sugar and palm candy. Mix well. Let it simmer over medium heat. When the mixture starts to boil, turn off the heat and let the mixture cool completely. Make sure the sugar is well combined and dissolved.
- Once it is cooled, add the rose essence and mix. That’s it; the rose syrup is ready. You can store it in an air-tight container and refrigerate.
Make the paneer soda-
- In a serving glass, add 1 tbsp of the prepared rose syrup. Add sparkling water as required and serve right away.
Recipe Notes-
- You can either add sugar or palm candy when making the rose syrup. Coconut sugar or any other sweeteners of your choice will work as well and as always adjust it according to your taste.
- Based on availability, you can use either rosewater or essence. Adjust the amount as per your preference.
- I did not add any ice cubes as my sparkling water was cold. But you can use ice cubes too. Cold soda tastes excellent, so always serve it cold/chilled.
- And instead of sparkling water, you can use club soda as well. Make sure to use plain ones or the unflavored ones.
Other Summer Special Beverages-
- Watermelon Ginger Juice
- Rose Sharbat
- Indian Lemonade
- Sweet and Spicy Limeade | Kulukki Sarbath
- Iced Fusion Tea
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📖 Recipe
Paneer Soda | Homemade Rose-Flavored Soda
Equipment
- saucepan
Ingredients
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup palm candy/sugar
- 1 tsp rose essence refer notes
- 6 cups sparkling water or more as needed
Instructions
Prepare the rose syrup-
- In a saucepan, add the water and also the sugar and palm candy. Mix well. Let it simmer over medium heat. When the mixture starts to boil, turn off the heat and let the mixture cool completely. Make sure the sugar is well combined and dissolved.
- Once it is cooled, add the rose essence and mix. That's it; the rose syrup is ready. You can store it in an air-tight container and refrigerate.
Make the paneer soda-
- In a serving glass, add 1 tbsp of the prepared rose syrup. Add sparkling water as required and serve right away.
Video
Notes
- You can either add sugar or palm candy when making the rose syrup. Coconut sugar or any other sweeteners of your choice will work as well and as always adjust it according to your taste.
- Based on availability, you can use either rosewater or essence. Adjust the amount as per your preference.
- I did not add any ice cubes as my sparkling water was cold. But you can use ice cubes too. Cold soda tastes excellent, so always serve it cold/chilled.
- And instead of sparkling water, you can use club soda as well. Make sure to use plain ones or the unflavored ones.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
Refreshing childhood favorite drink.. Beautiful video too Vidya
Thank you Anu.