I've been drinking these all week.

Because they're just SO good.

And they're boyfriend approved!

That's right! This is the first recipe that I wrote, tested, and photographed all in our little upper east side apartment! It's so cute. So cute I'm swooning.

Swooning over the apartment and THE COLORS of those blood oranges. I basically can't even.

I'm obsessed with all things blood orange. I think it's mainly because they remind me of Florence. Blood orange juice is a big thing there. And also blood orange slices in your coke when you're getting late night burritos at Eby's! And guac! Eby's taught me that I love guac and blood oranges!

Take me backkkkk. or at least get me a kebab from Star Kebab!

Okay FINE, I'll settle for some fresh blood orange juice.

I actually feel bad. Let me tell you a story quick. On Sunday morning after I went to yoga, I knew I had a small window of opportunity to get this recipe done. The idiot that I am, though, didn't let Frankie sleep while I did this… I apparently needed to wake him up.

So I'm all “GET UPPPP, GET UPPP I'M BORED.” Like I do every morning. And he's miserable and hating me. Like he does every morning. I'm trying to bribe him with bagels and coffee because I think it'd be the absolute cutest thing ever if we have a Sunday tradition of “running out to get bagels.” Because I'm a psycho.

Eventually I give up and go into the kitchen and start cutting up the oranges. Naturally, my loving boyfriend gets up once I leave him alone. He comes into the kitchen and grabs some TROPICANA orange juice. And I'm all like “UM. HELLO. I'm making FRESH blood orange juice over here. If you just wait a minute.”

Thinking that my four oranges will give me more than enough for the recipe and him.

Stupid. I ended up giving him like maybe half a glass? Poor thing. and then WE DIDN'T EVEN GO GET BAGELS. I was like, “I don't really feel like going out now…um, do you want toast?” Epic Sunday morning fail.

Good news is that he didn't leave me and he tried the soda and kept saying “it's really good!”

As if he was shocked. How rude. [probably shocked he still has feeling in his mouth after the whole ancho/chile pepper debacle.]

We both decided we think the vanilla almost makes it taste like an ice cream float. Is that a thing if there's no ice cream? I don't know. But that's what it reminds me of. So it's sort of… indulgent. Indulgent without actually being bad.

But yeah. this is how I'm surviving since I gave up soda cold turkey in 2015. I've never been more obsessed with my soda stream. Obviously I don't use the syrups with it (since I'm defining soda as any carbonated drink that contains high fructose corn syrup or things that I can't pronounce), but I use it almost daily to make sparkling water.

If you don't have a soda stream don't sweat it! Just pick up a bottle of sparkling water and you're good to go!

I will say though, this method of making your own sparkling beverages can be a huge money saver. I'm OBSESSED with La Croix but it's soooo expensive. I love just doing it at home and saving the money.

Blood Orange Vanilla Soda

Author: Ashley Renee

Scale

Ingredients

For the soda mix

1/2 cup blood orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the soda

1 tablespoon soda mix
1 cup sparkling water
ice

Instructions

If you're using freshly squeezed blood orange juice [which you totally should], juice the fruit by hand or using a juicer and measure out 1/2 cup.
Mix the vanilla extract into the blood orange juice.
Pour a tablespoon of the blood orange vanilla mix in a glass over ice. Add a cup of sparkling water, stir, and enjoy.

Notes

The recipe makes enough soda mix for 8 glasses of soda. Mix can be stored [separately from the sparkling water] in a refrigerator for up to 3 days and used as desired.