Tuesday, 5 August 2025

Citron syrup for Cedrata

Cedrata is a non-alcoholic Italian sparkling soft drink made from the citron fruit ("cedro" in Italian). It has a distinctive, intense fragrance and a sweet-and-sour citrus flavour.


Citron syrup for Cedrata

the pulp of 2 citrons
sugar
water

Weigh the pulp and add to it an equal amount of sugar. I had 1kg of pulp and I added 1 kg of sugar. Let sit overnight to macerate. The next day, pour it into a saucepan and add the equal amount of water (for example, my pulp weighed 1kg, I added 1kg of sugar and 1l of water). One simply reduces or increases the amounts accordingly. The weight of the pulp is the guide.

The pulp macerating in the sugar

Bring to the boil and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely and then strain, squeezing the pulp to get more out of it, into a bottle or a jar. Discard the leftover pulp.

To make cedrata, pour some citron syrup into a glass and top up with sparkling water to taste. Optional: Add ice or mint leaves.


Because the fruit will have a different flavour/bitterness depending on how mature it is, it is best to go by taste when you first prepare this drink. A good ratio is 1 part citron syrup to 2 parts sparkling water but one can adjust it to ones taste.

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