Is DIY Kumquat Soda Better Than Fanta?

Hi, Friends of Cocktails! Do you want something fizzy, citrusy, bright, and packed with flavor? Forget Fanta, it’s kumquat season! This is one of my favourite citrus fruits, so let’s make homemade kumquat soda–and stay tuned until the end to learn about an exciting announcement from partner of the channel, Liber & Co.!

As you might have noticed from all the different DIY sodas we’ve covered on Cocktail Time, I’m a big fan of sodas. I also love Kumquats, but seeing as they’re in season only for a short period of time I love finding ways of using this fully-edible citrus for a variety of ways.

Making kumquat syrup and soda is one of my favourites so far. I’ll also give you a cocktail recipe to use it in, but first, let’s make the syrup. To make it you’ll of course need the kumquats, water, and sugar, but I’ll also add some acids, to balance the flavor and prolong the shelf life, and turmeric powder for the vibrant color. It’s Cocktail Time!

Kumquat Syrup

● 65g Kumquat Peels

● 360g Water

● 360g Sugar

● 16 Citric Acid

● 2g Malic Acid

● 1.2g Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) 

● 0.5g Turmeric Powder (Optional)

First, wash the kumquats thoroughly, then cut them in half and scoop out the insides–this is easily done with a teaspoon. We're only using the peels this time, but you can simply eat the meaty part or even better, make a delicious jam with these leftovers.

Since kumquat peel is much less aromatic than with other citrus fruits we’ll need more of it, so add it to a blender and go in with the rest of the ingredients. Now just blend everything thoroughly for about 45 seconds, then strain it through a muslin cloth to get a smooth, flavorful syrup.

Since we’ve made plenty of soda syrups on Cocktail Time I’m happy to announce we added Soda Calculators here on kevinkos.com, to go with other cocktail calculators that all our Patrons have access to. That’s also where you can get brand new bottle labels for Kumquat Soda and Kumquat Syrup!

Also as a tip, if you want to make an even more flavorful syrup you can use tea instead of water, like we did in the DIY Fanta episode. Kumquat flavor pairs well with lavender, green or white peppercorns, chamomile, cardamom, sichuan pepper… really, the sky’s the limit when making these sodas.

With the syrup done you can already use it to make a kumquat sour cocktail or turn this into soda, then enjoy it on its own or in a long drink. Let’s do that now!

Kumquat Soda (200mL Bottles)

● 30mL · 1oz Kumquat Syrup

● 170mL · 5.66oz Soda Water

● 2 drops 20% Saline Solution

Into a 200mL soda bottle add the syrup and saline solution, then top them up with 170mL of highly carbonated water. After you’ve firmly sealed the bottles, give them a gentle turn, and store them in the fridge, for up to a month. Oh and don’t forget about our bottle labels, to make them stand out!

We made a refreshing soda that’s fizzy, fresh, rich, and unique, with a beautifully balanced sweet and tart citrus note—truly one-of-a-kind.  Kumquat is really a fascinating citrus fruit with endless possibilities, as we already proved with Kumquat Super Juice 2 years ago, so let’s test it out in a cocktail as well. 

Kumquat Pisco Collins

● 1.5oz · 45mL Pisco

● 0.75oz · 22.5mL Lemon Juice

● 0.5oz · 15mL Simple Syrup

● 60g Kumquat Soda

● 2 drops 20% Saline Solution

● Kumquat Garnish

Into a chilled shaker add pisco, lemon juice, and simple syrup, along with plenty of ice. Then shake hard to chill and dilute the cocktail, and double strain it into a chilled coupe. Next top the cocktail up with 60g of Kumquat Soda. Finally garnish the drink with a Kumquat placed on the rim, and enjoy!

With that we have made it to the end of this unique post, which leads me to 2 great announcements! First, we’re excited to welcome our brand new Wall of Fame members: Joshua Perry and Libertad Lazarte Gamarra de Casey, who goes by LibertadCusco, both became top tier Cocktail Time patrons, so their name is now a part of the giant clock on our set, helping us always keep it on Cocktail Time. Thank you for the support!

The next is that Liber & Co has something special coming up: Liberalia 2025! From March 17 to March 24, enjoy a 20% base discount, plus an extra 5% off when you buy 6 syrups, or 10% off for 12+ syrups–and you’ll want to grab a few. That’s because all of our US Friends of Cocktails can also sign up for the Liber Games!

The Liber Games is a cocktail competition that will have two winners: one for best cocktail and one for best non-alcoholic drink. The rules are simple: create a drink using a Liber & Co. syrup, submit your cocktail recipe and photo on social media with the hashtag #Liberalia2025 or send them an email at hello@liberandcompany.com.

Create your next winning concoction for your chance to win some amazing prizes, including a $200 Curiada gift card, premium bar gear, cocktail books, and more! Until next week, cheers, Friends of Cocktails!