Prepotente’s Hazelnut Italian Soda
Greetings food adventurers! We are in the World Dungeon today, visiting with our favorite screaming caprid Prepotente. (This is pronounced “preh-poh-TEN-tay” per the audiobooks). Certain sodas in the Dungeon give stat boosts – some to Intelligence, some to Dexterity, etc. Prepotente is a huge fan of them, as they go along with his buff/debuff strategies.
Italian sodas are not actually Italian at all – the name came from the Italian brand of flavored syrup that became popular for making them. When a splash of cream is added, it is called an Italian Cream Soda (which makes sense) or a French soda (which doesn’t). The recipe below can be adapted to any flavor of simple syrup you like. I happen to be obsessed with hazelnuts, and goats love hazelnuts, so I’m going with it.
Inspired by Matt Dinniman’s Dungeon Crawler Carl book series.
Prepotente’s Hazelnut Italian Soda
Ingredients
Hazelnut Syrup:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup raw hazelnuts unsalted (chopped or whole, either works)
Soda:
- 3 oz Hazelnut syrup (homemade or store-bought)
- â…› tsp almond extract (omit for other soda flavors)
- 5 oz club soda chilled
- 1 oz heavy cream or dairy-free milk alternative (optional)
Instructions
Make Hazelnut Syrup:
- Stirring occasionally, toast hazelnuts in a pan on medium heat for about 4 minutes or until aromatic.
- Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let hazelnuts steep in syrup for at least 1 hour.
- Strain the cooled syrup through a fine mesh sieve to remove the hazelnuts.
- Store syrup in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Make Soda:
- Put ice in glass.
- Pour syrup and soda into glass and stir gently.
- Top with cream. Stir gently again if desired.
