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Small Hotels with Heart: Personally run accommodations that feel like home

Small Hotels with Heart: Personally run accommodations that feel like home

If you travel often, then you are familiar with the pleasant luxury of large, professionally run hotels—spacious lobbies, room service, and efficient anonymity. Do you sometimes long for a place where people greet you by name? A place where the same friendly host family welcomes…

More Sustainably furnished: Hotels with handmade wooden furniture

More Sustainably furnished: Hotels with handmade wooden furniture

Do you enjoy soft travel and have a passion for design and wooden furniture? Then you’re just like me! Before I moved to the Middle East, two of my favorite pieces of furniture were a beautiful 19th-century wooden cabinet and a desk that was once…

Watching wild animals on vacation requires respect and patience

Watching wild animals on vacation requires respect and patience

It’s a wonderful experience to observe animals in their natural environment. Imagine seeing a deer at dawn or a buzzard gliding over the fields. Now, imagine seeing wild animals on vacation that you’ve only ever seen at the zoo. A rhinoceros is right in front of you. You know it’s one of the most endangered species in the world. Are you out of place as a tourist there? (more…)

Culinary Journey through Lower Saxony – Discover the cuisine of Northern Germany

Culinary Journey through Lower Saxony – Discover the cuisine of Northern Germany

“The cuisine in Lower Saxony is down-to-earth and delicious,” says Kristin Okelmann of the Eco-Hotel Okelmann’s in Warpe. Pleasure and cuisine are her passions. She has built up a large network of regional producers for her hotel and has been observing regional food trends for…

Sustainable Microcation: 6 ideas for your next getaway

Sustainable Microcation: 6 ideas for your next getaway

Short trips are easier to fit into your schedule than long vacations – and they tend to be cheaper, too. According to surveys and studies, Gen Z and Millennials in particular appreciate both. A microcation often focuses on exceptional experiences, such as a spa weekend…

 

So, what exactly is cream soda?

Cream soda mixed with vanilla ice cream by a soda jerk—historical photo
A soda jerk in Texas in 1920. IMAGE: Wikimedia Commons

Th drink originated in the United States. In the 1920s, soda bars were all the rage, and soda jerks would mix drinks fresh with soda water, milk, ice cream, or egg, depending on the customer’s preference.

Today, cream soda is usually a sweet, carbonated lemonade with vanilla flavoring (though it doesn’t contain milk or cream). In the U.S., it’s often golden brown, but in Japan, there are also pink and green varieties flavored with cotton candy or melon.

In German-speaking countries, cream soda is not a standard supermarket beverage. Instead, it is often only available as an imported product in U.S./U.K. or Asian sections. (Note: Mass-produced brands like A&W (U.S.) and Barr (U.K.) typically contain artificial flavors, colors, and corn syrup.

You’ll have the smallest ecological footprint if you use cream soda syrups that you carbonate or mix with sparkling water yourself.)

 

A glass of pink lemonade, garnished with a slice of lemon; in the background, other glasses containing similar drinks

Summer Smash Lemonade with Cream Soda and Berries

The SCHWARZWALD PANORAMA in Bad Herrenalb shared its recipe for this refreshing summer drink. A sophisticated flavor with berries, cream soda, and a pinch of salt and chili to finish it off!!
Course Drinks
Cuisine American
Servings 3

Ingredients
  

  • 200 g mixed berries e.g., raspberries, blueberries, strawberries
  • 100 ml lime juice freshly squeezed (about 2–3 limes)
  • 100 ml elderflower syrup  or agave syrup for natural sweetness
  • 150 ml mineral water fresh and bubbly
  • ice cubes
  • 2 tbsp mint leaves
  • lime slices for garnish
  • splash chili or ginger syrup for a little kick (optional)
  • sea salt

Instructions
 

  • Place the berries in a small bowl and mash them into a purée. Set a few whole berries aside for garnish.
  • Pour freshly squeezed lime juice into a glass or shaker and mix it well with either elderflower or agave syrup.
  • Hand-pluck the mint leaves and add them to the lime juice along with ice cubes. Then, shake or stir the mixture vigorously.
  • Fill the three serving glasses with the berry purée first, and then top them off with the lime-mint mixture.
  • Now, carefully stir in the sparkling mineral water and cream soda.
  • Here's an optional tip from the hotel bartender: "If you like it spicy, add a splash of chili or ginger syrup. It gives the lemonade a cool kick that perfectly balances the fruity sweetness."
  • Garnish & Serve: Garnish with fresh berries, lime slices, and mint leaves. Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt on top for an added kick that perfectly rounds out the flavor and enhances the fruitiness.
Keyword Mocktail