Italian soda

Strawberry Italian soda

An Italian soda is a soft drink made from carbonated water and simple syrup, usually flavored. Flavors can be fruity (such as Black Currant, Blackberry, Blood Orange, Blueberry, Cherry, Grape, Guava, Huckleberry, Kiwi, Lemon, Lime, Mandarin Orange, Mango, Passion Fruit, Peach, Pineapple, Pomegranate, Raspberry, Strawberry, and Watermelon), or modeled after the flavors of desserts, spices or other beverages (such as Amaretto, Chai, Chocolate, Cinnamon, Eggnog, English Toffee, Gingerbread, Pumpkin Pie, Root Beer, Tiramisu, and Vanilla).

In spite of its name, Italian sodas originated in the United States, not Italy. One claimant to the introduction and increased popularity of Italian sodas is Torani: Rinaldo and Ezilda Torre brought recipes for flavored syrups from Lucca, Italy and in 1925 introduced what become known as an Italian soda to the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California. The Italian American association with Italian sodas has been reinforced by various ready-made brands of Italian sodas, such as the 2005 creation of Romano's Italian Soda Company (named after the Italian American grandfather of the company's founder) and the 2007 introduction of "The Sopranos Old Fashioned Italian Sodas" which come in three flavors: Limoncello, Amaretto and Chianti.

An example of an alternative to Italian soda that is Italian in origin is a chinotto, a carbonated drink made from the juice of a native Italian citrus fruit called the myrtle-leaved orange or myrtifolia.