Bar Experts Share The 14 Best Ways To Pair Sodas And Summery Cocktails

Summer is the season for cocktails. It's the time of year to throw on your flip flops, lounge out by the deck, and sip something cold and refreshing. Leave your hoity toity old fashioneds and Manhattans in the kitchen and opt for something with juicy, fruity notes that invigorate the palate and cool your body off on the hottest of summer days. The key to crafting the perfect summer cocktail, once you've selected your booze, is to select something that will give it effervescence and brightness without distracting from the alcohol at hand. And the best vector for bubbles, as well as a slight bit of sweetness, is none other than soda. 

But you can't just open up your mini-fridge and grab whatever pop you have laying around. You have to deliberately select a bubbly beverage with compatible flavors that will elevate your cocktail, rather than distract from it. We've enlisted the help of numerous experts to help recommend some divine soda and cocktail pairings, including Stuart Yurczyk, founder of the Mixly Cocktail Company, and the bar team at the Oak & Violet Restaurant at the Park James Hotel.

Soda's sweetness is both a blessing and a curse, especially when it comes to pairing it with cocktails. Sometimes, you don't want that cloying sweetness from the pop, but you want just a little bit of bubble to help elevate your favorite cocktail recipe. This is where sparkling water can lend a hand as a soda alternative.

"Take the time to research a quality sparkling water that will make your drink shine," recommends Yurczyk. One of his favorite summer beverages is a highball made with Japanese whisky and soda water; he shares that the carbonated addition "helps bring out the subtle flavors in the whisky." Yurczyk also says that you could use soda water for a ranch water cocktail, but he prefers to use a mineral water like Topo Chico for concocting his. "[Mineral water] has more aggressive bubbles and some natural minerals that add to the flavor of the drink," he explains.

Yurczyk notes that soda water can also be a helpful addition to drinks made with bitter liqueurs, like Aperol and Campari, including the classic spritz. "In this case, the soda water works to only slightly dilute the drink without compromising any of the effervescence from the prosecco," he explains. Soda water is far from sweet, but it will still help balance out some of your other summertime cocktail favorites. 

Wine, especially red varieties, can be a little bit too heavy of a drink to enjoy on a hot summer day. If you want to make this beverage just a little less intense, you can always whip up a Spanish kalimotxo (also called a "calimocho") to cool you off. The traditional beverage preparation is made with red wine and Coca-Cola, mixed in equal proportions and stirred with ice. But you can always use this is as a basic recipe template and add your own modifications from there. For example, you can make a tinto de verando by swapping out the cola for lemon-lime soda, or use orange soda instead. Or, stick with the cola and find a flavor variant that meshes well with your choice of red wine, such as a cherry cola or a vanilla cherry variety. 

This carbonated addition will make your wine a little easier to drink, and it will inevitably shift the balance from something heavy and tannin-forward to something a bit more refreshing. The best type of wine to use for this beverage is a cheap red; you don't want to dilute your $200 bottle of cabernet sauvignon with gas station soda. 

Daiquiris are among the more versatile summery beverages. The basic three components of this drink are rum, citrus juice, and sugar. So it's easy to see all of the potential upgrades you can make to this light, yet still boozy refreshment. For example, you can make a frozen strawberry daiquiri cocktail to sip poolside. Adding a splash of strawberry soda, like Fanta, would be an excellent way to harness more strawberry flavor in this drink and complement the spicy notes of the rum. You can also tweak this recipe based on whatever soda you have available and whichever fruit you plan on adding to your bevy. Orange soda would be a tasty, effervescent fit for an orange daiquiri, or you might even consider reaching for some guava soda to give your beverage a more tropical twist. 

Although the rum is a traditional part of a daiquiri, you can always substitute it for an ABV-free beverage. In this case, you'll want to swap out the rum in your recipe with a bit of lemon-lime soda. The sweetness of the soda will play well against the sharpness of the lemon or lime juice in the drink. 

The sun is shining, your pitcher of sangria is covered in a layer of condensation, and life is good. But it can always be better. Sangria is a classic summery cocktail combination of fruits, like apples and oranges, dry wine, brandy or rum, and a bit of orange juice for kick. The inclusion of the dry wine means that this cocktail tends to make you parched more than refreshed. The next time you make a sangria for your summer get-together, consider adding a splash of soda to the party. 

The folks at Park James Hotel's Oak & Violet Restaurant recommend adding lemon-lime soda to the sangria, and substituting the brandy or rum for Midori, a type of melon liqueur. "Red wine and Midori complement each other in a refreshing way with the sweetness of Midori balancing the acidity or dryness of the red wine," the team explains. They prefer to make their recipe with chopped apple and recommend using about half as much lemon-lime soda, like Sprite, as red wine. 

Shandies are delicious, juicy summer cocktails that are great for people who will only drink beer with a lemon wedge submerged in it. Traditionally, a shandy is made with equal parts light wheat beer and lemonade. But there are so many variations you can make on your summer shandy, including swapping out the classic lemonade for something a bit more bubbly. For one, try substituting the lemonade with a lemon-lime soda. Granted, you won't get the same tartness and citrus-forward flavor as if you used a lemon soda. A Sicilian lemon soda would channel the bright, citrusy notes and elevate your favorite IPA. You could also use a sour beer for this drink; the flavor would be mellowed out by the sugary, juiciness of the soda. And once you have your lemon soda on hand, consider saving the rest of the bottle and mixing it with whiskey for another effortlessly refreshing cocktail. 

You can also make a twist on a shandy by substituting out the lemon component with something else in the citrusy soda family. An orange soda paired with a Hazy IPA would help round out the profile a little more, while adding some grapefruit soda to the mix would transform this bevy into a German Radler. 

The upgraded, spicy, and mature flavor of the ginger beer opens up a ton of opportunities to experiment with boozy additions. One great one that Yurczyk points out is bourbon. "Ginger beer has a stronger ginger flavor, whereas ginger ale is mild and light; for this reason, ginger ale makes a great base for a drink, whereas only a splash of ginger beer is needed in most cocktails," he explains. He uses the soda in his Moscow mules, and recommends adding a shot of vodka, crushed ice (which he claims "keeps your cocktail ice cold"), lime juice, a generous splash of ginger beer, and interestingly enough, a pear-infused mixer. "Pear and ginger are a match made in heaven, and this unique variation on a Moscow mule will impress your friends and family," Yurczyk notes. 

When it comes to light ginger ale, which is on the sweeter end of the spectrum, Yurczyk sticks to using it for a whiskey ginger, and recommends sticking to a decent bourbon and a shot of apple cider for extra fun. The subtle ginger and the apples are a great pairing, especially when enveloped in the oaky notes of the bourbon. 

Grapefruit soda is one bubbly beverage that you may have to do some digging for. But Yurczyk shares that it's really worth it. "Grapefruit soda has the perfect balance of sweet and bitter, which makes it excellent for mixing up mouthwatering cocktails," he shares. One of his favorite cocktails to make with this soda is the paloma, with tequila, grapefruit soda, and fresh lime juice. "Light, refreshing, sweet, and slightly bitter are the best ways to describe this drink — it's like summer in a glass," Yurczyk says. If you like heat, he recommends turning things up with a jalapeño mixer — or, you can always slice up some chilis straight off the plant and use them as a garnish for your beverage. 

Yurczyk also shares some of his favorite brands of grapefruit sodas that are worth adding to your cart. He recommends Fever Tree's pink grapefruit soda, San Pellegrino Pompelmo, as well as Pink Ting, which is made in Jamaica. 

Move over sangria, there's another beverage that may be taking the spot as the top summertime offering: the margarita. Whether you like it frozen or on the rocks, there's clearly no mistaking how refreshing one of these bad boys can be on a sweltering summer day. But to make it even more bubbly and light, you may consider cracking open a can of 7Up. 

Not only does this soda make for a sweeter margarita, but it also helps add a little bubbly effervescence to your beverage. Along with the lime juice, tequila, and triple sec, pour in a splash of lemon-lime soda. The flavor of this bubbly is quite soft and not in-your-face citrus, which makes drinking it pleasurable and relatively easy to tweak based on other flavor variations of the classic margarita. Stick to using about a ½ cup of soda for every 2 ounces of tequila. Just add a salted rim and a lime wedge, and you'll have a beverage that you can't say "no" to.  

Now here's a question: drink or dessert? When you order a float, you don't even have to decide between the two. Yurczyk notes that the cinnamon and the sassafras in the root beer play well off the vanilla notes in the ice cream. To further play on these flavors, he recommends adding a shot of bourbon, rum, or vanilla vodka to the party for the adults. Just don't forget the frosted pint glass! 

You could also use cola for your floats, but Yurczyk has an even more inventive use for the classic can of Coke. He likes to garnish his whiskey Cokes with a lime wedge on the rim. Or, he tries a Cuba Libre, which amps up the citrusy notes of the lime thanks to a splash of lime juice. The lime is really a fantastic element that transforms this beverage into a delectable, summer libation. You should also take our advice and use cane sugar cola to elevate this cocktail; it has a less artificial flavor than classic Coke, which is sweetened with high fructose corn syrup.  

Punch ... are you sure we're not back at our high school prom? Although this beverage may give off the impression that it's rather antiquated, the sheer number of ways that you can dress it up makes it a summertime-must. Once you have your sherbet, soda, and add-ins, you can really go wild. Yurczyk recounts fond childhood memories of Fizzy Lizzys — floats made with sherbet and Sprite — and shares some ways to step it up with boozy additions. 

Don't let that basic punch formula stifle your creativity for assembling your drinks. Yurczyk recommends trying an orange creamsicle float with orange soda and ice cream (or orange sherbet) topped with white rum or vodka. Or, as he suggests, take some inspiration from an Italian dessert cocktail called a Sgroppino; it's a mix of vodka, lemon sorbet, and prosecco. You can easily swap out the bubbly prosecco for a lemon lime soda instead, or channel more unique flavors with a raspberry or grapefruit soda. "This is a great cocktail to end your dinner parties with — your guests will be blown away!" Yurczyk shares. 

There are some nights where you may want a more mature cocktail, like one made with bourbon, rather than something that's solely fruity. And the good news is that there are tons of pop-filled options for bourbon and whiskey enthusiasts, including the opportunity to pair the dark, flavorful spirit with cream soda. It's the perfect mixer for bourbon lovers because the soda is quite vanilla-forward and rich, yet it has the bubbles and the effervescence to transform the spirit into a summer drink perfect for sipping porch-side. 

Another unexpected liquor you should pair with cream soda is spiced rum. The rum is filled with complementary notes, including cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, that will really mesh with the vanilla overtones of the cream soda. You can add this pairing to an ice cream float, or stick to just stirring in a little splash of cream soda into your rum right before you're about to serve it. As always, be sure to go heavy on the ice, since cream soda is best consumed cold. 

Watch out watermelon; cherries are undoubtedly the best fruit for savoring in the summertime. Although many folks opt for the jarred, sickeningly sweet maraschino cherries for plopping into their cocktail, there are numerous ways to still integrate familiar cherry overtones without reaching for the plasticky garnish. You'll want to add cherry cola, or cherry-flavored soda, to your favorite spirit and give it a quick stir before diving in. You can also further embellish your cocktail with cherries by muddling down the fresh, pitted fruit with some simple sugar or maple syrup to help extract the fruity notes. Then, stir it into your cocktail for a more subtle, less cloying stone fruit flavor.

Bourbon and cherry soda make as equally as good of a pairing as rum and cherries. This is also a great way to incorporate cherry-essenced Dr. Pepper into your cocktail routine and to give your spirits complementary caramel notes. But don't worry, that unmistakable cherry flavor will still be at the forefront.

Mtn Dew is probably not a soda that you see at the grocery store and immediately think, "Oh yeah — I wonder how this will taste in my cocktail!" But some creative folks in Appalachia decided that Mtn Dew and bourbon would be a great pairing. In fact, this concoction traces back to the roots of the soda itself; the brothers who created it allegedly wanted it as a mixer for their cheap bourbon. This drink, now known as the Turkey Dew, has spread across the region and spawned other variations. But we think the classic pairing of citrus-forward soda and bourbon is one that is a little more revolutionary than it might seem. 

One swig of Mtn Dew will bring forward citrusy, juicy flavors, along with a strong sweetness that coats your throat all the way down. It's an excellent vector for bourbon because it's so neutral, but still has citrus undercurrents that will complement the vanilla notes of the bourbon. And it's one pairing that you might even want to try frozen. 

Moscow mules are a great summer beverage. But you have to admit that even they are overplayed sometimes. The better solution is to grab a more unconventional soda, like birch beer, for a novel rendition on this cocktail. Combine your sarsaparilla-forward soda with a bit of gin, stir in the lime juice, and you'll be all set for a refreshing, less gingery and spicy take on a mule. Birch beer is a really versatile soda. It doesn't have that same caramel heaviness as a root beer or even a cream soda. It's sharp, yet not peppery, which will bring some balance to the tangy acidity of the lime juice and the floral notes of the gin. 

In the later months of summer, right before the transition into fall, try getting yourself in the mood with a birch bliss cocktail. It combines a simple, vanilla and oak-forward bourbon with a hint of maple syrup, vanilla extract, and of course, birch beer. The birch soda has a mild flavor that doesn't overwhelm your palate with sweetness, but rather conveys the vanilla notes in the syrup and the extract quite well.