OpenCola
A proper dish built around citric acid and caramel color — roughly 65 minutes start to finish, and rated medium to make. You'll find the full ingredient list (with a scaler to change the servings), 6 steps of method, substitutions, and ideas for what to serve alongside.
You'll mainly reach for saucepan and pan. At medium difficulty across 6 steps, it's manageable with a little attention.
What you'll need
Shopping list (2)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
Diet: not verified. We could not confirm caramel color from the ingredient list, so we make no dietary claim for this recipe.
Contains: none of the major allergens we track from the ingredients listed.
Allergen labels are informational and may not cover cross-contact; verify every package and consult a qualified professional for medical dietary needs. Diet labels are derived from the ingredient list on this page — how we verify diet and allergen labels.
Food-safety and allergen information is general, not medical advice. Follow current guidance from your local food-safety authority, verify product labels, and seek qualified advice for allergies or health conditions.
How to make it
- In a small bowl, combine all of the citrus and spice oils with the citric acid to make the flavoring concentrate, stirring well so the oils disperse evenly.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, stir the sugar into the 2 cups of water until fully dissolved, then bring to a gentle simmer to make a clear syrup.
- Remove the syrup from the heat, stir in the caramel color for the signature cola hue, and let it cool to room temperature.
- Whisk the flavoring concentrate thoroughly into the cooled syrup until well blended, then cover and refrigerate for several hours to let the flavors meld.
- To serve, fill four glasses with ice and add roughly 1/4 cup of the cola syrup to each glass.
- Top each glass with 1 cup of chilled carbonated water and stir gently to combine, adjusting the syrup-to-soda ratio to taste before serving.
You'll use: Saucepan · Pan · Blender · Whisk
Ingredient substitutions
- Lime
- lemon
- Lemon
- lime · 1 tbsp white wine vinegar per lemon
Tips & common questions
How long does OpenCola take to make?
About 65 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 6 steps and 13 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of lime?
Try lemon. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is OpenCola suitable for my diet?
We make no dietary claim for this recipe: at least one ingredient could not be resolved to a definite plant or animal source, so labelling it either way would be a guess. The full ingredient list is above.
Related recipes
Adapted recipe — rewritten in our own wording from an open-licensed community cookbook, not yet independently kitchen-tested by Consomee. How we source, test & correct recipes.
OpenCola is adapted by Consomee from the Wikibooks Cookbook, rewritten in our own wording and used under CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo: Opencola.jpg by Unukorno, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure — how we source recipes.