Dr. USA: Homemade Cherry Spice Soda
A sweet, fizzy cherry soda with hints of cinnamon, warm spices, citrus, almond, and vanilla.
RECIPESFIJI CRAFTUSA
7/5/20261 min read
For our Fourth of July journey to Texas, FijiCraft created Dr. USA, a homemade cherry-spice soda inspired by Dr Pepper’s Texas roots. We simmered canned cherries, including their juice, with fragrant spices and a few drops of extracts, then paired the finished syrup with cold club soda. It’s fruity, lightly spiced, and refreshing.
Ingredients
1 can (15–16 oz) sweet cherries, including all juice or syrup
½ cup water
1 cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves
2 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
⅛ tsp lemon extract
⅛ tsp orange extract
⅛ tsp almond extract (start with just 2–3 drops and adjust)
¼ tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup granulated sugar, optional, depending on the sweetness of the canned cherries
Chilled club soda, for serving
Ice
Instructions
Pour the entire can of cherries, including all its liquid, into a saucepan. Add ½ cup water.
Add the cinnamon stick, cloves, and lightly crushed cardamom pods.
Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Cook for approximately 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of water if the mixture reduces too much.
Remove from heat and stir in the lemon, orange, almond, and vanilla extracts. Start with only a few drops of almond extract, as it is especially strong.
Taste. If needed, stir in up to ¼ cup sugar while the mixture is still warm. Cherries packed in heavy syrup may not need any extra sugar.
Remove the whole spices. Press the cherries through a fine-mesh strainer to extract their juice.
Cool the syrup and refrigerate until chilled.
To serve, fill a glass with ice, add about 1–2 shots of cherry-spice syrup, and top with chilled club soda. Stir gently and adjust to taste.
About the Drink
Dr. USA is FijiCraft’s original cherry-spice soda inspired by the Texas origins of Dr Pepper. It isn’t a reproduction of Dr Pepper’s proprietary recipe, but our own take on a nostalgic American soda flavor.
Recipe note: The measurements are approximate, reconstructed from the original FijiCraft preparation.
