Starting Out With Italian Soda

Italian sodas have become increasingly popular around the world with one in particular gaining national notoriety in the U.S. Italian-based Stappi has captured the hearts of food bloggers around the world for good reason. The flavor catalogue is full of variety and has been used both as a refreshing summer drink as well as a favorite alcoholic mixer.  This does beg to questions however, where Italian sodas come from. It may surprise you that Italy isn’t the answer. Despite its name, Italian soda originated in the United States.

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. Additionally, unlike American sodas, they typically do not contain any caffeine.

According to Le Cordon Bleu, Italian sodas are actually “scoffed at by most full-blooded Italians.” However, Italians do enjoy a similar beverage made with myrtifolia juice, a native-Italian citrus fruit.

We hope you’ve enjoyed Starting Out With Italian Soda! What’s your favorite flavor of this Italian-American treat? Join the conversation below!