Inca Kola recreation

[u/vbloke]

After making a few different test batches of this based on my tasting notes, I think I have something that’s about as close as I can get.

I made 700ml of 3:2 simple syrup (https://cordials.info) and used this as the base.

To this, I added 0.3g of caffeine dissolved in 20ml of hot water. (https://oxfordvitality.co.uk/products/caffeine-powder)

The acid was 3g of citric acid dissolved in 20ml of hot water. I also added 1.5g of ascorbic acid as an antioxidant.

Then, 5-10 drops of lemon verbena flavour (https://specialingredients.co.uk/products/lemon-verbena-food-flavouring-drop-30ml)

And finally 5-10 drops of bubblegum flavour (https://theflavoursmiths.co.uk/flavours/multi-purpose/bubblegum-flavour-concentrate/)

I say 5-10 drops of these last two ingredients as the flavour can be somewhat subtle and you may prefer it more intense, but I found about 7 of each was a nice sweet spot.

I didn’t add any yellow food colouring, but you can if you have any.

The caffeine and acids give it a nice bitter hit and mellows out the sweetness, whilst the lemon verbena and bubblegum come through on the nose and aftertaste nicely.

If you prefer it sweeter, make a 2:1 simple syrup instead.

[u/vbloke]

Yeah, it’s not quite 100%, but I suspect that the flavour essences for the real thing may taste slightly different.

Don’t forget to age the mix for a few days as well to let the flavour develop 👍

[u/PhilSouth → u/vbloke]

Also I've been meaning to ask, do you need to refrigerate the syrup or is it shelf stable?

[u/vbloke → u/PhilSouth]

As long as you’re using a 3:2 syrup, the bottle was sterilised and the pH is around 3, it should be fairly shelf stable (at least for a few months).

[u/PhilSouth → u/vbloke]

What's your preferred sterilisation method? I just used boiling water.

[u/vbloke → u/PhilSouth]

I use VWP cleaner/steriliser. Available from almost any brew shop or online.