Celery Soda

Stir the sugar and water together in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until sugar is fully dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the celery seeds. Cover the pan and steep, off of the hot burner, for one hour.

After an hour, it is time to strain. Line a fine-mesh sieve or colander with dampened fine cheesecloth or coffee filters. Pour the syrup into the strainer. If you need to do this in stages, do so, but try not to overflow your cheesecloth or coffee filters as this will allow celery seeds into the syrup. That wouldn’t be a disaster, but it would add a possibly undesirable textural element to your syrup. Pour the syrup into a jar, fit on a tight lid and chill completely before use.

To mix a soda:

Pour 2 Tablespoons of chilled syrup into a tall glass with about 1/4 cup of chilled seltzer or soda water. Stir well to combine so that the syrup is fully integrated into the soda. Add ice to the glass and fill the rest of the glass with more chilled soda. Serve immediately. Ah!

Store unused syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to six months. That’s right! It lasts for six whole months!