The Poolside Soda Bar
Golden hour, linen, and a very good ice machine
A long table under a striped umbrella, a bucket of nugget ice and six syrups lined up like perfume bottles. Guests build their own while the sun goes down. It's the easiest party you'll ever throw and the one people talk about all summer.
The menu.
The Original
Dr Pepper, coconut, lime and cream. Where it all began.
Dr Pepper · Classic · Creamy
Peaches & Cream
White peach, sparkling lemon-lime and vanilla cream.
Lemon-Lime · Fruity · Creamy
Pink Lemonade Cloud
Raspberry lemonade under a vanilla cold-foam cloud.
Lemon-Lime · Fruity · Creamy
Tropical Sunset
Passion fruit and pineapple with a grenadine sunset.
Lemon-Lime · Tropical · Fruity
Coconut Lagoon
Pale aqua, coconut cream and lemon.
Lemon-Lime · Tropical · Creamy
Dirty Diet
All of the attitude, a fraction of the sugar.
Cola · Classic · Skinny
Set it up
- 1
Cover a long table in natural linen and anchor it under a market umbrella.
- 2
Set the ice bucket at the start of the line, syrups in the middle, cream and garnish at the end.
- 3
Write the menu on an acrylic sign with suggested builds, plus a blank line for house creations.
- 4
Keep cans in a beverage tub filled with ice so they stay at peak fizz.
- 5
Pre-cut limes into wheels and wedges; keep them chilled under a damp linen.
Timeline
Two days before
Order syrups, glassware and garnishes. Confirm your ice plan.
The night before
Run the ice maker overnight and bag extra in the freezer. Chill all cans.
Two hours before
Dress the table, set out glassware and fill the pumps.
Thirty minutes before
Cut citrus, whip cream and fill the ice bucket.
Guests arrive
Make the first round yourself so people see how it works.
The calculator
How much do I need?
- Drinks
- 40
- Nugget ice
- 36lb
- 12 oz cans
- 44
- Syrup bottles
- 6
- Cream
- 2qt
- Limes
- 10
Assumes 24 oz drinks, about an ounce of syrup each, and a fresh round every couple of hours. Nugget ice melts fast outdoors, so round up.
Shopping list
0/21 sorted- GE Profile Opal 2.0 Ultra Nugget Ice MakerAmazon ↗
- Ceramic Ice Bucket with ScoopAmazon ↗
- Fonte Gold Syrup Pumps, Set of 4Amazon ↗
- Ribbed Highball Glasses, Set of 4Amazon ↗
- Twine Hammered Beverage TubAmazon ↗
- Zulay Handheld Milk FrotherAmazon ↗
- Business & Pleasure Co. White Fringe Market UmbrellaAmazon ↗
- Solino Home Natural Linen Tablecloth, 60×120Amazon ↗
- Solino Home Linen Cocktail NapkinsAmazon ↗
- Hummingbird Glass Wide Glass StrawsAmazon ↗
- Acrylic Tabletop SignAmazon ↗
- Libbey Glass Bud Vases, Set of 6Amazon ↗
- Torani Coconut Syrup, 4-PackAmazon ↗
- Monin Peach SyrupAmazon ↗
- Torani Vanilla Syrup, 4-PackAmazon ↗
- Torani Raspberry Syrup, 4-PackAmazon ↗
- Monin Passion Fruit SyrupAmazon ↗
- Monin Pineapple SyrupAmazon ↗
- Liber & Co. Real GrenadineAmazon ↗
- Monin Blue Curaçao Syrup (Non-Alcoholic)Amazon ↗
- Torani Sugar Free Coconut SyrupAmazon ↗
The gear.
GE Profile
Opal 2.0 Ultra Nugget Ice Maker
The countertop machine behind every great home soda bar. Soft, chewable nugget ice on demand, and it looks good on the counter.
Ceramic Ice Bucket with Scoop
Keeps nugget ice frozen on the table. Beautiful enough to leave out.
Fonte
Gold Syrup Pumps, Set of 4
Consistent pumps that fit Torani’s 750 ml plastic bottles. No sticky counters.
Ribbed Highball Glasses, Set of 4
Slim, fluted and catching the light just so. Our everyday glass.
Zulay
Handheld Milk Frother
Thick, glossy cold foam in twenty seconds. The cheapest way to upgrade a drink.
Set the table.
Business & Pleasure Co.
White Fringe Market Umbrella
Fringed, breezy and very Palm Springs. It makes any patio feel like a resort.
Solino Home
Natural Linen Tablecloth, 60×120
Relaxed, wrinkled and elegant. The backdrop for every soda bar.
