Sima Recipe – Easy Finnish Homemade Soda

When I was a child, I used to love it when my mom made traditional Finnish recipes for the family.

And one of my favourites in the summertime was this Sima recipe, an easy Finnish homemade soda made with lemons, sugar and hops.

So, when I stumbled on my Sima recipe in my beloved handwritten cookbook of family recipes, I decided it was time to introduce my boys to the homemade soda that I’d loved when I was their age.

Sima is quite easy to make. Simply boil the ingredients, let them cool to room temperature and then add a pinch of yeast.

About a day later, the soda is ready to be put into bottles.

Like all homemade soda pop, Sima is very, very slightly alcoholic. The yeast converts sugar to alcohol and carbon dioxide, which is what gives the drink its carbonation.

But don’t worry, the alcohol content is incredibly miniscule (less than 1%).

Any variety of dried hops will work for making Sima, but make sure to use whole dried hops and not the compressed hops tablets that are often used in beermaking.

To bottle the Sima, I use 500ml plastic bottles with screw tops that I’d previously used when making beer.

I generally fill between 20-22 bottles, depending how much liquid the lemons absorb and how much sediment gathers at the bottom of the pot.

To know when Sima is ready to move into the fridge, a few raisins are dropped into each bottle. When they float to the top, the lemony homemade soda is properly carbonated and ready to drink.

And the raisins are a tasty treat after, since they’re so juicy!

To my delight, both my boys loved their first taste of Finnish soda, and I was so happy that I decided to give them a taste of this childhood treat.

Neither liked the raisins as much as my siblings and I had as children, though!

If you want to try a unique and refreshing summertime beverage, give Sima a try and see what you think!