Making African Fanta: the bright orange soft drink that's even tastier than regular Fanta
Everyone knows Fanta, but African Fanta? Nicolas Aquaa had to point that out to us. The chef at The Jollof Club loves it, not least because it is sweeter and brighter in color than the regular kind. It flies off the shelves at his restaurant, and we understand why: you have to taste this!
Warm summer days really are our favorite excuse to make fun drinks. Because let's be honest: when do you crave an ice-cold glass with a sweet filling more? This African Fanta is the thirst quencher that Nicolas Aquaa serves at The Jollof Club. This restaurant first toured as a pop-up, but will soon have a permanent location in Amsterdam.
In his eponymous cookbook, Nicolas shares recipes that are a mix of his experience in fine-dining restaurants and his mother's traditional West African recipes. Such as his signature jollof rice, ground nut soup, and suya.
Chef Nicolas Aquaa on this recipe
Nicolas: “Everyone who knows me knows that I love Fanta. But really love it. If I have to choose between a cold beer or Fanta? Fanta. And preferably the African version, which is even sweeter and a brighter orange than the variety we know here. Just before the deadline for this book, I decided I wanted to try making it myself.”
The trick is to make Oleo saccharum, a mixture of sugar and orange peel. Essentially, it only absorbs the orange from the peel, which is where the deepest flavor lies. It’s quite a job, but it’s worth it: at The Jollof Club, it immediately became the best-selling drink on the menu.
Recipe: Making African Fanta
- Scrub the oranges and grapefruits thoroughly and peel them thinly, without including too much of the white pith, as that is bitter. Save the peeled citrus fruits; we will squeeze them tomorrow.
- Mix the peels with the sugar in a preserving jar or sealable glass jar, close, and let stand overnight at room temperature so that the oils are released from the peels.
- The next day, squeeze the juice from the oranges and grapefruits and add the sugar-peel mixture. Add the citric acid and the vitamin C powder and blend everything in a blender for about 1.5 minutes, until the peels are mostly finely ground.
- Strain the mixture through a fine sieve or cheesecloth using a funnel into a spotlessly clean bottle. This is your syrup base. Stored in the refrigerator, it will keep for at least 1 month.
- Before serving, mix 50 milliliters of syrup base with 200 milliliters of sparkling water per glass and serve chilled with ice cubes.
What you need for this recipe:
The Jollof Club by Nicolas Aquaa is now for sale for 29.95 euros.