Steps:

• This homemade cola recipe will need you to combine orange zest, orange peel, lime zest, lemon zest, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander seed, citric acid, and gum arabic in a non-stick cooking saucepan.
• Bring them to a boil and whisk these ingredients together until the gum arabic disintegrates.
• Once the gum arabic dissolves, add in the sugar and bring to a boil for one minute or until the mixture has liquified.
• Remove from heat and blend in orange, lemon, and lime juices, along with the vanilla extract and browning sauce. If you don't have browning sauce available, you can use brown sugar with a little bit of water as an alternative.
• Let it cool for 30 minutes to one hour, and then strain the homemade coca cola syrup with a sieve or cheesecloth for a smoother consistency.
• For every 1 1/2 cups of carbonated water, add in 1/2 cup of homemade cola syrup. Stir the mixture until it's fully combined and blended. For best results, add ice and enjoy!

Steps:

• In a heavy pot over medium heat, bring 2 cups water to a simmer with the zests, cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise, lavender, ginger, vanilla and citric acid. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
• In a food processor, whirl the sugars together for one minute (this will help them dissolve), then transfer to a large bowl. If using caramel color, sprinkle it over the sugar.
• Line a sieve or colander with a double thickness of cheesecloth and place over the bowl. Pour the contents of the pot through the sieve. Carefully gather up the corners of the cheesecloth and twist the top to close. Use a spoon to press the bundle against the sieve, squeezing out all the flavorful liquid.
• Stir the syrup and let cool, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves, about 15 minutes. Transfer to containers and keep refrigerated. To make a soda, pour 1/4 cup syrup over ice and add 1 cup seltzer. Stir.