It has been a really hot summer this year so I have found myself stopping by Sonic here and there for drinks in the afternoon. I normally try to avoid sodas but the one thing I just can’t resist as a very occasional treat is Sonic’s Ocean Water.
Have you tried it?
It is a crazy concoction and I think most would probably love it or hate it. I love it :).
Since Sonic is on the other side of town, I decided to see if I can recreate the recipe myself at home. Turns out it is so easy to do!
You only need 5 minutes and a few ingredients to make this yourself.
At Sonic the way they make Ocean Water is to add Sprite to a cup with the yummy crushed ice and then a little shot of a special Blue Coconut syrup. I have never seen the Blue Coconut syrup at a retail store but apparently it is just like the stuff they use to make snow cones.
So you probably need to make the Blue Coconut syrup yourself and that is super easy- just coconut extract and sugar and water. The coconut extract I have is JR Watkins and it was something like $2 at Walmart in the spice aisle. I actually had this on hand from making a Coconut Cake for Easter. I also like to get the Mexican Sprite at Walmart or Safeway or whatever- it is a buck per bottle.
So here goes the recipe I think tastes pretty darn similar to Sonic:
- ½ Tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
- ½ teaspoon coconut extract
- 12oz bottle Sprite
- squeeze of fresh lime juice (optional)
- blue food coloring (optional)
- Add ½ tablespoon sugar to a small bowl and 1 tablespoon of water.
- Mix for just a second and pop in the microwave for about 30 seconds- just to dissolve.
- Set the mixture aside to cool.
- Fill your glass with crushed ice- or pop some ice cubes into a food processor for a few seconds. (This is optional but darn if those ice chips don't make things taste better.)
- Add your 12oz bottle of Sprite to the glass and set aside.
- Come back to your cooled sugar mixture and now add ½ teaspoon coconut extract. Stir.
- Add 2 drops of blue food coloring- stir again.
- Dump into your glass of Sprite and mix well.
- Enjoy!
.
Very easy and then I like to finish mine off with a little squeeze of lime. If you are a Sonic Limeade fan you can also order a Blue Coconut Limeade and that is almost the same as the Ocean Water except a tiny bit cheaper.
Now one last note is that the coconut extract has a strong flavor so you might try a little less then 1/2 teaspoon for your first glass and you can always add more to suit your tastes. My husband can’t stand coconut and I made him try about 7 different variations of this recipe and he liked the version above.
If you want to try another really easy Copycat recipe at home- check out this Homemade Starbucks Passion Tea Lemonade. Delicious!
Or another really yummy Copycat recipe is this two ingredient homemade magic shell. It goes on top of ice cream like a decadent hot fudge and then hardens after a few seconds and it is really heavenly.
*This recipe is adapted from Food.com. I tried to cut way back on the added sugar 🙂
Thank you for posting this! The closest Sonic is 45 minutes away so not very convenient. Will be trying this over the weekend. Love all your copy cat recipes!
Oh gosh the pressure is on :). I hope you like it!
Charlene -Why do you like the Mexican Sprite better? Is it made with cane sugar vs corn syrup?
Update…made this and it was delicious! Just as good as Starbucks! Thank you.
Awesome!! So glad you liked it Dodi!
My favorite drink at Sonic’s is the Ocean Water! It looks so simple to make too!
Coming from Take A Look Tuesday!
Great copycat! I’ll have to pin this to remember to try it in the future!
Pinned this! So simple to make. Thanks for sharing on Turn It Up Tuesday.
Thanks for coming and linking up at #The Weekend Social. Please be sure to come back next week starting Thursdays at 9PM EST on KitchenDreaming.com ! I hope to see you there!
I love ocean water, but now we live at least an hour away from the nearest Sonic. Thanks for this recipe. I will have to pick up some coconut extract.
sorry to disappoint but ocean water is just sprite and blue powerade. Worked for sonic for two years. I know lol.
Hi Alisha- That isn’t what they use at my store. I have seen them make it. Powerade might be an option if people don’t want to try the recipe below- although it is very simple to make. I have tasted this numerous times and it is identical to the one I get at my Sonic so I feel very confident with this recipe.
I worked there too. It most definitely is blue coconut and sprite! It even gives a description on the menu. Sounds like Alisha makes it wrong.
I have worked at Sonic too, and Sprite and blue Powerade is a completely different drink, it’s called cool blue I think, and saltier than Sprite and blue coconut syrup, which is called ocean water. I, personally, prefer Cool Blue. During the spring/summer months walmart carries sno cone flavors and you can buy them for like a buck
How much do you think I should add to make a pitcher full??