This Sonic Ocean Water recipe is a must have for summer! Sprite or 7Up mixed with coconut extract for the perfect tropical mocktail! A little bit of food dye and some fish gummies really make it look like ocean water!
Originally posted August 8, 2013. Updated April 21, 2021.
What’s your go-to Sonic drink?
I’m a vanilla Diet Coke girl most days but every once in awhile I crave an Ocean Water. Especially during summer because it just tastes like something you should be drinking on a beach.
What Is Sonic’s Ocean Water?
If you’ve never had Ocean Water, it’s a bubbly coconut lime drink that you can order at the fast-food chain Sonic. It is delicious and tastes like summer in a cup!
There’s no caffeine in it and you can even get a diet version if you ask for Sprite Zero instead of regular Sprite!
For this at home version, you can also use Sprite Zero or Diet 7Up to make it lower calorie.
Ingredients
- Water – this recipe starts by making a simple sugar syrup.
- Granulated sugar – this is going in the simple sugar syrup.
- Coconut flavoring – this is going to give the Ocean Water that tropical flavor that you love! You can find it in the baking aisle of your grocery store with all of the other extracts.
- Blue food coloring – this is, of course, going to make the drink blue and look like the ocean.
- Lemon lime soda – 7Up, Sprite, or any other lemon lime soda. Feel free to use the diet version, too!
- Swedish Fish – not required but aren’t they cute?!
Instructions
- Make simple syrup. Combine water and sugar in a small microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave for about 1 minute. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved.
- Make Ocean Water. Pour the sugar mixture into a pitcher. Add coconut extract, foot coloring, and soda. Stir to combine.
- Serve. Pour over ice with Swedish fish gummy candies!
This drink is best as soon as it’s made. Because it’s made with carbonated soda, the bubbles will start to go away as soon as you make it.
If you need to make it ahead, you can make the sugar water syrup and store it in the fridge until you are ready to serve it.
If you do have leftovers, I suggest putting it in a bottle with a lid so that it keeps the carbonatio in as much as possible. It should last a day or 2 if you store it like that.
If you are serving this to adults, skip the coconut extract and add a shot of coconut rum to each glass!
More Kid Friendly Drink Recipes
- Homemade Shamrock Shake
- Homemade Sports Drink
- Homemade Strawberry Milkshakes
- Reese’s Pieces Milkshake
- Cantaloupe Agua Fresca
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Ocean Water
This Sonic Ocean Water recipe is a must have for summer! Sprite or 7Up mixed with coconut extract for the perfect tropical mocktail! A little bit of food dye and some fish gummies really make it look like ocean water!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 3 drops blue food coloring
- 2 12 ounce cans lemon-lime soda
Instructions
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine water and sugar. Heat in microwave for about 1 minutes. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved.
- Pour the sugar mixture into a pitcher. Add coconut extract, food coloring, and soda. Stir to combine. Enjoy over ice.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 114Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 20mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 0gSugar: 29gProtein: 0g
mali says
Planning to make for my daughter’s birthday. For the kids allergic to nuts & cocount, is the coconut flavoring just synthetic and won’t be an allergen? thanks
Alina says
It looks so yummy! I love the step-by-step instructions, making it an easy recipe to follow!
Olga says
Amanda, this ocean water looks amazing! I can’t wait to make it!
margaux says
It was pretty good, although the sugar water did nothing
Maddycake says
If you really want to celebrate shark week next time or just a super fun gross out..take a shot of red raspberry syrup and pour it in your drink with the blue and white gummy sharks in it they sell and Swedish fish for a bloody fantastic shark attack that’s easy on the palate and very cool to watch!! Once you stir in the “blood” completely it will turn your drink a dark purple just an FYI. Happy fishing :)
Smith says
Wow! I like the color of the drink and idea of fish inside. I am gonna make this for my partner right now. Thanks in advance:-)
Ariel says
My little siblings will love this! Thanks for the idea!
Amanda says
How much does this recipe make?
Amy says
What would the measurements be for a 3.5 gallon dispenser? I want to make this for my daughters bday party
V. says
Perfect refreshing summer drink to toast the start of Shark Week — tomorrow! I recently featured it in my collection of kid-friendly ways to celebrate Shark Week on my blog. Please stop by to see at http://www.createdbyv.com/shark-week-with-kids. Thanks for sharing such an easy and delicious drink!
Di says
Silly question… but can you just add blue food coloring to the Sprite?? Does the sugar/water/extract do anything other than make it a little sweeter?
Jessica says
I absolutely LOVE Sonic’s ocean water, so I was very happy when i found this. I made a large batch for our Talk Like a Pirate Day at work. Although it ended up being a bit on the sweeter side. So in the Second batch I made I used 1 TBS of sugar 2 TBS of water and it was AMAZING!
Sarah says
I love this drink because i love the ocean and the taste
Donna says
I love this idea! Going to make it for my little guests next week! Wondering – how about finding ice cube trays in the shape of fish, then adding orange food coloring to the water. Voila! Goldfish!
Sharona says
IKEA had them…not sure if they still do.
Lisa says
They use sprite as the base soda just FYI. My husband runs 2 sonics and is hoping to open another soon
Tammy king says
I made this tonight and it tastes just like Sonics ocean water. It is easy too make. You just need to quad dripple the recipe if making for a party.
amanda says
Awesome, so glad you enjoyed it! I’m totally craving it now!