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!
How Long Is It Good For?
Ocean Water 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.
Storing Leftovers
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.
How To Make It a Cocktail?
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:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 114Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 20mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 0gSugar: 29gProtein: 0g
sonia says
Diced strawberries would go great with this drink. Yummy, my hubby is going to love you ocean water.
Kate @ Diethood says
This was the first year for mandatory all day Kindergarten out here and of course my daughter just had to start it. Yeeesh… it’s taken me all year to get over it. :)
I am putting this Ocean Water on my summer-drinks list. I’m pretty sure the lil’ ones will be so excited!
Renee says
How fun! I’ll be making this for sure!
Joy says
Sonics Ocean Water is blue coconut syrup (like the one used for sno cones) & sprite.
Jenny says
Hi, I love this idea. Do you think it could work with just food coloring and seltzer? Does the coconut extract and sugar add taste or something color wise?
dj says
Nooooo the coconut FLAVOR adds no FLAVOR at all. Geesh some peoples children’s
Theresa says
How did you get the fish to float in the drink?
amanda says
They didn’t, really. I just took quick photos before they sunk. :)
Fran says
Just a quick note: The swedish fish can be frozen into ice cubes that will float. ;)
amanda says
Awesome idea!
Amanda says
I made a similar copy cat ocean water for my daughters joint birthday party. I made a syrup using coconut water, sugar, coconut flavoring and blue food coloring. Then used 2 two liters of sprite in a large punch bowl. The coconut water helped to keep the drink refreshing instead of overly sugary.
Brenda HJ says
Just a FYI… Sonic uses blue coconut snow cone syrup. That’s a simple sugar blue flavored mix. A few squirts in a cup and and the soda… Boom! Easy peasy. You can pick up the syrup anywhere they sell snow cone supplies but I’ve see it at Walmart and Target.
Daniela says
This is so cute! Going to try it today!
http://www.aznannies.com
Stephanie says
OMG!!!! I can’t wait to try this! I would drive an hour to the closest sonic just for ocean water! It is my fave!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting this!!!!
Corey @ Family Fresh Meals says
Amanda, I found this fun drink on Pinterest and CANNOT wait to try it with my girls. They are going to LOVE it! The fish gummy is such a cool touch :)
Sandy says
This sounds so good, but was curious if there was something I could substitute in place of the lemon-lime soda? We do not drink carbonated beverages so was just wondering if something else would work and come close to the same taste? Thanks! =)
amanda says
I bet lemonade would be good in place of the soda. Thanks for reading and commenting! :)
Sue says
Has anyone tried this with lemonade?
Ute says
I think it would be good with lemonade also, but remember that you will get a green drink if you put blue food color in yellow lemonade.
Nancy Norman says
There is a HiC that is blue. Not sure if it would work
Nutmeg Nanny says
Aw this is so fun! Sounds tasty :)
Andi @ The Weary Chef says
This is so pretty and sounds yum. Is it wrong if I make it with coconut rum? (That wasn’t supposed to be a poem.)
Kim (Feed Me, Seymour) says
Thank you, thank you, thank you! for sharing this. I’ve seen this every time I’ve gone to Sonic in the past few weeks and have been too afraid to try it. I’m so jazzed to try it at home!
Brandon says
This looks delicious, love the bright blue color and that you put Swedish Fish in it for the photo! :)
Tracey says
Would you believe I’ve never been to Sonic?? We don’t have them up here. But luckily I don’t have to because now I can make my own Ocean Water at home! I’m so in love with the color, and anything coconut is good by me.
Food, Faith, and Other Fabulous Finds says
I would love to make this for my hubby, but I’ve had a problem finding coconut extract. All my stores only carry imitation coconut extract. Where do you find the real stuff? (I’m in San Antonio, by the way.)
amanda says
I really didn’t even know pure coconut extract was a thing! I just assumed imitation was the only thing out there. I found some on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Flavorganics-Extract-Pure-Coconut-2-Ounce/dp/B004M8BGI6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1376003368&sr=8-2&keywords=pure+coconut+extract) but it’s pretty expensive. I assume a Whole Foods or something similar would also have it. Thanks for reading and commenting! :)
Food, Faith, and Other Fabulous Finds says
Well, I feel a little better then. I figured I just didn’t live in a nice enough are to warrant the real thing. If the imitation is what you use, then it must be good enough. I know what’s going on my shopping list this week!
betty says
I just saw this in pinterest, what a fun looking drink, for those of you still looking for coconut extract look in a local health food store, or as mentioned on Amazon. Amazon often has items you can’t find anywhere else ( my “store” away from home!). If you do use Amazon, please find someone you like(follow) who is an affiliate (aka, they make a lil’ off of each person they refer who purchases something with their affilaiate link, kinda nice and as we all know every lil’ bit helps :-)
Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen says
Ahhhh I want it! And Swedish Fish are my son’s favorite candy. Loving this idea to make before school starts next week.
nicole @ I am a honey bee says
OMG yes, you need to add some ‘bu to it! ha!