Cel-Ray Soda
Chapter 5 — Sides, Sweets & Drinks
If you've ever stared down a structural marvel of hot pastrami or a blistered everything bagel heavily spackled with scallion schmear, you know a standard cola won't cut it. You need the 'Jewish Champagne.' Created in the late 1860s for immigrant kids on the Lower East Side, Cel-Ray is the quintessential deli beverage—dry, herbaceous, aggressively carbonated, and propelled entirely by the sharp bite of celery seed. It acts as a culinary palate cleanser, cutting cleanly through the rich, fatty layers of cured meats and smoked salmon so you can go back in for another bite.
Before you start
Fill a tall glass completely to the brim with ice cubes.
A heavy deli tumbler works perfectly here.
Pour 2 tablespoons of the chilled celery syrup over the ice.
This is about one ounce; use up to an ounce and a half if you want a more aggressive flavor.
Top with the ice-cold seltzer water and gently stir from the bottom up.
You want to lift the dense syrup into the water without knocking out the carbonation.
Ingredients
- granulated white sugar2 cup
- filtered water1 cup
- whole celery seeds2 1/2 tbsp
- citric acid1 tsp
- highly carbonated seltzer water8 oz
- ice1 cup
Method
- 01
Toast the lightly crushed celery seeds in a dry saucepan over medium-low heat for 30 to 45 seconds until fragrant.
You want to crack the hulls to release the volatile oils, but grinding them to a powder will make the syrup cloudy and bitter.
- 02
Whisk the sugar and filtered water into the saucepan over medium-high heat until entirely dissolved.
Bring the mixture just to a rolling boil, then immediately remove it from the heat.
- 03
Stir the toasted celery seeds and citric acid into the hot syrup, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and steep undisturbed for exactly 60 minutes.
Do not exceed an hour, or you will extract bitter tannins from the seed hulls that shift the flavor from pleasantly dry to astringent.
- 04
Pour the steeped syrup through a fine-mesh strainer lined with damp cheesecloth into a heatproof jar.
Let gravity do the work; pressing on the seeds will cloud your crystal-clear, golden syrup.
- 05
Chill the strained syrup completely in the refrigerator before using.
This highly stable syrup will keep for up to 6 months in an airtight jar or deli-style squeeze bottle.
Notes
Do not substitute celery salt or fresh celery stalks.
True authentic Cel-Ray derives its sharp bite entirely from the volatile oils inside the celery seed, not the vegetable itself.
Granulated citric acid is absolutely non-negotiable for the authentic dry finish.
Fresh lemon juice can be used in a pinch, but it clouds the syrup, oxidizes, and shortens the shelf life considerably.