Everybody loves Pub Squash!
Variously known as Pub Squash, Lemon Squash, a whole bunch of different lemon drinks such as Solo, Kirin Hyoketsu, or -196° Suntory Double Lemon, its a drink that everyone knows and loves.
The perfect thirst quencher on a hot simmer's day, pub squash is an ideal candidate to have on tap at home.
Also available in alcoholic versions such as Hard Solo, pub squash (hard or not) is now super easy to whip up at home and have ready to drink from a keg! And it couldn't be easier. With the right tools and some simple steps, you can whip up something that tastes damn near identical to the canned versions – no experience necessary!
This guide will walk you through the process step-by-step, helping you craft a delicious, refreshing lemon drink that stands up to the store-bought brands. Plus, you’ll have the flexibility to adjust sweetness, alcohol content, and carbonation levels to fit your exact preferences.
Check out the video below to see how to get started:
HOW TO MAKE HARD SOLO
What You Will Need (Equipment)
A 19L Ball Lock Keg or 9.5L Ball Lock Keg (homebrew style) keg
CO2 Cylinder and a Regulator (to force carb)
A kegerator (or other keg dispensing system) to serve
What You Will Need (Ingredients)
This recipe will make 19L (5 gallons) Hard Pub Squash. For a 9.5L keg, simply have the recipe. Feel free to adjust the sugar levels based on your personal desired sweetness. Please note: You will need to add some form of sugar or sugar free sweetener for the flavour to really shine.
Complete, Ready To Keg Kits can be found right here!
An Alchohol Base. You can use either 2.8L of vodka or, for a no fuss and super inexpensive base use KegLand's Vinka! VINKA is a flavourless alcohol base, available in different sizes and sweetness level, that works perfectly as a neutral base to build quality beverages!
If using VINKA then you will want the 5L Medium VINKA base
Sugar: This can vary depending on taste - see our guidelines below. You can tweak this to your liking though! More tart - use less. Sweet tooth? Add more!
Impressence Pub Squash Flavour Shots: These are the key to getting the Solo-like lemon flavour. You’ll need four sachets for a standard recipe.
FermStop: This is a fermentation stopper that prevents the sugars from fermenting, ensuring that your beverages remains sweet and maintaining the desired alcohol level.
That’s all you need to replicate that lemony goodness that Hard Solo (or Hard Rated, as it’s now called) is known for.
NOTE: Following this guide will produce a Hard Solo clone of around 5.8% ABV
To make this as simple as possible, you can get a Ready To Keg Hard Pub Squash Kit right here! This easy to use keg kit doesn't require any fermentation as it uses VINKA as the alcoholic base.
Step-by-Step Guide: Mixing It All Together
Step 1: Add Vodka or VINKA
Pour 2.8L Vodka or the 5L Medium VINKA Cocktail Base into the keg. If you’ve distilled your own, this is perfect, but store-bought works just as well. For this recipe, the amount is 2.8L. If using VINKA (recommended) then use the whole 5L
Step 2: Add Sugar
If using a Vodka base: add 1.66kg of sugar to the vodka.
If using a VINKA base: add 920g of sugar to the VINKA.
If you prefer your drinks a bit sweeter or less sweet, feel free to adjust the sugar content to your liking. Typically, our recommendations strike a good balance and most closely emulates the real thing!
Step 3: Add Flavour Shots.
This is the crucial part: the flavour! Add four sachets of Impressence Pub Squash
Flavour Shots into the mix. These shots will give you that classic lemon drink taste. Pub Squash has a similar taste profile to Solo and other, similar lemon flavoured soft drinks, making it a great choice for recreating these drinks at home. It is a delicious and refreshing summer drink!
Step 4: Top It Up with Water
Fill the keg with water, leaving a bit of space at the top for carbonation. If you overfill, the CO2 won’t be able to carbonate the drink properly.
Step 5: Force Carbonate
Using your CO2 cylinder, force carbonate the mix.This quick process ensures your drink is fizzy in no time. Once you finish this step, you can start enjoying your lemony creation that same afternoon!
Carbonate to 3.5 volumes CO2 (Refer to KegLand Set and Forget CO2 Carbonation Chart for regulator pressure and keg temperature). [Optimum 20psi at 2°C]
Step 6: Add the FermStop (Crucial!)
Don’t forget to add the FermStop after you’ve finished mixing and carbonating. This step prevents the wild yeast in the air from continuing to ferment the leftover sugars, which would otherwise ruin the drink by making it too alcoholic and less sweet. Make sure to do this at the end, as the acid in the Pub Squash can render the FermStop useless if you add it too early.
Step 7: Pour a delicious Hard Pub Squash and congratulate yourself for a job well done!
This is pretty much self explanatory!
Variations and Customisation
There are plenty of ways to tweak this recipe to suit your situation or taste.
Using a Seltzer Base Instead of Vodka/VINKA
If vodka isn’t your thing, or you’re in a place where it's more convenient, you can also make these lemon drinks using a seltzer base. Fermenting sugar with yeast, along with yeast nutrients to assist the process, will give you a low-alcohol base ready to mix with the same flavor shots. This gives you a similar end product with a different approach.
Bottling Instead of Kegging
No keg setup? No problem. You can bottle-condition the drink too. Here’s how it works:
1. Ferment the bulk mix in a fermenter.
2. Transfer the liquid to bottles.
3. Add a carbonation cap and allow it to finish fermenting in the bottles.
Important Tip: When bottle conditioning, don’t add the FermStop - doing so will prevent the bottles from carbonating. If you're bottling the drink, and you want to keep it sweet, you will need to use artificial sweeteners since sugar will keep fermenting unless stopped.
Exploring More Flavour Options
While Pub Squash works best for making Hard Solo clones, there are plenty of other flavour shots to check out. Impressence Essences offers a growing range of flavours beyond Pub Squash, including:
Feel free to experiment with these flavours and try crafting your own versions of Scotch and Coke, Gin and Tonic, ginger beers, and more!
The kit and method remain straightforward, no matter the flavour.
Overall - A Refreshing Experience!
Using just vodka or VINKA, sugar, Impressence Pub Squash Flavour Shots and a few bits of equipment (that most homebrewers already have!) you can easily make your favourite Hard Solo or similar lemon-flavored drink at home. Whether you’re setting this up in a keg or going the bottle conditioning route, you’ll find the process simple and rewarding.
Plus, the added flexibility means you can adjust the recipe to get that perfect refreshing drink for a hot day.
Interested in other DIY drink-making kits? Stay tuned for more recipes, including an upcoming video on a Ready-to-Keg Kits range that skips the fermentation process entirely.
Be sure to share any tips or creations in the comments or join the KegLand Facebook Homebrew Community for inspiration from fellow brewers!
What is VINKA?
For more information about VINKA and the exciting, easy to use cocktails and kits that can be made please checkout VINKA.com.au
Distributor Information
If you’re interested in buying the Impressence range, check out the distributor map on KegLand’s website. These are becoming widely available through an increasing number of distributors across Australia.
