I just finished enjoying a bottle of Fentimans “Dandelion and Burdock” soda. Quite tasty, actually. It reminded me of clover, for some reason.
In the past, I failed to enjoy Dry Soda’s “lemon grass” soda, though I would not say no if I had a chance to try their “rhubarb” flavor. Being a Monty Python fan, I’d even give their “juniper berry” flavor a go. I’m not gonna try their “cucumber” flavor, though.
Years ago when visiting Coca Cola headquarters in Atlanta, I sampled multiple products not normally available in the US, such as lychee nut soda, and some stuff called kuat, made from guarana.
What exotic soft drinks have you tried? How were they?
When I was a kid, my Sicilian grandmother had some odd drink she would make for us kids - it sounded like “thumbolina” but that is not the name.
Basically, it was some kind of syrup concoction that you mixed with ice water - and it had a very thick, grape-like taste, but with some other stuff thrown in there.
At first, we hated it - but the taste started to grow on you and we began to like it over the years. Never found it or had it again after my grandmother died. All I remember is it came in a large glass jug and it was imported from Italy.
If anyone who has lived in Italy knows this, I would appreciate hearing what the real name is, and what it is made from.
I tried a couple of these wine-grape flavored sodas a while back ( found in pricier delis here in the SF Bay Area ). A resounding meh from me, but I could see some folks liking them as they aren’t all that sweet.
You should try their Ginger Beer. It doesn’t just beat other ginger beers, it takes them out back, pounds on them til they bleed and then tosses them into a dumpster. IMHO, of course.
I don’t remember the name, but at a Bukharian wedding a few years back, we were served green glass bottles of green, tarragon-flavored soda. It was pretty good - not too sweet, with a light herbal flavor.
I make my own ginger ale. It is entirely unrelated to Canada Dry and its commercial ilk, with serious, serious kick.
Have any of you ever been to the Coca Cola Museum in Atlanta? There’s a ‘Colas of the World’ exhibit near the end where you can try all the flavors they sell around the world. There’s definitely some odd ones in there.
There’s a local drink in the Buffalo area - loganberry. There’s a couple of different companies that make this flavor. It’s like a really sweet blackberry.
Oh yeah, I enjoy their ginger beer. I have a few bottles of it chilling in my fridge. Blenheim is still pretty good though, as is A. J. Stephens brand.
It’s not a very precise thing, but make simple syrup (1 part sugar plus 1 part water, heating just until the sugar is fully dissolved). Add a lot of nickel-wide slices of ginger; if you’d like to make candied ginger, peel it first, but if you just want ginger ale, don’t bother. Cook at a brisk simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the syrup has a very, very strong ginger flavor. Cool, strain out ginger pieces, and store in the fridge; to make ginger ale, put about two tablespoons (or to taste) of ginger syrup in the bottom of a glass, then top off with chilled seltzer. The syrup keeps for weeks in the refrigerator. If you’d like more precise measurements, there are plenty of recipes online.
If you’re making candied ginger, lay the cooked ginger slices out on paper towels and blot dry, then coat with table sugar. I have never managed to get mine totally dry enough that they keep indefinitely, so store in the fridge and eat within a couple of weeks.
Anybody remember the old “Loco” sodas? They had capsaicin too, along with fruit flavors. They were tasty. I think I have one unopened bottle left. I should serve it up before it becomes even more flat.
Thanks GilaB. Sounds like a fun project and an excellent reason to drink a Moscow Mule or two.
I wonder if you take the candied slices and store them in sugar a la candied orange or lemon peel if the sugar would absorb the moisture and further preserve the ginger. Or it just might make a hardened lump of sugar and ginger.
I’ve not seen it used, but I really like hibiscus tea. I don’t see why it couldn’t be made into a syrup for addition to a carbonated soft drink. I t would be quite refreshing with its light sourness.
eta: I really should google these things. Behold Ooba
