# Unusual soft drinks **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** soda-softdrinks\ **Created:** [April 10, 2011, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-soft-drinks/577885 "2011-04-10T18:54:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambi_Hassenpfeffer)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-soft-drinks/577885/21 "2011-04-10T22:45:14Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > 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. It makes me think of Ribena, which is a British blackcurrant concentrate that is mixed with water to make a drink. I Googled around for a specifically Italian brand of it, and I found a company called Torani that makes a blackcurrant syrup that can be used in the same way. Not an answer, but maybe a starting point. ---
**Author:** ![KennerTheGreat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a8b319/32.png) [@KennerTheGreat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KennerTheGreat)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-soft-drinks/577885/22 "2011-04-10T22:46:40Z")
[Brio](http://www.canadianfavourites.com/Brio_Chinotto_Soda_1_Litre_p/brio001.htm), which is a brand of chinotto soft drink in Canada. I’m not quite sure how to describe it when anybody asks. Best I can think of is; it goes down like Coke, but with a gingery aftertaste. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-soft-drinks/577885/23 "2011-04-10T22:59:40Z")
[QUOTE =Qadgop the Mercotan] I’m not a big fan of gentian. After trying my 3rd bottle in 2 years, I decided to stop trying to acquire the taste. [/QUOTE] > [@Euryphaessa](#): > > Is that what’s in Moxie? I’ve never known. To me it always tasted like root beer and toothpaste. > > And yeah, I like it. 😃 I think it tastes like Vicks Vapor Rub with a touch of rubber cement. And no, I still don’t care for it. Although I did think Moxie Cherry Cola was pretty good but apparently it’s been discontinued. ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-soft-drinks/577885/24 "2011-04-10T23:52:41Z")
[Orbitz](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbitz_%28soft_drink%29) was a pretty cool soft drink in the 90s. It was a clear drink with balls of colored gelatin spheres suspended in it to look like a lava lamp. The flavors were unusual as well (you can see them on the Wikipedia page). It didn’t take off for a variety of reasons, including being really expensive, hard to find, and not really compatible with vending machines. The only place I remember seeing it was at the mini golf course. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-soft-drinks/577885/25 "2011-04-11T00:19:55Z")
> [@Euryphaessa](#): > > Is that what’s in Moxie? I’ve never known. To me it always tasted like root beer and toothpaste. > > And yeah, I like it. 😃 I think it’s bergamot, which is the same flavoring used in Earl Grey tea. ---
**Author:** ![Surok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@Surok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surok)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-soft-drinks/577885/26 "2011-04-11T00:22:53Z")
> [@GilaB](#): > > I don’t remember the name, but at a [Bukharian](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bukharian_Jews) 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. [Tarhun](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarhun_(drink)) (тархун). I’d concur that it’s pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-soft-drinks/577885/27 "2011-04-11T00:36:55Z")
Canfield’s Diet Cherry Chocolate Fudge. Like drinking a chocolate-covered cherry. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-soft-drinks/577885/28 "2011-04-11T00:52:06Z")
Irish Moss- It’s a non-carbonated drink filled with carageenan. The primary variety is vanilla. Some stores also carry the peanut butter flavor. I think the word that bests describes Irish Moss is “chewy”. I like the vanilla, and am wild about the peanut butter. The rest of my family hates it. RE Tarragon I’ve had this from a nearby Russian market. I found it to be like weak, kick-less ginger ale. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-soft-drinks/577885/29 "2011-04-11T00:57:55Z")
> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#): > > 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. Their ginger beer is excellent. Reeds Extra Ginger Brew is the only good ginger beer I can find in my neck of the woods. I tried making my own but it was sorely lacking. I don’t care for burdock but I quite like sarsaparilla. I have had homemade maple soda that was… interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-soft-drinks/577885/30 "2011-04-11T00:58:52Z")
Oh, and how could one forget about [Japanese marble soda](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramune)? Cool bottle. The one I had tasted kinda like Sprite. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-soft-drinks/577885/31 "2011-04-11T01:04:55Z")
> [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](#): > > Oh, and how could one forget about [Japanese marble soda](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramune)? Cool bottle. The one I had tasted kinda like Sprite. My niece and nephew love Ramune. I think it’s the unique opening procedure that appeals to them. I tried one. It was like bad orange soda that had gone rancid. ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-soft-drinks/577885/32 "2011-04-11T01:14:18Z")
Someone I normally count as a friend brought a bought of Kvass over to our Pancake Tuesday dinner. He bought it because he’d never seen a soft drink made from rye breadcrumbs before. It tasted basically like a soft drink made from rye bread. It had carbonated raisins in it. They were peculiar. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-soft-drinks/577885/33 "2011-04-11T01:21:28Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > 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 O[oba](http://www.oobabeverage.com/about.php) Where do you live? There’s a popular hibiscus soft drink here in the southwest called Jamaica (pronounced huh-MY-cuh). ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-soft-drinks/577885/34 "2011-04-11T03:46:46Z")
> [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](#): > > It makes me think of Ribena, which is a British blackcurrant concentrate that is mixed with water to make a drink. I Googled around for a specifically Italian brand of it, and I found a company called Torani that makes a blackcurrant syrup that can be used in the same way. Not an answer, but maybe a starting point. Thanks! And for my palette as a kid, I would not have known the difference from grape or blackcurrant, so you are probably correct. We jokingly called it grandma’s KoolAid, but as mentioned, grew to like it. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-soft-drinks/577885/35 "2011-04-11T04:52:59Z")
We have been ordering a dozen sodas at a time from [sodapopstop.com](http://sodapopstop.com) and conducting our own taste tests. Mostly cream soda, root beer, and ginger beer, and a few Jones sodas. There are hundreds of sodas to choose from. So far the clear winner is Stewart’s Key Lime, and a couple of root beers. The worst was Aztec Cola. I don’t have the list in front of me, but those are the best/worst. ---
**Author:** ![TheTerribleTako](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@TheTerribleTako](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheTerribleTako)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-soft-drinks/577885/36 "2011-04-11T05:17:46Z")
I occasionally get interesting and odd sodas on my grocery runs. Over the years, I’ve managed to try out a large selection of odd sodas. The Manhattan Special Coffee soda’s kind of tasty although I wouldn’t drink it everyday. I like the Vignette sodas mentioned above specifically because they’re not too sweet. For Fentiman’s, my favorite is a toss up between their shandy and the orange jigger. Cel-ray is reserved for special deli runs. Inca Cola tastes like bubble gum and looks like radioactive pee, but I wouldn’t have a Peruvian meal without it. There’s a few blueberry sodas out there that are pretty good. I think my favorite so far is Eli’s Blueberry Pop. I just bought a wintermelon drink today. It’s refreshing and sweet. What I wouldn’t give for a sugar cane and kumquat drink right now though. ---
**Author:** ![TNWPsycho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/47e85d/32.png) [@TNWPsycho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TNWPsycho)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-soft-drinks/577885/37 "2011-04-11T05:27:46Z")
I own a record store in Wisconsin and i wanted to try to have candy and soda nobody else had or probably never heard of. I imported some soda from Thailand, coconut, aloe vera, guava…flavors werent too strange, but the soda itself freaked me out. It was pretty much water with chunks of the coconut or aloe just floating around inside. Reminded me of vomit, i could never drink one myself. ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-soft-drinks/577885/38 "2011-04-11T06:41:22Z")
I want to know where you found Fentimans because they all look awesome. Potbelly’s used to carry bottles of [Cricket Cola](http://www.drinkcricket.com/) around here, and it was yummy. Now they don’t, and I haven’t seen it anywhere else, which makes me sad. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-soft-drinks/577885/39 "2011-04-11T12:27:53Z")
> [@Kaio](#): > > I want to know where you found Fentimans because they all look awesome. Woodlake grocery store in Kohler, Wisconsin has it on the shelf. ---
**Author:** ![Double\_Foolscap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@Double\_Foolscap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Double_Foolscap)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-soft-drinks/577885/40 "2011-04-11T13:04:11Z")
[Kinnie](http://www.kinnie.com/), which tastes like orange soda with a large part of the sweetness removed. I’ve only ever seen it in Malta, but it was delicious. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-soft-drinks/577885.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-soft-drinks/577885.md?page=3)