# Worst Beverage? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** soda-softdrinks\ **Created:** [March 14, 2024, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850 "2024-03-14T23:38:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2024, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/121 "2024-03-15T23:17:44Z")
> [@Briny\_Deep](#): > > Someone upthread mentioned Bud Light. Granted, that’s not a real beer, but it doesn’t actually taste **bad.** If you want truly bad mass market beer, look no further than PBR No, Bud Light definitely tastes bad. Watered down bad. Like a mouthful-of-backwash-at-the-bottom-of-a-bottle-that-is-then-topped-off-with-water bad. PBR is down right delicious comparatively _for it’s price range_ especially. And way better than Bud light which is in a higher price bracket. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2024, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/122 "2024-03-15T23:18:57Z")
Since you mentioned that, my Mormon friends liked Fresca, which passed their own dietary laws. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2024, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/123 "2024-03-15T23:19:02Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > Like Sprite, Fresca was flavored with grapefruit. Too bitter for most tastes. Correction: Squirt, not Sprite, is grapefruit (although Stag Semen Stout could have also been called Squirt) ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2024, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/124 "2024-03-15T23:50:46Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > Do they still make Fresca? (It was the Sprite equivalent to Tab.) Fresca was a grapefruit soda - it was awesome! ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/125 "2024-03-16T00:11:30Z")
Plus she probably saved on embalming costs… ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/126 "2024-03-16T00:24:43Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > You mean Yessentuki? Probably! I don’t recall if it was #4 or #17. Mineral water is one thing. I don’t think drinking water should be called “medicinal,” and I suspect my own definition of “medicinal” differs from theirs anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/127 "2024-03-16T00:28:13Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > Squirt, not Sprite, is grapefruit Correct, and Squirt is far, far superior to Fresca. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/128 "2024-03-16T01:48:33Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Brennivín, the Icelandic aquavit, has perplexingly failed to find much popularity outside of the country. I bought a bottle on our honeymoon. We just celebrated our 10th anniversary and it’s still 3/4 full. > [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > It’s not terrible, at least in comparison to puffin or fermented shark. Talk about setting a low bar. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/129 "2024-03-16T03:38:17Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > Squirt is far, far superior to Fresca. Awww, when it’s available, Squirt and rum on ice is wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/130 "2024-03-16T16:58:37Z")
Malta Duchesa. I thought it was just some Mexican beer. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/131 "2024-03-16T17:11:22Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > began projectile vomiting MD 20/20 all over me Back in my college days, my cohort and I would choose the cheapest and least reputable bum wines for our dorm room drinking. MD 20/20, Night Train and Thunderbird were usually on the menu. I remember Thunderbird being the harshest and least drinkable of the bunch. This being the early-mid 90s, the ladies were treated to a more respectable selection of wine coolers. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/132 "2024-03-16T19:10:26Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Maybe the worst beverage I’ve had was Angostura Bitters. Usually a couple of drops are added to a drink, but I’ve done shots of it (bitters shots are a thing). We used to do this for a laff when I was a student. I didn’t think it was too bad. For myself…Turkey calling! I’ve mentioned this a couple of times before: Şalgam. When I found something on Turkish menus that was translated as “Turnip juice” I just had to try it. It’s worth doing once. I can’t improve on my original description > “The guy serving explained that you could have it cold or hot, and hot was more usual, so that’s what I opted for. Turns out his English was good but not great - he meant it came either hot (spicy) or mild. What I had tasted like (as closely as I can describe it) bitter tomato juice containing a ridiculous amount of [Worcestershire sauce](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worcestershire_sauce). Glad I did it? Yes. Ever again? No.” [The wiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turnip_water), for anyone interested. From which: > şalgam is made with the sour and salty brine of purple carrot pickles, salted, spiced and flavoured with aromatic turnip (çelem) fermented in barrels with the addition of ground bulgur and rock salt. Enjoy. j ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/133 "2024-03-16T19:51:07Z")
If this thread isn’t proof that every known culture on earth finds something to ferment and use as an intoxicant, I don’t know what is. LOL ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/134 "2024-03-16T20:43:47Z")
As far as I know, most North American Indians didn’t (they did in Mexico and the Southwest, but nowhere else, ASAIK. I’ve always been surprised by this. Certainly fermentable fruits – including, notably, _Labrusca_ grapes – grow in the Americas. And the Indians certainly had pottery containers. There’s no reason they couldn’t have produced various wines. Bu they don’t seem to have. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/135 "2024-03-16T21:20:33Z")
We are far classier in Canada. We splurged on Mateus. The bottle was better than the wine. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/136 "2024-03-16T22:00:08Z")
Find some Unicum if you can. That’ll be right up your alley. Although the one they sell in the US is usually Zwack Liqueur, which is a sweeter more citrusy version than the original Unicum. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/137 "2024-03-16T22:16:03Z")
You have that too in the US? Wow. I came here to write about [Sauerkrautsaft](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kraut_juice), which is exactly that: the brine in which sauerkraut is fermented. They say it is mightily healthy. Going by the taste, it must be. > [@Jackmannii](#): > > On my do-not-try list is Fernet-Branca That is a good one! We used to drink it in our misspent youth with sparkling wine, hitting the glass hard against the counter to make if fizz and downing it in one go. If you got to three you were sure to vomit. Great times! > [@TruCelt](#): > > This sounds a lot like “Underbeg” which is also a digestif. Nitpick: [Underberg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underberg). We could have used that too back then, but our bar considered it too old fashioned, something for old people. Jägermeister would also qualify in a similar gross vein, though it made headlines in Germany a couple of years ago when word came out that the NY club scene had adopted it as a long drink. Made a lot of people laugh. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2024, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/138 "2024-03-16T22:23:11Z")
We’ve discussed sauerkraut juice here before, and looking back on old threads see that it’s an old home remedy for canker sores ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2024, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/139 "2024-03-17T02:54:54Z")
For late night ultramarathon aid stations, Fireball whiskey is the go to alcoholic drink of choice. Also pickle juice is often used for electrolyte replacement. So, last year I brought some [Wicked Pickle](https://whickedpickle.com/), spicy pickle flavored whiskey. It didn’t go over well. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2024, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/140 "2024-03-17T04:27:46Z")
And one can assume that the empty Fireball Whiskey minibottles are tossed onto the nearby grass? They definitely are here, regardless of where or why they’re used. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850.md?page=8)