# 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:** 9
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/161 "2024-03-19T05:24:47Z")
On a slightly related note, yesterday one of my Facebook friends posted a photo of some “green” Rice Krispies treats she had made, to take to church. She used Watkins food coloring, wanting to use something more natural, and the marshmallow somehow changed from a nice light green, to just vaguely greenish-gray, when the Rice Krispies were mixed in. She was hesitant about taking it to church, but the people who tasted it said it was just fine. (BTW, what happened to your brother the next day, KWIM?) ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/162 "2024-03-19T09:52:41Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > (BTW, what happened to your brother the next day, KWIM?) Lets just say his next bowel movement was almost as bright green as his teeth. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/163 "2024-03-19T17:29:09Z")
So many of you have tried such exotic beverages! Mine are all close to home and well-known: Any and all Gatorades & Powerades Coffee Tea All energy drinks Ginger Ale Most hard liquor (I can handle vodka because it’s kind of tasteless) Mountain Dew in all forms I just tried a bottle of Coca-Cola Spiced (raspberry & spice) - Yikes! It tastes like spice drops. FWIW - I love Fresca and Diet Squirt. They’re very refreshing on a hot summer’s day. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/164 "2024-03-19T18:23:31Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > 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 For what it’s worth, I was told the banana beer brewed in East Africa is pretty low alcohol, like around 3%. It would be pretty hard to actually get drunk from it. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/165 "2024-03-19T19:06:41Z")
I suspected as much. ---
**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 19, 2024, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/166 "2024-03-19T19:22:23Z")
I haven’t tried this (yet), but my curiosity is piqued. I just finished re-listening to **The Iliad** and I caught a detail about a drink that has always sounded pretty weird. It isn’t named in Homer, but apparently it’s called **Kykeon**. It consists of Pramnian wine with goat cheese grated into it with a bronze grater and barley added as well. Sometimes Honey is added (Circe does this), or sometimes onion is added as a “spice” (in the Iliad) Pramnian wine is from Ikaria, and is presumably red wine. The barley meal is in the form of groats (hulled). Some texts suggest it’s sprinkled, but other texts indicate that you add as much of this as of goat cheese – a lot. The whole thing is well mixed. It sounds absolutely grotesque. Apparently some Kykeon recipes were thought to include psychoactive drugs. (I can believe Circe’s did). It also sounds as if, with barley and cheese, you could choke on it. Like Bobas Tea, but without the friendly gelsatinous nature of the inclusions. [Kykeon - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kykeon#:~:text=Kykeon%20is%20mentioned%20in%20Homeric,her%20magic%20potion%20into%20it). > **[Pramnian wine – History of Greek Food](https://1historyofgreekfood.wordpress.com/category/pramnian-wine/)** > > Posts about Pramnian wine written by Mariana Kavroulaki Here;'s a recipe that results in sa thick, porridge-like mess. They also add an egg: > **[Kykeon: The Drink of Champions](https://www.hellenic.org.au/post/kykeon-the-drink-of-champions)** > > Circe and Odysseus on white-ground lekythos, ca. 490–480 BCE. Eretria National Archaeological Museum in Athens, 1133.“In this the woman, as fair as a goddess, mixed them a mess with Pramnian wine; she grated goat’s milk cheese into it with a bronze... Here’s another recipe for a much more liquid product > **[Kykeon – Ancient Greek Ritual Drink – Eleusinian Mysteries](https://historicalitaliancooking.home.blog/english/recipes/kykeon-ancient-greek-ritual-drink-eleusinian-mysteries/)** > > Italiano Around the end of September, the ancient Greeks celebrated the Eleusinian Mysteries, one of the main festivals of the year, dedicated to the goddess Demeter, in which it was commemorated t… Here’s another recipe for a very liquid drink: > **[Mixing the kykeon\*](https://1historyofgreekfood.wordpress.com/2012/10/23/mixing-the-kykeon/)** > > One of the intriguing mysteries of ancient Greece is what is the nature of the nourishing, medicinal, magical and potentially dangerous drink that is known as kykeon.Kykeon made for “A gastro… ---
**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:** [March 19, 2024, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/167 "2024-03-19T19:29:39Z")
Thanks, I used the share a link function to share your post with my GF. We may try some kykeon. ETA Her response (roughly)- “That doesn’t sound grotesque, unless you add onion. We should try it sometime.” We enjoy reading myths, listening to Let’s Talk About Myths ( a podcast I HIGHLY recommend) and doing other myth stuff. I have hit the jackpot. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/168 "2024-03-19T19:48:43Z")
All my thoughts have been mentioned, so I’ll just comment… > [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I’ll add [Akvavit.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akvavit) My wife and I went to Norway for our honeymoon and bought a bottle of Aquavit there. I liked it–what can I say? Herbal flavors are fine. It’s not something I’ve ever sought out since, but I didn’t mind it. > [@BrickBat](#): > > Actually bought and tried a Zima one very hot day at poolside. My take was that is like carbonated sugar water using artificial sweetener instead of regular sugar, with ( some ) alcohol. It was not repeated. Now we’re getting nasty. I’ve never actually drunk the water left in a vase after the flowers have begun to decay, but if I added sugar and rubbing alcohol, I’m pretty sure I’d have a Zima. The decaying plant flavor was profound. So bad. But not as bad as… > [@WildaBeast](#): > > Oh, in the soda category, the Jones Soda Company puts out some special edition sodas for Thanksgiving and Christmas. This wins in a landslide for me. My brother bought me a set of the Thanksgiving sodas one year as a gag gift, and if you think “gag gift” is just an expression, au contraire. We passed one of the bottles around, taking a sip and noticing how nasty it was. Then we opened a second bottle and began passing it around. When it came to me, I lifted it to my mouth–and set id down again because I was about to throw up just from smelling it. After that I could barely stand to even watch people drink them, so visceral was my reaction to it. I’ve never responded to any other food or drink like that; it was like the bottles were spiked with an emetic. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/169 "2024-03-19T23:07:01Z")
As I write this, the local news is mentioning that this is Poison Control Week. Check out YouTuber “New England Wildlife And More.” He buys things like this, 70-year-old cans of baby food or soup, etc. and tastes them. One of the more entertaining aspects of his channel is when he decides to “feed” his septic tank - he dumps the leftovers in the toilet and does close-ups of it going down . ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/170 "2024-03-19T23:19:50Z")
Sour beers. I bought a six pack of them once. Took one sip, then gave the other five cans to a work buddy. Ugh. ---
**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 20, 2024, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/171 "2024-03-20T14:54:52Z")
^Sour Beer is a love/hate kind of deal. I love sours. I’ve attended a few sour festivals where for one entry fee you can sample sours until you’ve had enough. [Destihl Brewery](https://destihl.com/destihl-beer) has a dill pickle beer made using [Suckerpunch Brine](https://suckerpunchgourmet.com/) > **[Destihl Suckerpunch Dill Pickle Sour](https://hopcitybeer.com/products/destihl-suckerpunch)** > > The tart, citrusy flavors of a DESTIHL gose ale combine with the unmistakable zesty, garlicky flavor of a Suckerpunch dill pickle to create a uniquely delicious, knockout flavor experience. Worth trying. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2024, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/172 "2024-03-20T21:08:00Z")
**30 Rock** introduced the “Old Spanish,” a cocktail consisting of red wine, tonic water and olives. (One year later, Ted Chaough ordered one on **Mad Men**.) ---
**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 20, 2024, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/173 "2024-03-20T21:52:31Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Sour Beer is a love/hate kind of deal. I love sours. Quick question - are the “Sours” you’re describing related to what I would know as a [Gueuze](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gueuze)? (To name one style of Lambic). If so, I’d say they’re an acquired taste. I like a cold one on a warm day, but it would be hard work getting drunk on them. j ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2024, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/174 "2024-03-20T23:34:01Z")
Tried some Asian booze once that tasted like melted plastic. Not sure what it’s called, not sure I want to know. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2024, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/175 "2024-03-20T23:49:30Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > But I’m in the group that actually enjoys most root beers and a number of sasparilla-adjacent drinks, so I’m probably conditioned to be more accepting. Does it taste more like Dr Pepper/ Mr Pibb or more like root beer and sasparilla? Because I hate the former two and do not mind the latter, in the sense that I’d drink it willingly if someone offered me a very small one due to the sugar content and I hadn’t had one in awhile. If it tastes more like root beer then I might just give Moxie a try. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2024, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/176 "2024-03-20T23:55:05Z")
Yoohoo tastes like cigarettes, not in a good way. There are worse drinks, but not many. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2024, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/177 "2024-03-20T23:55:21Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > **30 Rock** introduced the “Old Spanish,” a cocktail consisting of red wine, tonic water and olives. (One year later, Ted Chaough ordered one on **Mad Men**.) I made a drink that shall remain nameless by combining red wine and Sugar Free Red Bull because I wanted to see what alcoholic energy drinks did to me. The good part is it tastes better than IPA to me, since while I don’t dislike _all_ bitter things, I hate IPA for its bitterness. The bad part is that it put me to sleep rather than waking me up, because it tasted bad _enough_ that I drank it slow enough for the alcohol buzz to come on slowly, and it confirmed that I think I have adult-onset ADHD because the caffeine put me to sleep quicker than just the alcohol would. I’ve tried it three times and all three times I’ve gone to sleep after the first Solo cup full (admittedly, two of those times were around midnight.) ---
**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 21, 2024, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/178 "2024-03-21T01:26:58Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > Quick question - are the “Sours” you’re describing related to what I would know as a [Gueuze](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gueuze) It seems like there is some similarity, but I’ve never had a Gueuze. The Wiki article mentions making brews resembling the Gueuze from a blend of young and old sour beers. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2024, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/179 "2024-03-21T03:01:50Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Does it taste more like Dr Pepper/ Mr Pibb or more like root beer and sasparilla? It’s very subjective of course but to me it’s closer to Mr Pibb (which in turn tastes different and worse than Dr Pepper) than root beer drinks. Although I do like Dr Pepper so trust not my tastes to fully match yours. Moxie to me tastes more _medicinal_ as it were than any of the above if that makes sense. I brought up root beer and similar drinks because other threads on that beverage found the wintergreen elements off-putting especially to non-american palates iirc, and Moxie shared some of those same profiles. I’m still stuck replying from my phone until tomorrow or id look up the thread an link it. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2024, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850/180 "2024-03-21T05:02:35Z")
FWIW, there are oodles of YouTube videos about how to make kvass. It does look like an awful lot of work, and resources, for about a pint of cloudy orange liquid. It involves steeping rye bread and raisins, usually about 20 of them, in a liter or so of water, and then it’s strained a few times and allowed to ferment a while longer. It actually sounds like, in the long run, a better way to make vinegar. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-beverage/998850.md?page=10)