We have some root beer in the fridge but I rarely have any. It’s there for my wife. Unless we’re on the road I don’t normally bother with soft drinks. Coffee’s my mainstay.
When we’re traveling and I go into a stop-and-rob I look for (in order):
– Ginger Ale (Seagram’s or Canada Dry)
– Fresca
– Root Beer
– 7-Up or Sprite
– Cheerwine
– and usually wind up settling for Dr. Pepper
Otherwise, if all that is unavailable, I’ll settle for a hi-test Coke. Or Pepsi.
Is IBC considered mainstream? If not, then IBC cream soda.
Yep. By the same token, Dublin Dr. Pepper.
Anyone who is skeptical: set up your own blind taste test, either of these products, poured from glass bottles, against the mainstream HFCS version of same, poured from any container you like.
Crush makes all kinds of regional flavours in Canada - Pineapple Crush from Newfoundland is the most common one, but I think I’ve seen birch flavoured Crush as well (never had it). The pineapple pop is delicious but unbelievably sweet. A coworker brought a can in to the office and four of us split it - three ounces seems to be the limit that you can drink before you instantly develop diabetes on the spot.
I also looooove Jarritos, but it’s pretty hard to find in Canada, and like $3 a bottle when you do find it. Booo!
Ginger Beer (any brand). Ideally with some vodka added.
Inca Cola from Peru. I believe Peru is the only country were the top drink is neither Coke nor Pepsi.
Jolt. Not the fancy-pants guarana taurine make your testicles shrink energy dreck, good ol’ fashioned over-caffinated Jolt Cola
[QUOTE=Kyla]
Mexican Coke. It’s Coke, but it’s better than regular Coke.
[/QUOTE]
It’s because they use pure cane sugar in the recipe still. Mexican Pepsi tastes better than regular Pepsi as well, for the same reason (plus they still bottle it in those thick glass bottles which I think makes everything taste better).
-XT
Buffalo Rock Ginger Ale. It’s only sold in Birmingham, Alabama (and surrounds), and it’s lovely. It’s very heavy on the ginger, to the point that it’s nearly as spicy as Blenheim, but it’s softened by a deep, rich, dark molasses-like flavor. Blenheim is all spice, but too sharp and light on the ginger flavor. Buffalo Rock is superb by itself, or (especially) as a mixer with bourbon.
Wow! Thanks! I’m emailing them now.
Moxie, Sioux City Sarsaparilla, Dublin Dr. Pepper.
Sidral Mundet - sugar sweetened Mexican apple soda. Like Martinelli’s, but less fancy.
Is it anything like the old “Aspen” clear apple soda? I feel in LOVE with that as a kid, and was excited to see that Wendy’s had picked it up as a fountain soda. Alas, it is now just a memory.
This puts me in mind of another one I used to love, and, alas, haven’t seen in years: Apple Beer!
I’m delighted to find that you can order it online!
I had a can of that once and I seem to recall it being yellow, which I thought was kind of strange for something labeled a cola.
Didn’t really taste like cola to me, either. Have to say, I’m not a fan at all. Too syrupy for me.
Never had sugared Dr [no period, btw] Pepper…but I’ve had the sugared Coca-Cola, and you know what? I don’t like it. It’s not as smooth as the HFCS version, and, sorry to say, sugar Coke tastes like Pepsi, and I hate Pepsi. Give me the HFCS Coca-Cola any day.
My favorite non-mainstreams:
Moxie Cream Soda – the best factory-made cream soda I ever had! I ordered that via someone’s Yahoo! store a few times.
The cream soda they make at the Old Town School of Folk Music. It’s relatively expensive, but WORTH IT. I grab one before my class every week. They have an alternate that the guy who runs the stand calls a “brown calf,” which is cream soda, but with root beer instead of soda water. Good stuff!
Green River. Basically, fizzy lime Kool-Aid. I didn’t know it’s a Chicago invention, but it is. Most stores only sell it around St. Patrick’s Day, but Ultra Foods, Binny’s, and the indie places typically keep it in stock fairly regularly. I know it’s also on the menu at Heaven On Seven and Hackney’s here in the city.
Berghoff’s root beer. My wife and I first tried it at the restaurant back in 2004, and damn, if it’s not the smoothest root beer we ever had! Thankfully, they typically sell it in the same stores where you can get Green River. It’s not QUITE restaurant-quality in the bottles, but it is pretty close.
Next thing I want to try is Club-Mate, but so far the only US distributor is via the magazine 2600, and you have to buy it by the case, and it’s pretty expensive (understandably, as it’s imported from Germany)…
Another San Pellegrino soda I like is aranciata amara, a fizzy orange drink but with a less sweet and more bitter taste.
Especially when it has a bubble gum flavor to it.