Any soda lovers here?

electronjohn

electronjohn

Plug it in & see!!
Subscriber
I noted in the "favorite bourbon" thread some lamentations about the taste of modern Coke as opposed to the Coke of yore. And, as mentioned, high fructose corn syrup is the villian here. If there's a Hispanic market near your, stop in and pick up a 500ml bottle of Mexican Coke. Chill to near-freezing, and guzzle away. Labels on most bottles I've had show "high-fructose corn syrup and/or cane sugar". The fructose content seems to vary from batch to batch (probably connected to market prices), and some bottles taste just like 50's and 60's Coke. A little less carbonation, too.

On the subject of colas...some of my faves:
First...even though the current product is inferior...Coke still beats Pepsi.
The aforementioned Mexican Coke
Boylan's Cane Cola: The real deal...nummy
Red Rock Cola: More vintage taste
Jones Vanilla Cola: Technically not a true cola, but it beats Vanilla Coke hands down.
On the subject of Jones products: Other than the blueberry, Jones weird flavors are just that: weird.
I don't know if it's made anymore...haven't found any in a long time, but Stewart's Draft Cola is delicious. Same goes for RC Premium Draft.

Cherry "Pop" (as we call soda here in the Midwest) has always been a weakness of mine, and there's some goodies out there:
Boylan's Black Cherry: Like all Boylan's products, super-nummy
Jones Cherry: Very cherry
Hank's Wishniak Black Cherry: Tarter than most, good black cherry flavor
Cool Mountain Black Cherry: On the sweet side...good cherry flavor, though
Cheerwine: I've only had one bottle...wish I had a case!
Frostie Cherry Limeade: Just like it sez: cherry with lime. Tasty
Other flavors:
Faygo Rock & Rye: A cross between cola and cream soda with a hint of fruit flavor...absolutely delicious
Kentucky Nip: A non-alcoholic mint julep...very guzzleable
Grapette: A delicious grape pop
Grape Nehi: Radar O'Reilly's beverage of choice, and I can see why

Citrus:
Orangina: Though technically not a "pop", Orangina is one of the most refreshing drinks to come down the pike in a long time.
Kickapoo Joy Juice: Back when I was a kid, the big battle was between this and Mountain Dew. Kickapoo's still made...comes in a 12oz longneck. Not as sweet as Dew
Green River: Another oldie, along the lines of Dew and Kickapoo. Made since 1919 in Illinois.
Stewart's Key Lime: Like drinking pie. Num
Orange Crush: Icy cold, in a 12 oz longneck, of course. Pound one after mowing the lawn
Nesbitt's Orange: Still the real deal...12 oz longneck, of course
Buddy's Orange: Made in New Ulm, Mn...delicious
Sundrop: Most refreshing

Root Beer:
When I was a kid, I used to help bale hay for a neighbor. About mid-afternoon, his wife would come out to the hayfield with a galvanized bucket full of bottles of Mason's Root Beer on ice. Chug one immediately, then stick another between a couple of bales for a little later. Still one of the best...real "rooty" taste
Hires: Yep...still made...still the real deal. 12oz longnecks, of course
Frostie: A classic Root Beer. Made my grandson a float with Frostie...he's chuggin' away, then turns to me and says "Grampa, this root beer makes my eyes feel funny!" We all know the feeling
1919: You can get this stuff in 8 gal kegs!! Tap it up!
IBC: Another root beer with a vintage taste. Family Dollar sells 2 16oz cans for a buck

Cream Soda:
Another weakness of mine. Some good ones include:
Sprecher's: From Wisconsin, the recipe incorporates honey. A very smooth, creamy cream soda...lower carbonation, too
Stewart's Cream Ale: What can I say? Nummy!
Boylan's: Like all other Boylan's products, very very good
Stewart's Orange & Cream: Like chugging a Dreamsicle. Num
Canfield's Swiss Cream: Anothe classic cream soda..excellent taste

Most of these don't get wide distribution. Many upscale supermarkets will feature a good selection...or you can order online from BeveragesDirect or Pop!theSodaShoppe ( and pay big shipping)

A gin & tonic's great...can't beat a cold beer...but there's something about an icy cold bottle of really good pop that takes you right back to your kid days.
 
Register to hide this ad
Speaking of Mexican pop, I recently had a couple of different kinds of Boing! brand pop and it was really good.

Cream soda... I'm a fan of these too. Dr. Browns is another one that's good.

I have also had some in Venezuela called Kolita. (It's my wife's favorite pop.) It's a red cream soda.

I used to really like going to Woolworth's when I was a kid and getting a "cherry" coke, which was actually made with grenadine syrup, but it still tasted good. :)

You missed one important root beer - A&W. The local A&W used to serve it in a frosted mug and it was so cold it made your stomach hurt if you drank it too fast, but boy did it taste good on a hot summer day.
 
Have not heard of Frostie root beer since I was a kid. I remember it because they were one of the last to use a pull tab on the cans. Still had to use a can opener (think Hershey syrup can, all you young folks).

I need to find some. My kids will love the story that goes along with it.

I grew up in Western NY. Definitely "pop" country. I remember there was a store that opened for a while, called The Pop Shop. That's all they did.

Dan
 
Coke and Diet Coke are blended for specific regions of the world and their different tastes. So for me, Diet Coke here is very different from Coca Lite in Pont du Garde France and Coca Diet in Cancun Mexico.

As for US Diet Coke I go through about two cases (24) a week on average.
 
stuartk said:
You missed one important root beer - A&W. The local A&W used to serve it in a frosted mug and it was so cold it made your stomach hurt if you drank it too fast, but boy did it taste good on a hot summer day.
Click to expand...

My older sisters both were both car hop's at A@W when they were in high school and that was the best perk on the job. Best of all were the root beer floats in those same mugs.

[
 
How could you mention Sprecher's Cream Soda, but not their Root Beer...? :scratch2:

and yeah... the old A&W root beer out of the tap into those big milk carton-like containers sure brings back memories. Dog 'n Suds drive-ins around Chicago had good root beer too, especially tasty with their chili dogs and fries... :yes:
 
I used to order kegs of Sprecher's root beer for some events I catered in North Carolina. Folks there had never tasted anything like it. It is probably the best root beer I have had.

Dan
 
Quite a few Mexican markets in my area. I don't drink soda that often anymore, but when the desire strikes, I head for one and get a REAL Coke or Pepsi from Mexico! They're still in nice heavy glass bottles too!
 
Rocdad...I don't know if there are any Pamida stores in your area...but that's where I found Frostie Root Beer, along w/Frostie Cherry Limeade and Blue Cream. Sorry I neglected Sprecher's Root Beer..I'd only had their cream soda. And, regarding A&W...gotta go to the drive-in if you want the real deal.
 
Canada Dry used to make a carbonate fruit punch called "Tahitian Treat". Can't find it anymore though. Wonder if they still make it? Used to love that stuff....
 
sleddogman said:
and yeah... the old A&W root beer out of the tap into those big milk carton-like containers sure brings back memories. Dog 'n Suds drive-ins around Chicago had good root beer too, especially tasty with their chili dogs and fries... :yes:
Click to expand...

Oh, that's right! I had forgotten about those cartons. :)

Yes, lots of memories there. :D
 
Many years ago, we had carbonated lemon-lime Gatorade down here in GA. The stuff was great. One of my all time favorites is German Fanta Orange. It's closer to carbonated OJ than the typical orange soda in this country.
 
Just give me an ice cold coke in the small bottle. Used to be 6 1/2 oz.s now its 8. Glass is thinner. Kill it in one swallow and you will have tears in your eye's.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom