Gourmet Soda (12 reviews)
Caruso's Legacy Gourmet Soda Robusto Root Beer
The Caruros are a family that means business, just look at that photo. The man looks like he’s a pleasant enough chap, who enjoys a good time, but his wife looks as if she doesn’t take guff from anyone. It is because of this combination that they were able to achieve and uphold a level of quality in their sodas.
With this root beer they were not out to invent something new, they wanted to keep things tasting classic, and to make it in the same way. Many companies nowadays use “root beer extract” or some such thing to get a generic root beer taste. When companies do that their product suffers from mediocrity. The Carusos took their time perfecting a formula and then ran with it. It’s full bodied with a nice wintergreen aftertaste. When I got closer to the bottom of the bottle it had a kind of woodsy flavor that reminds me a lot of the Sprecher sodas. This blows their root beer out of the water though.
Now go and wash up. It’s dinnertime and you don’t want to keep Mrs. Caruso waiting.
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- Pure Cane Sugar
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Jason Draper on 5/21/2012
- Comments
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Jelly Belly Gourmet Soda Crushed Pineapple
One thing I would like to do before I die is chop a pineapple down from a tree and eat it. I guess I could have someone more skilled get it down for me but I want it inside of me no more than two minutes after it came down from the tree. That's a fresh pineapple. I want it. I don't think that's a dramatic request. I can catch it, even though I am aware it might hurt me. It's like a slightly spikey, oddly shaped football. I love pineapple, though and want a fresh one. No more of this out of season garbage. Fresh, son.
This pop, although probably distant from a fresh pineapple, tastes a lot like pineapple. Not quite carbonated pineapple juice, but close. It's very sweet. You should not drink this alone. It's not destructive in its calories content at a pretty standard 120, but it is sweet, man.
Who knows, a fresh pineapple might not be that far away. I don't have any plans to travel to an exotic paradise any time soon but in the scheme of things, even five years isn't that long to have to wait for hopefully the best pineapple I will ever have in my life.
- Website
- http://www.jellybelly.com/
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- Cane Sugar
- Categories
- Soda Pop
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Mike Literman on 5/18/2012
- Comments
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Best Health's Gourmet Soda Raspberry
Mark, I quit. I thought this was going to be a dream job for me, but everything went wrong. Dealing with soda day in and out is what fills my mind grapes as I sleep. You know how people count sheep to help them fall asleep? Well, I count soda bottles. I know it sounds insane, but it’s my passion. The thing is I can’t have my work be a lie. When I submitted my resume to Best Health I believed this company believed in the betterment of the state of our fellow man’s health. I suppose it’s my fault that I didn’t do more research on the company, but I really thought that what we made here was going to be carbonated fruit juice with no sweetener added. That is what I think of when I think of healthy soda. That’s not what we make here at all though. What we produce and peddle is flavored sugar water with some bubbles in it. Actually the bubbles aren’t a part of the problem at all. They are actually pretty great. The problem is that this soda isn’t even close to healthy. Sure it’s better for people that corn syrup sweetened soda, but what isn’t? On top of that our flavors aren’t even that grape. I’m really only basing this statement off of our raspberry flavor. When it’s in your mouth it is just sugar soda. There is only the smallest tinge of fruit flavor. When you swallow it does have a generic berry aftertaste, but that’s not what a good soda is. Mark, I really think this company needs a complete overhaul, and unless that begins now I’m walking out that door and never looking back.
Sir I assure you that no matter what number you write down it’s not going to change my mind. Fine write it down and then I’m out that door. Oh wow! A quarter raise?! If you need me I’ll be down in the bottling area. We can’t afford to miss a single shipment!
- Website
- http://www.brooklynbottling.com
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- Cane Sugar
- Categories
- Soda Pop
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Jason Draper on 1/30/2012
- Comments
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Langers Gourmet Soda Vanilla Cream
Jimmy, I thought you said you were going to help me make some cookies. If you want to eat them you're going to help making them. No you can't just wash the dishes afterwards. You said you would do that last time, and when I went to put the dishes in the drying rack away, everything was covered in dough. Jimmy, you're a terrible dish washer. It's a good thing you're smart, because a career in the restaurant business would be short lived for you. Just crack those eggs in that bowl. Jesus, don't just throw the eggs in the bowl! Crack them on the side and drop the insides into the bowl. You don't want the shell in there. I mean who wants crunchy parts in their cookies? You know what? Just get the vanilla extract down from the cupboard.
What are you doing?!?!? Don't drink that! That's disgusting! How are you not vomiting from that? So gross! What? It tastes like that vanilla cream soda you got down at the store? What kind of pop are you drinking? Langers? Remind me to stay away from that. I like cream soda as much as the next mom, but it really shouldn't taste like slightly watered down vanilla extract. That is for cookies and the occasional coffee cake.
- Website
- http://www.langers.com/
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- Sugar
- Categories
- Soda Pop
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Jason Draper on 1/3/2012
- Comments
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Flathead Lake Monster Gourmet Soda Huckleberry
Leave it to huckleberry to be the standout in a completely average line of sodas. Now don't get all upset, I didn't say they were bad. Every flavor I've had has been decent, but they just don't stand up and yell in my face that I need to drink them again or else they may kill my entire family with their awesomeness. I think it's also safe to say that if huckleberry was a more common flavor this would also seem mediocre, but as it stands I've only had two other companies version of this fruit pop. This may be my least favorite of the three, but I would still choose it over almost all other "every day" pops. The flavor falls somewhere between grenadine and grape. It's like a Shirley Temple with a splash of grape juice mixed in, except you know....better than it sounds.
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- High Fructose Corn Syrup
- Categories
- Soda Pop
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Jason Draper on 12/6/2011
- Comments
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Best Health's Gourmet Soda Root Beer
The name of this company, "Best Health's" reminds me of the early days where people would sell everything as "medicine". Buy this gasoline. It's sure to keep you more alert than a jumpin' jackrabbit. This here opium will keep you warm at night and make sure the bed bugs don't bite.
This may have been sold as a medicine disguiser, as I think pop originally was, but this is just smuggling gallons of vanilla. It's a dark root beer, that's for truth. It's good. There isn't any bite and it's fairly smooth, but it's not so common so have so much vanilla in a root beer.
Alright, one more...dentists are for fools, brush with this metal bristle brush and be sure to scrape those foul smelling odors away.
- Website
- http://www.brooklynbottling.com
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- Cane Sugar
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Mike Literman on 11/14/2011
- Comments
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Carousel Gourmet Soda Watermelon
Some pop is strange. You have certain expectations for the way that it tastes. Then, when you actually take a sip, it doesn't abide by your crazy made-up rules. Suddenly, rudely, when you burp, those expectations are met. To drink a bottle of pop that you need to burp to get what you want out of it seems fun, but the ratio of drinking to burping is very far off. Unless you're completely disgusting or completely alone, you aren't going to get your money's worth of burps out of pop.
This drink is right there. To drink, it's sweet and lightly watermelon'd. Then you burp and BAM! Candied watermelon or watermelon candy. Whichever you choose. I have not been very impressed by any watermelon pop or any of Carousel's drinks. I won't stop drinking them but there hasn't been one that I would go back to or even recommend. If you like them, speak up, but there are plenty of other companies that just moderately blow my socks off that I don't feel bad leaving this by the wayside.
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- Sugar and or Corn Sweetener
- Categories
- Soda Pop
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Mike Literman on 11/11/2011
- Comments
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Jelly Belly Gourmet Soda Strawberry Jam
When you're a kid and it's Easter time jellybeans take a backseat only to Peeps (yes I am one of those strange people that prefers stale Peeps). As you get older jellybeans lose their allure. In fact they become just a step above gross. Then you discover a little company called Jelly Belly and your interest in jellybeans is renewed. Best of all they are available all year and they are "gourmet."
When I first saw Jelly Belly sodas I thought to myself "Self that sure sounds gross, over sugary candy pop is not something we are fans of." I got some for the site though for the sake of the website. When I finally got around to drinking it I discovered that they can do the same for sugary fake fruit sodas as they did for sugary fake fruit candy. Is it sweet? You bet your butt it is, but more importantly it tastes like strawberries. This actually tastes just like a real sweet strawberry jam. I certainly can't complain about a pop that delivers exactly what it promises, and neither should you.
- Website
- http://www.jellybelly.com/
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- Cane Sugar
- Categories
- Soda Pop
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Jason Draper on 10/5/2011
- Comments
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Deerfield Trading Company Gourmet Soda Cream Soda
Son, come here. I want to show you something. Marky, you've done a wonderful job on my lawn. I want to reward you. I know I don't say it a lot, but you're a good kid. I've thought long and hard about it and I want to give you this, a bottle of Deerfield Trading Company cream soda. I know it's not much but...what? Marky, what did you say to me? Yes, it's new. Yes, I did get it at Walgreen's. No I didn't pick it up today, I picked it up yesterday. Yes, it was under two dollars.
Marky, you are an ungrateful brat. All I asked you to do is pull up the weeds in my garden, till the soil, mulch, trim the hedges, cut back the rose bushes, mow the lawn, weed whack and edge the entire yard, prune the trees, water the lawn, wash the dog, get the mail, paint the house, fix the sink, get me a Whopper, make some soup, get my prescription, judge a pie eating contest, milk the cows, take my shirts to the cleaners, put air in my bike tires, put air in my car tires, put air in my tractor tires, and put air in my pool floaties. I was going to pay you twenty dollars American. American, Marky! Now I up the ante and give you this potentially delicious cream soda and this is how you treat me? Just take it.
It's good isn't it? Eh?! Eh?! What's wrong with it?! It does taste a little thick and the vanilla does come on a bit strong. Strange, Marky, but yes, burps taste a bit strange. Marky, I'm sorry. Perhaps this wasn't the "thank you" gift you deserved. A simple "thank you" would suffice, though. Oh, well that's sweet of you to say. Now get back to work. I noticed some things on that list that aren't done.
- Website
- http://www.walgreens.com
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- Sugar
- Categories
- Soda Pop
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Mike Literman on 9/11/2011
- Comments
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Caruso's Legacy Gourmet Soda Maraschino Cherry Cola
I always thought it was great when you would go to a diner and you could get Cherry Coke, but it wasn't made that way, they just added cherry syrup to the regular Coke. It always tasted better than the Cherry Coke you buy in bottles/cans.
Caruso's Legacy has taken this a step further, or actually backwards. When diners first began doing this they would use the juice from maraschino cherries to flavor the cola. Nowadays it's a cherry syrup that is manufactured expressly for this purpose, and it's not the same.
This bottle I hold in my hand is more like the original. A cola that is made with cane sugar instead of a gross syrup with maraschino cherry "juice." It tastes like something you would make for a little kid at a family party, and I am all for that. Someone in my family used to make "kiddie cocktails" which were just cherry juice and a random soda. I loved them then, and I love them now. I actually made one at my mom's birthday party a few weeks ago.
If you're a fan of Cherry Coke, put down the swill you're drinking and pick up one of these. You'll never look back.
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- Pure Cane Sugar
- Categories
- Soda Pop
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Jason Draper on 8/24/2011
- Comments
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