Review - Cranberry Sierra Mist

Bottler: PepsiCo

Calories per Ounce: 10.5

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: Cranberry flavored sodas are a staple of the Christmas season, but I happened to find a bottle of Cranberry Sierra Mist still sitting on the shelf at my local supermarket and I figured that it would be a decent idea to see if it was worth drinking even without the accompanying holiday cheer. The soda tastes pretty much like it is advertised, with a lemon lime base and an overlay of cranberry flavor. This mixture works fairly well in Cranberry Sierra Mist, as the cranberry flavor is prominent enough to give the soda a fairly satisfying tartness. Ice mutes the cranberry flavor, leaving behind something that tastes a lot like ordinary Sierra Mist, which seems to me to be a step backwards. Unfortunately, ice cream almost completely washes away any of the cranberry flavor, leaving behind a fairly ordinary tasting lemon-line soda float. By itself, this is a mildly interesting variant, but when one adds almost anything to it, the variant nature is hidden, leaving just a fairly ordinary Sierra Mist behind.

Review - Lorina Sparkling Coconut-Lime

Bottler: Ets Geyer Freres

Calories per Ounce: 11.25

Caffeine: I don't think so

Aaron's Comments: When it is drunk out of the bottle Lorina Sparkling Coconut-Lime has an extremely prominent coconut flavor - so prominent that opening the bottle immediately produces a strong and pleasant coconutty scent. The soda itself tastes mostly of coconut, but has an undercurrent of lime that is quite nice. Like many other European sodas, Lorina Sparkling Coconut-Lime is heavy on the carbonation, tasting more or less like club soda with flavoring added, with a light, crisp taste. Adding ice brings the lime flavor more to the forefront, resulting in a nice blend of the two flavors. Ice cream seems to mellow both of the flavors of the soda to such an extent that they are barely noticeable in an ice cream float, which was something of a disappointment.

Review - Bubble Up

Bottler: Dad's Root Beer Company

Calories per Ounce: 13.3

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: Bubble Up is a lemon-lime flavored soda, in the same general vein as Sprite or Seven-Up. It bears some resemblance to those more popular sodas, but it has a more pronounced lemon-lime taste, and a slightly heavier feel. Over ice, it lightens considerably and achieves a crisp freshness that is quite pleasant.When ice cream is added, it lives up to its name, foaming quite a bit more than most other sodas. Once the bubble receded, what is left is a very lemony-vanilla float that is pretty good. Bubble Up isn't substantially better than competitors like Sprite or Sierra Mist, and certainly not enough of a flavor improvement that I would recommend going out and hunting for it in lieu of such options, but if it is an available option, I would probably choose it over the others.

Review - Cranberry Sprite

Bottler: Coca-Cola Company.

Calories per Ounce: 12

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: Some time around September, it seems that every soft drink manufacturer who makes some sort of lemon-lime or ginger ale type soda puts out a cranberry flavored version of their drink. The Coca-Cola Company's entry into this field is Cranberry Sprite, which doesn't really work as well as one might think. Sprite itself has a pretty dominant lemon-lime flavor, and to make the added cranberry noticeable the manufacturer had to really make it overpowering. The result is a drink that is very lemon, very lime, and very cranberry all at the same time, which is a melange of flavor that is just barely tolerable. Ice seems to mute the cranberry flavor, leaving behind something that mostly just tastes like regular Sprite, which is something of a disappointment. Adding ice cream simply overpowers the cranberry flavor, leaving behind nothing but a regular Sprite and vanilla flavored ice cream float. This isn't bad, as a Sprite and vanilla flavored ice cream float is still pretty tasty, but given that this is supposed to be Cranberry Sprite, it is pretty disappointing.

Review - Cicero Beverage Company Chicago Style Lime Soda

Bottler: Cicero Beverage Company

Calories per Ounce: 14.2

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: I'm not sure that Cicero Beverage Company's Chicago Style Lime Soda actually tastes like lime. On the other hand, I'm not sure what else it tastes like either. It tastes a little bit like lime, but it doesn't have the usual tartness associated with a lime soda. It also tastes a little bit like the mint found in Creme de Menthe liquor, but only a little bit. It kind of hints at the same sort of flavor as a lime snow cone, but even that doesn't really describe the flavor. Mostly, it tastes green. Adding ice doesn't change the flavor or make what that flavor is any clearer. Adding ice cream results in an even odder result, as the vanilla more or less overwhelms what little "lime" flavor the soda has. There's a hint of green flavor here and there among the vanilla ice cream, but for the most part the soda's flavor kind of vanishes when it is used as an ice cream float.

By the way, the bright green in the picture is from the soda. The bottle is clear.

Angela's Comments: There's not really any flavor there. Maybe it tastes like a green ice pop. It looks like it should be treated as if it were radioactive.

Review - Bundaberg Lemon Lime & Bitters

Bottler: Bundaberg Brewed Drinks

Calories per Ounce: 13.9

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: Bundaberg Lemon Lime & Bitters advertises itself as containing 6% lemon and lime juice, which would cause one to think that it would have a more intense lemon and lime flavor. This supposition is correct, although this may be disconcerting for people who are used to the artificial lemon-lime flavor of sodas like Sprite or Sierra Mist. The punchy and tart lemon and lime flavor is accompanied by a nicely bitter aftertaste. Adding ice brings all of these flavors to the fore, and makes me think that this would be an excellent drink to use as a substitute for lemon or lime juice in a mixed drink, such an alternative form of whiskey sour. When ice cream is added, the lemon and lime flavors stay strong, but the bitterness is overcome by the sweetness of the ice cream. This combination results in a quirky, but fairly tasty ice cream float.

A Big Thank You to Dustin

I went to Gen Con this past week and received a gift that I knew was coming and yet was entirely unexpected. Dustin of the Undergophers was involved in the discussions that led to the creation of this blog. Prior to Gen Con, he told me that he intended to bring me a care package of sodas from various outlets near where he lives. So I knew he was bringing me some sodas to review. What I didn't know was that he was bringing me two whole boxes of sodas. I simply didn't know the scale of his generosity, and I am so very grateful to him. This gift is without a doubt the most substantial gift anyone has ever given me as a result of my blogging. On my book blog Dreaming About Other Worlds I frequently get offered (and often accept) review copies of books. But those aren't gifts. The books are being offered to me with the expectation that I will read and review them - a benefit to the publisher and author. So there is something of a quid pro quo there. But this gift from Dustin is in a completely different category, and I am using this post to publicly express my gratitude at his magnanimity.

Review - Stewart's Key Lime Soda

Bottler: Dr. Pepper

Calories per Ounce: 15

Caffeine: No

Aaron's Comments: Stewart's seems to have a knack for taking things that are normally food and distil the essence of their flavor into liquid form. In this case, Stewart's has taken a slice of key lime pie and bottled it as a soda. And it is quite a good soda, with, as one would expect, a strong lime flavor. Serving the soda over ice has the effect of enhancing the lime flavor. As an ice cream float the lime flavor mixes well with the vanilla from the ice cream, resulting in an experience that is much like actually eating a key lime pie, albeit one made of ice cream and lime soda.