Root Beer Shave Ice at Remix

Just a reminder that Remix in St. Paul (2042 Marshall Ave) still has a fun little soda selection...

As well as some TASTY shave ice! I recently had to get some root beer and vanilla:

You can order popcorn and other treats online, but stop in Wednesday through Sunday to get some shave ice! And here are some pictures from last summer of more shave ice at Remix.

Making Root Beer Ribbon Candies

Logan's Candies shared a video of how they make their root beer ribbon candy:


Direct link: https://youtu.be/K3AUb6D6oN4?si=T_qYuuBemJ-G8zvt

The Potions Cauldron "Witches Brew" Blue Grape Soda

This was $5.99 for a single bottle, but I HAD to try it:

When you tap and then spin the bottle, this happens:

Brand: The Potions Cauldron "Witches Brew" Blue Grape Soda.

Origin: York, England.

Purchase Place: Grandpa Joe's Candy Shop, Spring Lake Park, MN.

Sweetener: Sucralose.

Review: This was an experience. My boys and I all thought it had good grape flavor and a lot of sweetness - this was a "kids" soda and not an "adult" soda. The flavor was pleasant and it wasn't TOO sweet. The experience of the swirling soda was fun, but I don't know if it was $6 worth of fun. The flavor was good though, and it went down real easy for all of us!

Score: 8.5 out of 10.

Galvanina Organic Cola

On a camping / mountain biking trip recently, I found this fun bottle of cola - I loved the "embossed" glass:

Yes, that's my boys eating ice cream in the background!

A good head!

Brand: Galvanina Organic Cola.

Origin: Remini, Italy.

Purchase Place: Victual, Crosby, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was a deeply flavored cola. The first part of the sip tasted like any regular cola, but the end of each sip had a deeper and herby flavor. It was very unique, and all of my family who tried it thought it was good (both my boys, along with my sister and my nephew). But we also all agreed that we wouldn't regularly spend $5.50 on this soda like we did at Victual in the cute mountain biking town of Crosby, MN. Fun, unique, and a quality cola.

Score: 8 out of 10.

Northern Soda Company Mrs. Sippy: 1950's Style Spiced Cherry Cream Soda

I grabbed this from Remix recently:

An afternoon treat for me!!

Brand: Northern Soda Company Mrs. Sippy: 1950's Style Spiced Cherry Cream Soda.

Origin: Arden Hills, MN.

Purchase Place: Remix Popcorn, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: First of all, nice play on "Mississippi" (as "Mrs. Sippy") with a paddleboat on the front of the label. Clever. Secondly, the flavor: it was good! It's the best version of what I thought "spiced cherry cream soda" could be. (It's a BIT like a extra fruity Dr. Pepper, but just a little.) The "spiced" bit hits first - it's like an herby note to start each sip. And then it ends with an almost subtle super smooth cherry flavor - something I would definitely call "cherry creme" and not just "cherry." I was afraid this flavor could be too over-powering, but it's not. It's very smooth and goes down easy. It's sweet without being overly sweet. Very unique flavor that DOES taste old fashioned. I love a good unique soda!

Score: 8.5 out of 10.

How to Find "Lift Bridge Brewing" at the MN State Fair

 Lift Bridge brewing came out with a comprehensive list of where you can find their drinks (both alcoholic and soda-based) at the upcoming MN State Fair. They posted this on their Facebook page:

You can find more info and a complete list on their website - and I love the designs of these "posters!"

Northwoods "The Squeeze:" Lime Mint Soda Water

I think when I grabbed this, I thought it was soda, but it was unsweetened flavored water:

Brand: Northwoods "The Squeeze:" Lime Mint Soda Water.

Origin: Williamsburg, MI.

Purchase Place: Grandpa Joe's Candy Shop, Spring Lake Park,  MN.

Sweetener: None.

Review: I *think* I thought this was a NorthSTAR and not a NorthWOODS soda when I grabbed it. (And I thought it WAS a soda and not a water.) Oh well. The label was cool and pulled me in. The first sip reminded me of La Croix Lime (or lemon?) that I got from my uncle as a kid. So that was decent. And then each sip ended with that hint of mint flavor, and that was a nice combo with the lime. Not nearly as sweet as a soda (obviously), but still a fun drink.

Score: 6.5 out of 10.

Barq's Frozen Root Beer and Vanilla Ice Cream Float

We saw these at Aldi the other week, and had to grab a box:

These are creamy and delicious! They don't really taste like a root beer float, but it's a tasty root beer-flavored ice cream treat. I first had these 4 years ago, and they're just as great today!

Northern Sodas at Target

The Target in the Midway neighborhood of St. Paul has a nice assortment of Northern Sodas:

Pepsi Nitro Draft Cola

"Nitrogen-infused cola?!?" I just had to grab this when I saw it:

Chill, "pour hard," and then "admire" and enjoy? Intriguing!

Lots of long-lasting head.

The final pour was 80% foam!

Tearing open the can afterwards to find the nitrogen dispenser at the bottom.

Brand: Pepsi Nitro Draft Cola.

Origin: Purchase, NY.

Purchase Place: Kowalski's Market, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Review: The "crack" of opening this can was loud! It startled my wife! I then poured it "hard" (as instructed) into a few glasses for my family to enjoy. It had bigger and longer-lasting head than normal, but nothing too dramatic. 

But it WAS more dramatic in the flavor - it added a real smoothness (almost creaminess) to the Pepsi flavor. This was really good, and very unique on the tongue (if that doesn't sound too pretentious - talking about "mouth feel"). There was a "vanilla cola" version of this next to it at Kowalski's, and I'm thinking about stopping back to try that as well. Very interesting, very tasty, and a bit of a different experience than just a "normal" cola. On taste alone, I'd call this a 9, but I'm almost bumping it up to a 9.5 because of the interesting and foamy head.

Score: 9 out of 10.