Saranac Shirley Temple

I didn't have high hopes for this. I was ready for this to taste "artificial."

Brand: Saranac Shirley Temple.

Origin: Utica, NY.

Purchase Place: Frattallone's Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Review: It surprised me from the first sip - it was quite good! It nailed the "Shirley Temple" flavor as far as I'm concerned. It was very sweet without being too sugary or syrupy.

Score: 8.5 out of 10

Route 66 Black Cherry

So far, I've had good luck with "Route 66" sodas: I gave their Root Beer a 9 out of 10, and I gave their Lime Soda an 8 out of 10. So I was hoping their Black Cherry would live up to my past experiences with their sodas.

Brand: Route 66 Black Cherry.

Origin: Lebanon, MO.

Purchase Place: Frattallone's Ace Hardware, Burnsville, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This is pretty good. It's not too heavy or syrupy (which I actually LIKE in some sodas), and the flavor is spot on. It could have a BIT more punch, but that'd make some people like it more and some like it less - they seem to have taken the "middle road" and made a good soda to please a good number of people. It's a decent Black Cherry soda as it stands. I'd definitely have this again.

Score: 8 out of 10.

History of Soda Can Logos

I just came across a post (that's a few years old) with the history of some soda can designs :

I'm sad that the "bubbles" so prominent in the 7-Up design (in 1961 and 1980 - 1994) have disappeared.

And I prefer many of the older more simple designs.  The 1960s - 1970s have the most of my favorite designs above.  I like the 1965 and 1972 Crush cans and the 1990 7-Up can.  What do you like?

Hank's Gourmet Philadelphia Recipe Root Beer

On Father's Day, I was sent to Kowalski's Market to pick up a few things. I noticed a root beer with my son's name, and I thought it was appropriate to grab a bottle!

Nevermind the messy background - we were cooking a few big meals for the week!

Brand: Hank's Gourmet Philadelphia Recipe Root Beer.

Origin: Trevose, PA.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: At first sip, it was really smooth and strong on the vanilla. I liked it. But soon it became TOO smooth with too much vanilla. I'm surprised it wasn't labeled as "vanilla root beer." It was good, but it just became a bit too much. If you like "smooth," try this. If you like "bite," stay away.

Score: 5.5 out of 10.

Nesbitt's Orange

This looked promising. It's a brand that's been around a while, and the bottle looked the part:

Brand: Nesbitt's Orange.

Origin: Waco, TX.

Purchase Place: Frattallone's Ace Hardware, Burnsville, MN.

Sweetener: High Fructose Corn Syrup and Sugar.

Review: Average. It's orange soda that tastes like orange soda. It's not overly carbonated, and it's averagely smooth. I'd give this a "middle of the road" score of 5, but the taste is just a nice "classic" orange soda, that I feel like giving it a little boost.

Score: 6 out of 10.

Berghoff Root Beer

The label looked promising for this root beer:

Brand: Berghoff Root Beer.

Origin: Chicago, Illinois.

Purchase Place: Frattallone's Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was really tasty and pretty "classic" from the start. Very smooth, and a lot of vanilla. It left a little of a coating on the back of my throat which was the only real drawback. Otherwise, an all-around great root beer.

Score: 8.5 out of 10.

Coco Fizz Chocolate Soda

Chocolate soda?!? How could I NOT at least try it?

I didn't know what color it SHOULD be, but I was a little disturbed to see it was this light:

When the bottle first touched my lips, it was as good as it could be - it smelled and tasted like chocolate syrup. But it wasn't something I really wanted to keep drinking.


Brand: Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory's Coco Fizz Chocolate Soda.

Origin: Durango, CO.

Purchase Place: Frattallone's Ace Hardware, Burnsville, MN.

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar.

Review: My wife said it tasted like a liquid Tootsie Pop. I think it tastes a bit like that mixed with thin Hersey's Syrup. It tastes like chocolate, which is what is SHOULD taste like. But it's not very "drinkable" - it's only "sip-able." This would be a great novelty soda to try with friends or to give to a chocolate lover, but it's not something I see anyone going out to get a case of.  It's "fun" just like Lester's Fixins Bacon Soda or Sweat Corn Soda. I'll call this a similar "novelty" soda, but I'll give it a higher rating than either of those 2 sodas.

Score: 3.5 out of 10.

Frostie Cherry Limeade Soda

This sounded a bit suspicious...

Brand: Frostie Cherry Limeade Soda.

Origin: Detroit, Michigan.

Purchase Place: Frattallone's Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: High Fructose Corn Syrup and/or Sugar. (I hate labels like this - do they not know what's in there?!?)

Review: This was OK. It wasn't fantastic, but it was a good sugary soda. The "cherry" part of the "cherry limeade" tasted pretty good, but there was something oddly artificial about the "limeade" part. I didn't care for the sharpness in that. I'd have it again, but it was nothing special. I'll see how I feel about Frostie Root Beer when I have that in a few days...

Score: 6.5 out of 10.

Jarritos Mexican Cola

So I have to admit something... I've NEVER had a Jarritos soda before. Ever. Of any flavor. So I started with their Mexican Cola:

Brand: Jarritos Mexican Cola.

Origin: El Paso, TX.

Purchase Place: Frattallone's Ace Hardware, Burnsville, MN.

Sweetener: Sugar.

Review: I expected something "sharp," but it wasn't quite that. It had a smokiness to it that I can't really explain. It's like there was a little bit of smoky root beer (maybe a touch of cinnamon too?) added to cola. It's quite sweet too, but not overly sweet. If you like Coke or Pepsi, try this for a change. Many different deeper flavors than "regular" cola.

Score: 7.5 out of 10.