Mystery Soda

I opened this while the Vikings were playing losing yesterday afternoon: 

No, it's not an unknown "mystery soda" - it's actually CALLED "Mystery Soda." And after a glance at the ingredients list, I knew it was going to be wild:

Brand: Mystery Soda.

Origin: Spring Grove, MN.

Purchase Place: "Minnesota's Largest Candy Store," Jordan, MN.

Sweetener: Honey.

Review: When I took my first sip, I truly forgot about the ingredients list, and took a big sip as I would with a soda. AND I HAD A WHOLE BODY SHIVER. (And not in a good way.) I hate kombucha, and all that apple cider vinegar in that soda sure had that kombucha "burn" that I dislike. All I can taste is "burn." There's no mystery here, just the taste of death. Sharp bitter mouth death.

Score: 1 out of 10.

 

Briar's Lemonade Swirl

I opened this last night, not knowing with flavor "lemonade swirl" really was:

Brand: Briar's Lemonade Swirl.

Origin: South Brunswick, NJ.

Purchase Place: "Minnesota's Largest Candy Store," Jordan, MN.

Sweetener: Invert Sugar.

Review: I picked up 2 bottles of Briar's, and I didn't really enjoy the last one, so this was a big test for the brand. 

I'm happy to report that this one is better! It's a very unique flavor that's a mix of something like a "lemonade cream" (being very smooth for a lemon soda) and a classic "lemon sour" that you'd consider putting in a mixed drink. 

In fact, I got out some of my favorite "Elderflower Liqueur" (Cote Jolie brand) and mixed it 1 parts elderflower to 2 parts lemonade swirl and it was DELICIOUS. 

So if the idea of a smooth and almost creamy lemonade appeals to you (or if you think that sounds good in a mixed drink), then give this "lemonade swirl" a try!

Score: 8 out of 10.

Briar's Root Beer

I opened this while doing some classwork tonight: 

Brand: Briar's Root Beer.

Origin: South Brunswick, NJ.

Purchase Place: "Minnesota's Largest Candy Store," Jordan, MN.

Sweetener: Invert Sugar.

Review: After a big day, I was hoping for something tasty, but this wasn't fantastic. It was decently smooth, but had a slightly off aftertaste. It didn't have a ton of flavor which might have actually worked in its favor - the slightly off flavor wasn't too powerful which made it sippable. Nothing great, but it was OK. I'll rank this just below average.

Score: 4 out of 10.

Dad's Old Fashioned Red Cream Soda

I opened this earlier today before teaching my class at the U: 

In an empty classroom.

Brand: Dad's Old Fashioned Red Cream Soda.

Origin: Jasper, IN.

Purchase Place: "Minnesota's Largest Candy Store," Jordan, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: Is it a CREAM soda? Is it the flavor of the color RED? I still really don't know. The initial sip is smooth and creamy and pretty tasty with a hit of fruitiness (and I'm not just imagining that because it's red). But then it quickly turns "artificial" and kind of "wet cardboard" tasting. If it could capture and hold on to the initial flavor, it'd be more like an "8" for me. But all things considered (meaning the way the taste gets crappier at the end of each sip), it's being marked a bit lower.

Score: 6 out of 10.

Apple Rush Sparkling Apple

I opened this today, as it feels very fall-like around here suddenly:

Brand: Apple Rush Sparkling Apple.

Origin: Somewhere in Florida.

Purchase Place: "Minnesota's Largest Candy Store," Jordan, MN.

Sweetener: None.

Review: It's what you'd expect: it's sparkling apple cider. The carbonation is a fun (but not too crazy) addition to cider. Solid drink for this time of year.

Score: 7 out of 10.

Does No One Like Bottle Caps Candy?!?

Earlier this week, there were random piles of candy left at different study stations in the library of one of the universities where I teach. Today, I noticed that those (diminishing) piles were consolidated into one more public area, and ALL that was left were Bottle Caps:

I really like these, but does no one else?!? I grabbed 3 of these little packs, and I got a big percentage of the "cola" and "root beer" flavored ones, so I'm feeling good right now! 

Manhattan Special Black Cherry

I opened this tonight after a big day: 

 

Brand: Manhattan Special Black Cherry.  

Origin: Brooklyn, NY.

Purchase Place: "Minnesota's Largest Candy Store," Jordan, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This had a unique flavor. I sipped it before I looked at the ingredients, and then I noticed it has "vegetable juice for color" as the 3rd ingredient, and I swear I can taste that. It has a "natural/earthiness" to it. The black cherry flavor is somewhere between "black cherry" (but not quite) and some sort of "cherry cream" (but also not quite). It's a unique flavor that I have to give them credit for (they weren't just doing "another black cherry" soda), but not quite my thing. It was just OK.

Score: 5.5 out of 10.

The Best Way to Keep a Can of Soda from Exploding When Opened

My favorite YouTube duo is back again. Here they experiment with different ways to keep your soda from exploding all over you when you open it.


Direct link on Facebook (if the video above doesn't play): fb.watch/8Vbp9xwGT6/

That Facebook video is under 6 minutes and is just the good stuff. Here's the "full" video on YouTube which is a (TOO) long 18 minutes if you're interested:


Direct link: youtube.com/watch?v=944cu1HNWn8

Say what you will about Facebook, but I'm just happy that to best monitize videos for Facebook, they need to be severly edited down. And I generally prefer those major edits over long YouTube videos that take 3x as long getting to the same point...

Virgil's Handcrafted Black Cherry Soda

I opened this while in a little motel in Grand Marais recently (after picking it up at the local coop): 

On the stove of our little motel room on the North Shore.

Brand: Virgil's Handcrafted Black Cherry Soda.

Origin: Norwalk, CT.

Purchase Place: Cook County Whole Foods Co-Op, Grand Marais, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was quite rich. "Cough-syrup-like" as my wife said. It was sweet and tasty. It was NEARLY a "black cherry CREAM soda" as it was so creamy. That was the one thing I actually didn't care for that much. Other than that, it was pretty good! (If you like a sugary soda...)

Score: 6.5 out of 10.

A Weasel Walks Into a Bar...

This is BARELY soda-related: