regional rarity soft drinks

Sam

Just wondering if there were any oddities that people were fans of. Obscure soft drinks are often some of the strongest memories I have associated with places, although it's mainly because said drinks are awesome.

If I might bring to attention honey-pear flavored Nestea, which I've only ever seen in Hong Kong, although I'm sure it's been market-tested elsewhere in Asia. Don't expect it to taste anything like iced tea-really, I'd say sweetened ice tea isn't really tea at all, but still makes for a refreshing drink- just think of it as a chilled non carbonated soda, definitely on the sweeter side, but not so much so that it's undrinkable. I'd say it's my favorite soft drink ever.

Yar

Floral-flavored Fanta in Japan. Yum.

Sam

floral fanta? hm. They also have chrysanthemum flavored iced tea in Hong Kong. That stuff is even sickly sweet- far sweeter than the Honey-pear, it's unbearable for me. Anyway, I've managed to buy it by accident a number of times because when you're in a hurry you can mistake the floral design on the juicebox for the lemon tea design (made by the same brand, Hi-C, which is coke owned but I don't think the products are the exact same elsewhere)

Tach

A buddy of mine has an obsession with trying every concevable generic version of Dr. Pepper on the North American continent. So far, he's up to about 15 or so.

I do so love Mt. Dew Live Wire. It has an awesomeness that can't be beat.

On the opposite end of that spectrum is Jones' Candy Corn Soda- expressly available during Sept/Oct. "Oh my god" awful. And it stains your skin. True story.

Yar

Yes, that flavor is called "Floral." It's like drinking flower soda. It's awesome.

SithDrummer

Tach wrote:

I do so love Mt. Dew Live Wire. It has an awesomeness that can't be beat.

Brother!

To contribute, I'm told that Big Red (red cream soda) isn't seen much outside of Texas and maybe a few other states. That drink is perfection in a can.

Sam

They have Barq's red creme soda at my college cafeteria here. Tastes like shit.

Generic soda is cool too. I never really drank it before college, but it's amazing how good Target soda tastes for the price it goes for. Dr. K is a great Dr. Pepper substitute as well.

ElJeffe

There's some asian soft-drink-thing that is a sickly-sweet liquid combined with a bunch of little chewy brown bits. The effect is more or less like drinking sugar water that a rabbit has crapped into. I don't recall what it was, but it was vile in just about every way in which a foodstuff can be vile. Taste, texture, aftertaste, look - you name it, and it failed at it.

jclast

Wildwood Red Soda. The only place I could ever find it was a local grocer in northern Illinois.

Sadly, that grocer got bought out by Schnuck's and now I can't even find it there.

TankHammer

I love buying 25-50cent sodas out of vending machines at cheap grocery stores. Nothing is more delicious than grape or orange soda sold under a generic name. Kicks the ass of any Sunkist or Fanta ever conceived.

Also, they have Paprika-flavored Pringles in Italy. They are tasty.

Elendil

Who is this Mr. Pibb fellow I keep hearing about?

DiscGrace

ElJeffe wrote:

There's some asian soft-drink-thing that is a sickly-sweet liquid combined with a bunch of little chewy brown bits. The effect is more or less like drinking sugar water that a rabbit has crapped into. I don't recall what it was, but it was vile in just about every way in which a foodstuff can be vile. Taste, texture, aftertaste, look - you name it, and it failed at it.

I think you're talking about bubble tea. It comes in different flavors, and depending on who you get it from, the taste can range from "delicious" to "my mouth has been raped by the fruit-flavored hordes of hell". The brown thingies are tapioca chunks.

There used to be a little fusion cafe in East Lansing that served an awesome sour apple version. I miss it so.

Doc

Whenever I go to Uwajimaya (believe it or not, bouillon and soba or udon noodles can be cheaper than ramen, and tastes way better) I try to pick up a random asian soda. The melon ones are pretty good.

ElJeffe

Elendil wrote:

Who is this Mr. Pibb fellow I keep hearing about?

You know that guy who's pretty good at everything, and is right decent chap overall, but he has this brother who's just a little bit better at everything, and who's even nicer, and who always attracts all the women? Dr. Pepper is that guy, and Mr. Pibb is that brother.

ElJeffe

DiscGrace wrote:

ElJeffe wrote:

There's some asian soft-drink-thing that is a sickly-sweet liquid combined with a bunch of little chewy brown bits. The effect is more or less like drinking sugar water that a rabbit has crapped into. I don't recall what it was, but it was vile in just about every way in which a foodstuff can be vile. Taste, texture, aftertaste, look - you name it, and it failed at it.

I think you're talking about bubble tea. It comes in different flavors, and depending on who you get it from, the taste can range from "delicious" to "my mouth has been raped by the fruit-flavored hordes of hell". The brown thingies are tapioca chunks.

That sounds about right. Sad to say, though, I don't think I could ever try another one.

Salvation122

Jones, sadly, is not yet availible everywhere.

Not a soft drink, but I'm told that Shiner Bock isn't availible most places, which is a goddamn shame.

Corvus

There aren't really any special regional only drinks in Canada

Soft drinks by Country

Though I do see that they've added caffeine to Mt. Dew here now.

I tried the Big 8 Soda listed under Canada there when I lived in Nova Scotia and it was awful. It was like someone had taken real pop and added a bunch of water. [/url]

Feral

Salvation122 wrote:

Jones, sadly, is not yet availible everywhere.

Not a soft drink, but I'm told that Shiner Bock isn't availible most places, which is a goddamn shame.

Also not a soft drink, but I wish Hardcore cider were more easily found on the west coast.

Gim

I don't know, is Cactus Cooler regional to southern California? *reads wiki* It looks that way. I quite enjoy the occasional Cactus Cooler.

There was this soft drink in Miami called Milca. A friend's family swore that it was really popular in Nicaragua. And since they were Nicaraguan, I ended up drinking a lot of the stuff. People outside that area said that it tasted like carbonated cough syrup. It was alright.

wwtMask

Shasta Strawberry-Peach soda is made with win. Too bad I can't find that brand here in Florida. Super Wal-Marts down here also sells a Mexican brand of sodas called Jaliscos that has melon and tamarind flavors, among others. Also, Jamaican Ginger Beer is delicious stuff.

Anonymous Robot

For a while, there was a soda by Sobe called Mr. Green. It tasted just like Dr Pepper, but it had ginseng and some other energy stuff in it. So good.

nexuscrawler

Good bubble tea is fabulous

TankHammer

Anonymous Robot wrote:

For a while, there was a soda by Sobe called Mr. Green. It tasted just like Dr Pepper, but it had ginseng and some other energy stuff in it. So good.

Downside? It was made from people.

Gorak

Coca Cola is the beverage by which all others shall be judged.

RoundBoy

I went to an asian market and pciked up an interesting can of soda called Sac-Sac.

It did *not* rock.

From the picture, it looked like grape soda (white grape, not purple soda)

What it actually was is clear grape soda, with the bottom filled with full, pealed green grapes.

To say I was suprised after tipping the can back to drain it would be an understatement

ReXX

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irn_bru
Scotland's other national drink

Officially it's "fruit flavoured", yet local folklore suggests that the taste comes from excess girders from the Clyde shipbuilding industry - hence the name. Irn-bru and vodka is actually a popular drink over here. Also comes in a diet variety which tastes even stranger than the original.

Gorak

ReXX wrote:

"Made in Scotland, from girders"[/accent]

That's the only regional soft drink from the UK that I know of. Most of our regional drinks are alcoholic.

TankHammer

Gorak wrote:

ReXX wrote:

"Made in Scotland, from girders"[/accent]

That's the only regional soft drink from the UK that I know of. Most of our regional drinks are alcoholic.

Well they'd have to be or you'd never produce.
Badum Chishhh

No seriously, some British are beautiful.

Dalboz

My disappointment is that Jolt drinks are ridiculously hard to find in my area (LA metropolitan). There is a location across the street from my office that sells them, but they seem to be the only ones in LA that has them, and a bunch of other rare sodas.

And I hate Cactus Cooler. It taste disgustingly sweet to me.

Gorak

Kantankeris wrote:

Gorak wrote:

ReXX wrote:

"Made in Scotland, from girders"[/accent]

That's the only regional soft drink from the UK that I know of. Most of our regional drinks are alcoholic.

Well they'd have to be or you'd never produce.
Badum Chishhh

No seriously, some British are beautiful.

Lol.

You only got independence because you rebelled before we'd tasted a good Kentucky Bourbon.

wwtMask

I'm sure people in the Southeast know this, but the Coca-Cola museum has a series of soft drinks from around the world on tap at the end of the tour. I've been three times and it's always interesting. Asia has a real thing for fruit flavored soda.

Tach

wwtMask wrote:

I'm sure people in the Southeast know this, but the Coca-Cola museum has a series of soft drinks from around the world on tap at the end of the tour. I've been three times and it's always interesting. Asia has a real thing for fruit flavored soda.

Anyone in the Orlando area who visits EPCOT on a usual basis would be familiar with the comedic qualities of "Beverly". It's not just a soda, it's an experience.

Gorak

wwtMask wrote:

I'm sure people in the Southeast know this, but the Coca-Cola museum has a series of soft drinks from around the world on tap at the end of the tour. I've been three times and it's always interesting. Asia has a real thing for fruit flavored soda.

Do they have a Dasani exhibit?

Sam

eljeffe's mention of bubble tea brings to mind health drinks sold in hk, that are basically herbal teas, (although I do believe they come in flavors like apple) with chunks of aloe vera. Once you get over the fact that you have organic chunks in your drink, it's pretty delicious. Although definitely not an everyday thing.

TankHammer

Gorak wrote:

Kantankeris wrote:

Gorak wrote:

ReXX wrote:

"Made in Scotland, from girders"[/accent]

That's the only regional soft drink from the UK that I know of. Most of our regional drinks are alcoholic.

Well they'd have to be or you'd never produce.
Badum Chishhh

No seriously, some British are beautiful.

Lol.

You only got independence because you rebelled before we'd tasted a good Kentucky Bourbon.

Yeah that and you didn't send your full-force because you didn't think we'd actually pull it off, until Ben Franklin got the French drunk and riled up and was like "Hey, them Brits been talkin shit 'bout you back in da colonies. I say we roll down there and FUCk. THEM. UP."
Also Hessians liked our drinking habits too much to really put their heart into the fight.

Dalboz

For Coca-cola aficionados, keep an eye out for Passover Coke. I'm not sure if this unique to the US, but around Passover, Coke makes a kosher version of their signature beverage. They replace the corn syrup with sugar (the corn syrup isn't kosher), which is actually the original recipe sans the cocaine. The bottles usually have a yellow cap.

Arikado

I'm all for soda from Mexico. Liters of Pepsi-Cola taste crisp and you can feel the caffeine smack you. There's also a fuck ton of awesome apple sodas/ciders. And the classical Jarritos.

In college I used to jack a floormate's Korean sodas. He said it was "rice" soda or something. It was pretty good, but not satisfying.

TankHammer

Dalboz wrote:

For Coca-cola aficionados, keep an eye out for Passover Coke. I'm not sure if this unique to the US, but around Passover, Coke makes a kosher version of their signature beverage. They replace the corn syrup with sugar (the corn syrup isn't kosher), which is actually the original recipe sans the cocaine. The bottles usually have a yellow cap.

Alternatively this is just Mexican Coke.
I've been dying to see how much better Coke is with real sugar instead of corn syrup. I'm gonna find me some Jewish gentlemen to tell me where I can purchase this beverage.

It won't get me in trouble with Darth Benedict I hope...

Thanatos

Kantankeris wrote:

Dalboz wrote:

For Coca-cola aficionados, keep an eye out for Passover Coke. I'm not sure if this unique to the US, but around Passover, Coke makes a kosher version of their signature beverage. They replace the corn syrup with sugar (the corn syrup isn't kosher), which is actually the original recipe sans the cocaine. The bottles usually have a yellow cap.

Alternatively this is just Mexican Coke.
I've been dying to see how much better Coke is with real sugar instead of corn syrup. I'm gonna find me some Jewish gentlemen to tell me where I can purchase this beverage.

It won't get me in trouble with Darth Benedict I hope...

Just go to a tacqueria and get the Mexi-coke.

Cantido

If you're ever here in Florida and you visit Epcot, there is a Coke sponsored exhibit with sodas from around the world. There are fountain machines that give them out free as well. I remember the Japanese drink having vitamins in it and being delicious. I don't see it on Wikipedia, though.

Feral

Thanatos wrote:

Kantankeris wrote:

Dalboz wrote:

For Coca-cola aficionados, keep an eye out for Passover Coke. I'm not sure if this unique to the US, but around Passover, Coke makes a kosher version of their signature beverage. They replace the corn syrup with sugar (the corn syrup isn't kosher), which is actually the original recipe sans the cocaine. The bottles usually have a yellow cap.

Alternatively this is just Mexican Coke.
I've been dying to see how much better Coke is with real sugar instead of corn syrup. I'm gonna find me some Jewish gentlemen to tell me where I can purchase this beverage.

It won't get me in trouble with Darth Benedict I hope...

Just go to a tacqueria and get the Mexi-coke.

Which is now being made with corn syrup.
Fuckers.

Edit: Here's an explanation. I don't get the glass-bottled-Coke very often when I go to a taqueria. Once or twice a year, maybe. Last time I had it I thought, "This doesn't taste as good as I remember." Turned it around, looked at the label, fucking high-fructose corn syrup. It may have been just a regional thing, or one bottler/distributor. At least, I hope that was the case.