San Pellegrino Aranciata Orange Soda: I think I've had every flavor of San Pellegrino fruit soda but have never written reviews of any of them. They aren't sodas I would normally choose to purchase; they're certainly better than Sprite or Sunkist, but I find them to be too sweet nonetheless. But when I found myself at Salumi, an Italian sandwich shop in downtown Seattle, I knew I would need a robust citrus drink to cut through a rich, meaty sandwich, and this cold fizzy Orange San Pellegrino worked wonders. Outside of this conte... (read more) 3.0/5.0
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Rachel's Ginger Beer: A Seattle-based venture, Rachel's ginger beer is available at restaurants around the city but has a mix of ginger + fruit concoctions available on tap at its Pikes Place shop. I opted for the classic, and it definitely tasted fresh, inducing a sharp tingly feeling in the back of your throat. I've made ginger beers from scratch at home that taste very similar. In other words, there's an important distinction to make: it tasted homemade, but not artisanal. Not as balanced as I hoped it would b... (read more) 3.0/5.0
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La Nostra Gazzosa: A sparkling lemon beverage from Italy that is more like a concentrated, flavored seltzer than a sugary soda, which I far prefer. Though it has 28g of sugar, it's still less sweet than most bottled sodas in the US - just enough sweetness, in my opinion. The drink has a slightly savory aftertaste as seltzer sometimes does along with a refreshingly acidic lemon taste. Good level of carbonation. Altogether, a unique and worthwhile drink. 4.0/5.0
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Kimura Yuzu cider: I think I could live in the soft drinks section of Marukai Market in Gardena, LA, with its seemingly endless array of bottles in every color of the rainbow. It was hard to pick just one, but the beautiful vintage-style label of the Kimura brand sodas stood out to me, and yuzu-flavor just felt appropriate. The fizzy drink is pretty sweet, like a tangier Sprite. Paired with the rich burger I had for lunch, it worked well, but on its own, it's a bit too sweet for my taste. Still, as an alternat... (read more) 3.0/5.0
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Lorina Pomegranate Blueberry Sparkling Soda: Given its uniquely curved bottle, labelling with a black and white photograph of the Eiffel Tower, and stamp dating Lorina's establishment over 100 years ago, this bottle of fruit soda is clearly aspirational, appealing to consumers who wish they were drinking it at an outdoor cafe on the streets of Paris. It tastes very clearly of both pomegranate and blueberry, and its purple red color enhances the effect. Sweet and well carbonated. 3.5/5.0
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Almdudler Soda: Considered the national beverage of Austria, Almdudler is a caramel colored carbonated drink that comes in a glass bottle with two dancing figures printed on the side. It doesn't taste much like anything, to be honest, with faint traces of fruit, caramel, and herbs, but none prominent enough to carry the soda towards any particular identity. Purchased at the German restaurant Suppenkuche in San Francisco. 2.5/5.0
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