IKEA Dryck Julmust: IKEA describes it as a "Swedish festive drink" (though it seems slightly out of season to be selling in October). The drink has a dark cola color and does taste a little similar but with a more nuanced spiced flavor (the ingredients include malt, and I got a bit of clove and cinnamon). It's also far less sweet than Coke or Pepsi. If I could pick a cola-like beverage to drink during the holidays, this would be it. (In my haste to buy furniture for my new place, I forgot to photograph the ... (read more) 4.0/5.0
drinks soda recommended sweedish ikea dryck julmust 4.0
Alta Palla Sparkling blood orange soda: Having never seen this California-based brand, I purchased this can from my local Andronico's. Unfortunately, while it's an organic product, it tastes strikingly similar to Sunkist and is unnecessarily sweet. The one good thing I can say about is that the amount of carbonation was spot on. 2.5/5.0
drinks organic altapalla sparkling blood orange soda 2.5
Ferdinando's Focacceria Manhattan Special: I spent some time in NYC before leaving the East Coast, and during a lunch with some old friends, I was informed that the restaurant had a special soda called the Manhattan Special on tap. Given the amount of time I've spent in Manhattan over my entire lifetime (and my love of sodas), I was surprised to have never come across this drink before. The cola-colored carbonated beverage is a mix of espresso and sweetened soda water and has a deep coffee flavor. It's hard to imagine it pairing part... (read more) 3.0/5.0
drinks soda coffee espresso ferdinandosfocacceria manhattan special 3.0
Moxie : Moxie: You either love it, or you hate it. I am in the love it camp, as I grew up drinking the Asian soda HeySong, which has a very similar flavor. For the uninitiated, I would describe it as a less sweet, slightly bitter (some may even describe it as medicinal) root beer, closer to sarsaparilla soda. It's flavored with genitian root extract, which gives it its unique flavor. Created in Lowell, Massachusetts, you can still find this soda in grocery stores in Massachusetts and specialty s... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended drinks soda moxie 4.0
Sprecher Root Beer: The first time I had Sprecher was at Momofuku Saam Bar in 2010, and I remember loving its layered, somewhat musty flavor, as if it had been left in a barrel for a bit too long. I purchased it after not having had it for several years, and it was far sweeter than I remembered, though it did have a pleasant spiced sweetness and notes of vanilla. Despite the sweetness, I still find the flavor to be distinctive and worth a try. 3.0/5.0
drinks soda rootbeer sprecher root beer 3.0
The Juice Collective Homemade ginger soda: The Juice Collective is a shop in Berkeley that serves meals and drinks to go out of a narrow kitchen. I stopped by on a whim to check out their offerings and had to try their ginger soda given how much I love ginger drinks. The soda is thirst quenching and very well balanced, with an ideal level of sweetness (honey) and a bit of citrus (lemon). After taking a sip, the spicy ginger heat leaves an incredibly invigorating tingle in your throat for minutes. I don't think I've ever had a gin... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional thejuicecollective homemade ginger soda 4.5