Hotlips Blackberry Soda (bottle)

Hotlips soda is made in Oregon using real fruit and cane sugar. The blackberry flavor includes blackberries and some lemon.

The scent threw me right away. It does have a berry scent, but not an appealing one. The taste is similar... although I like blackberries, I can't say I like sparkling blackberry juice. That is what this is really because the only ingredients are sparkling water, blackberries, cane sugar and lemon.

One interesting aspect is that they leave pulp in there, which might appeal to me if I enjoyed the flavor more. Also, this might end up being a good mixer as they suggest on their website. Finally, they also make the point that since the ingredients are simple, the flavor and quality of different batches varies so perhaps I got a less-than-stellar one.

I will probably try another flavor of a fruit that might lend itself better to this style of soda like cherry, pear or apple, but I won't get my hopes up too much.

2/10

Cheerwine (bottle)

Imagine what would happen if Cherry Coke and Doctor Pepper eyed each other over the soda-pop fountain counter. After years of flirting, the good Doctor finally decides to invite Cherry out on a date. Well, years pass and the two are married and have kids. They are all abominations that are locked in basement in chains... except one. Cheery grows up prim and proper and is sent off to finishing school making her a wonderfully refined blend of her parents.

In reality, Cheerwine was around way before either of these supposed parents. As a northerner, I had never heard of this cola, but it has been around as a regional drink in and around North Carolina since 1917. I love the classic bottle, and the labeling fits the drink perfectly, down to the simple cherry printed at the top.

Although it doesn't show well in this picture or when the soda is in the bottle, the dark red color is very appealing and evocative of wine. The bottled version uses pure cane sugar, but I do not believe the canned version does.

The taste is wonderful. I can't imagine a black cherry soda that could taste more perfect than this. It is somewhat more subtle than either Cherry Coke or Doctor Pepper, and the blend of flavor is unique. I think this would be best served very cold - the colder the better.

Since this is the first time I have ever tasted it, I'm going to restrain myself from giving it a ten right out of the gate, but I may just have to come back and edit this review after drinking a case of this.

9/10

Lester's Fixins Coffee Soda (bottle)

Lester's Fixins has a bunch of novelty flavors of soda, including bacon and buffalo wings. Imposing and threatening.

The biggest surprise about the coffee flavor, the first one I have tried, is that it is not a horrible assault on the tastebuds. If I had to compare it to something, I would say it is somewhat rootbeer-ish with a hint of cream soda. Another one made from pure cane sugar, you can definitely taste it here in a unique way - the aftertaste actually feels like you have been sucking on a lump of sugar. It is very lightly carbonated.

I can't say they were successful at capturing the flavor or even the essence of coffee here. If I am looking for it I may find a hint, but with different packaging I never would have guessed that coffee was what this drink was going for. Because of this, I was not surprised to see that coffee is not in the ingredient list.

Despite the fact that they failed at capturing coffee, the drink is not that bad. It should just be marketed differently.If you like the idea of a super-sugary root beer/cream soda flavor, you might want to give this a try.

6/10

Pig Iron Cola (bottle)

Originating from a Seattle Washington restaurant called Pig Iron Bar-B-Q, it is bottled and marketed by Orca.

This is a cola with lots of flavor, and it sticks around for a while after you swallow. It tastes very natural, probably because it is not overly sweet. Made with cane sugar and the typical amount of carbonation for a cola.

Many reviews compare this to RC Cola, and I would have to agree... if you liked RC, you will like this.

This would be a great every-day cola, but unfortunately its not regularly available in my area. Still, I will probably try to get my hands on this again as I plowed through it fairly quickly and was left wanting more.

7/10

Jarritos Pineapple (bottle)

Next to the Mexican Coke in my local supermarket is an array of Jarritos sodas. Made in mexico, they boast clearly on the label that there is No Caffeine and No High Fructose Corn Syrup. I was wary, expecting these to taste horrible based on the unappealing fruit flavors they have and their low price point of 89 cents, but decided to give pineapple a shot.

I can't say that it really tastes like pineapple when you first take a drink, which is probably a good thing. You can definitely taste the pineapple flavor on the back of your tongue as a sweet aftertaste once you've swallowed. It's very light-tasting compared to popular fruit-flavor based sodas like Crush, but tastes even sweeter in the long run. Long after taking a sip your mouth feels sugary in a not-unpleasant way.

The carbonation is a bit strange. On alternate sips, I was ready to call it both lightly-carbonated and sharp. Maybe it is well-carbonated but the lighter flavor may dull some of the fizz you experience. I think you could chug the bottle and not get that that firey burn that a highly-carbonated cola like Diet Pepsi would inflict on you in one gulp. It could also be a matter of expectation, because looking at the product you kind of expect to taste something like one of those cheap juice barrels you used to get as a kid even though you know it is really a soda.

I will definitely buy this flavor again at some point, and now I am more confident to try the other Jarritos flavors.

7/10

Jolt Cola (bottle)

When I was growing up in the 80s, I remember drinking Jolt in massive quantities, completely convinced that it was the greatest cola ever made. In reality, I'm sure it was their slogan "All the sugar and twice the caffeine" that I liked, as well as their sweet logo and the quick burst of caffeine. Over the years, Jolt got harder and harder to find until now, when all you can get are those ugly Energy Drink cans that make you doubt there is cola inside.

Or so I thought, until I watched Basket Case 2 and developed a serious need for a Jolt. Some quick internet searching revealed that they do still produce some glass bottles for sale on the west coast. I grabbed a bunch and sat back ready to revisit the past... but as usual with this sort of thing, I ended up disappointed.

It is a straight-forward cola, with less carbonation than Coke. It is not bad, but it is about as generic a cola as you can imagine. It is so non-descript there really isn't much to say about it.

I have to believe that what I am drinking is not the original formula... I know they reformulated at one point to replace sugar with corn syrup, but if I remember right, I still really enjoyed it after that change. The bottle doesn't say "Power Cola" or whatever stupid shit they are putting on their packages these days, so I can't be sure whether this is the classic formula or not. I also cannot really speak to the burst of caffeine, because I am an all-day coffee drinker these days and it doesn't really affect me much anymore.

I may try to get some of the classic cans that seem to be available, since that is the way I originally enjoyed it, but I doubt that will make much of a difference since in my experience the glass bottle is always the best way for me to enjoy soda.

All told, disappointingly average like so many other beloved things you try to recapture from your childhood.

5/10