So when I was dropping something off at the UPS Store and noticed right next door a shop called Rocket Fizz: Soda Pop and Candy Shop I had no choice.
They easily had over 100 soda varieties, all in single glass bottles ready to mix and match. Most of which I've never heard of.
So I made my own six pack for 10 bucks and brought them home with a smile on my face. Here's the breakdown.
(After being a MATES viewer for over a year, I've had time to ruminate on the rating system. And really for me, the simplest rating is would you buy it again. Faced with hundreds of options, would you add it to your cart once more?)
I'll go from best to worst.
Sprecher Cherry Cola
The Jewel in Oak Park carried Sprecher Root Beer and we had it a couple times. So I already knew that Sprecher meant business. And this cherry cola was right on. Full-bodied. Nice real cherry flavor. Would buy again.
Boylan's Black Cherry
Boylan's is fairly popular at restaurants out here. I even saw a Boylan's fountain soda dispenser at Biker Jim's Hot Dogs. Their root beer is outstanding, their cola isn't very good. Their black cherry is closer to the quality of their root beer. Would buy again.
Jackson Hole Soda Snake River Sarsaparilla
I don't know that I've ever really had a sarsaparilla before. Even though Burnsy and were googling it while in Meijer some 7 years ago. It's very similar to root beer but with an extra kick. I don't know if I can generalize to all sarsaparillas, but I didn't quite love it. It wasn't awful. But with so many good root beers out there, I don't see the need to seek out a sarsaparilla. Wouldn't buy again.
Americana Honey Cream
I love cream sodas. This one had an extra mystery flavor and it wasn't honey. We couldn't figure out what it was. We drank it all but it's not up to the cream soda par. Wouldn't buy again.
Moxie
The bottle proclaims a birth date of 1884, that it's the original elixir, and Distinctively Different. All of those are true. When I was in the store they were filming a commercial. And Moxie was the soda they were using as the feature pour. So I figured I'd give it a shot. After I purchased I read some youtube reviews and saw that mostly people hated it, citing a medicinal quality. I'd say it tastes like 40% cola, 35% root beer and 25% NyQuil. If I time traveled to 1884 and it was my only option, I'd drink it. But in 2012, I wouldn't buy again.
Simpson Spring Lemon Lime
I picked this one because the soda was bright green, like I'd never seen before. Turns out that's a terrible way to pick a soda. It tasted awful. Easily the worst of the group. Brittany only had one sip. I could only handle three. Poured the rest out. No one should ever buy this.
Conclusion
I'm a little surprised at the outcome based on my previous experience with smaller soda companies. Maybe I should do some homework before I venture into the rare soda game.
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