We haven’t been doing too much as of late.  Julie has been busy with a number of orders and planning for both Valentine’s Day and a bridal expo this weekend.  I’ve been finishing up a couple of projects, so we both have been kind of bums lately.  We wake up in the morning, work all day and veg in front of the TV at night.  We have really gotten into 30 Rock on Netflix.  We had watched the pilot awhile ago and weren’t impressed, but I was channel flipping a couple weeks ago and watched two reruns that were much, much funnier than I remembered, so we have been progressing through the first 4 seasons on Netflix streaming.

For Christmas, I got a selection of soda from my parents and our friends the Kings.  Julie also picked me up some stuff at World Market, and we stopped in a Mexican grocery in Galena when we were there a couple weeks ago.  Below is a selection of what I’ve had since Christmas.

As always, Fentiman’s is a can’t-go-wrong choice.  They make sodas that don’t taste like anything else you can buy, which is sometimes good, sometimes not, but always interesting.  I really like the Curiosity Cola, and the Mandarin Orange Jigger was a very intense orange soda.  Calling it a soda is a stretch – it’s more like carbonated, intense orange juice.

 

Brain Wash was close to the worst thing I have ever tasted – probably a close second to the brussel sprouts flavored Jones soda we had at Thanksgiving once.  This thing was just an intensely bad flavor that felt like it was going to melt your tongue.  Kind of a cross between Robitussin and rotting death.  This would be good for a joke drink – just swap the label for cherry Crush or something.

Cel-Ray is exactly what it advertises, celery flavored soda.  It tastes exactly like celery, which isn’t exactly good, but after the Brain Wash isn’t bad either.

The Mandarin and Seville Orange Jigger is an intense orange soda.  It’s opaque, with lots of bits of orange floating around, so you know you are in for a treat.  Definitely something to try, if you can get your hands on it.

Jamaica flavored soda.  I had no idea what I was getting into – what flavor exactly is “Jamaica”?  Turns out it’s sweet with a strong pomegranate taste.  Definitely not bad.

 

I like the sugar Pepsis quite a bit.  I had a Mexican one in Galena and have been enjoying the resurgence of Pepsi Throwback in our town.  Not overly unique, but definitely sweet and good for a caffeine boost.

 

To continue with the theme of ambiguously flavored soda, this “Tropical” flavored soda from Ecuador was pretty good.  More sweet than anything else, it had some citrus flavors to it.

I’m not sure why there aren’t more pineapple flavored sodas – this one was good, with a unique pineapple flavor.  It just seems like a soda flavor that should be more popular.

I’m not a huge ginger ale fan, probably because I associate it and Sprite with being sick as a kid.  This one wasn’t bad and you could definitely tell it was high quality, I’m just not a fan.

We had some Mexican Squirt in Galena.  Definitely don’t tell a random person you’re drinking “Mexican Squirt”.  Awkwardness will ensue.

Kiss is a grapefruit flavored soda, like Toronja or Squirt.  This is definitely the best of the bunch, with a nice sweet flavor and the sourness you would normally associate with grapefruit.  If you’re looking for the best grapefruit soda, this is it.

In continuing the “best of” theme, Julie picked me up some NuGrape as well as the Kiss and Bubble Up at World Market.  NuGrape is easily the best grape soda around.  It’s an intense, syrupy sweet grape flavor that is just awesome.

If you’re looking for something citrusy but better than 7Up or Sprite, Bubble Up is where it’s at.  In a glass bottle, made with real sugar, you can’t go wrong.