JACKSON HOLE SODA CO.
HIGH MOUNTAIN HUCKLEBERRY

I was hoping that this one would be good. I love the label. I took extra photos of the label.

I’m wondering if that was all hype to make it looks old and nostalgic or if it was the real deal.

The smell was disappointing. There was not much there.

The sip? The sip was good.

It had a real fruity, berry taste.

There was real berries in the flavor. It was sweet and good and fresh and wonderful.

There was a bit of the mountain meadow in there. Yes, it was good.

The aftertaste was good too. It was stronger than the sip. It stayed with you for a minute.

Ah, berries. Yes, yes, I think I like this one.

It’s not too strong. It’s not too sweet. It’s full of berry flavor and not that artificial stuff.

This is good. I’ll buy it again.

INGREDIENTS: CARBONATED WATER, SUGAR, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, CITRIC ACID, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, GUM ACACIA, CARAMEL COLOR, RED #40, BLUE #1, SODIUM BENZOATE (PRESERVATIVE).

PLANTATION STYLE MINT JULEP

I had high hopes for this one. I expected so much from this one that I bought three bottles of it.

I do love real mint juleps. I hate mouthwash.

This could go either way. Was I wrong? Would my bet pay off?

The smell was perfect. Nice, sweet, mellow, fresh mint. It was not too much. It was just enough.

The flavor was perfect. The aftertaste was perfect.

This had the perfect blend of mint flavor and sweetness. You can taste the sugar. It was smooth.

Wow. My bet paid off. I love this stuff.

It tastes like a Mojito.

The difference between real sugar and real mint compared to something called “artificial flavors” is so evident in this soda.

I could drink these all day.

I just might.

INGREDIENTS: Carbonated Water, Sugar, Flavor and Citric Acid.

BOYLAN BOTTLEWORKS DIET CREME SODA

I love creme soda too. It always seems decadent. It’s always sweet and smooth and just right.

Will this live up to my expectations?

The open bottle smells right. It’s got the sweet vanilla smell.

I have hope.

Ah, the first sip is perfection. It’s sweet, but not too sweet. Vanilla comes shining through. It’s everything I hoped for. It’s everything I remember about any creme soda I’ve ever had.

This is a great creme soda.

What about the finish? Will there be a bitter or chemical end to my bliss? Ahhh… no, nothing at all, just pure sweet vanilla. This is one of the best creme sodas I’ve ever had.

It’s diet! How can that be? I don’t know how they do it, but this and the black cherry soda were both flavored perfectly with no weird aftertaste.

I’m becoming a fan of Sucralose, I guess. It must be amazing stuff.

This creme soda is a 10 out of 10 for any creme soda anywhere. Truly amazing stuff. Yes, we’ll be buying more of this sweet, magical elixir.

INGREDIENTS: Made From: Carbonated Water, Pure Vanilla Extract, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Caramel Color, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate (Preserves Freshness), Sucralose, Acesulfame Potassium.

Sweet Blossom Soda - Jasmine

I’ve been looking forward to this one. “Sweet Blossom”! How could that be bad?

Well, I was afraid that it might be too sweet. I do like the smell of jasmine on a Summer night, but it could easily go over the edge towards the sweet and perfumery side.

I open the cap and smell it. Not much. I try again and there’s really not much of a smell. I’m disappointed. There’s a faint smell of something flowery, but not much at all. Where’s my jasmine?

I take the first sip. Pow! The sugar hits me. This is powerfully sweet. This is a big flavor, hidden behind that faint smell. I’m shocked. This is a cane sugar, pure and simple.

There, on the back of my tongue, I get the jasmine. It’s not flowery. It’s interesting, complex even. I like it. The sugar is almost overpowering, but the aftertaste of jasmine is like a secret gift. It’s a rich, full flavor, but it’s not what I expect.

I expected it to be flowery, but it’s more on the fruity side of things. I would even say that it tastes like apples. Clean and crisp, sweet and fruity, just short of too sweet, and some strange essence of jasmine in a way that’s unexpected.

This is very good stuff. I would definitely buy this stuff again. I love it, but it’s not what I expected at all. I expect some general note of “artificial flavors” along with a drop of jasmine, but when I read the contents, it’s just sugar, citric acid, and jasmine. That’s it. Amazing.

I taste apples.

INGREDIENTS: Filtered Carbonated Water, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Pure Jasmine Extract and Caramel Color. Pasteurized.

MOXIE ORIGINAL ELIXIR

From the web site:
Moxie Original Elixir; For people who’ve got Moxie! Originally sold as a “nerve food” in 1884. You’ll either love it or hate it! It’s hard to describe this one. The only soda pop defined in the dictionary.

INGREDIENTS: Carbonated Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup and/or Sugar, Natural & Artificial Flavors, Caramel Color, Sodium Benzoate (a preservative), Gentian Root Extractives, Phosphoric Acid, Caffeine and Citric Acid.

From the description in the video and the history of it, I’m not looking forward to this. I’m expecting bitter and harsh, difficult to drink. 1884? Really? How good can it be?

I grab the bottle anyway and pop it open.

I have no idea why, but I get the smell of a dentist office, but not in a bad way. It’s not bad. It’s not good. It’s different, mildly pleasant.

I’m thinking it’s the alcohol in the dentist office, but it’s more like some of the compounds they mix for fillings or something. They put something that tastes good over the top of the bad tasting material.

I take a sip. Not what I expected at all.

It’s almost like root beer, but not as sweet. The actual sip is smooth and flavorful, very pleasant. I like this. It has me saying “wow” over and over again.

The aftertaste has that same dentist office taste. No idea what that is or why. I drink some more.

It’s not overly sweet. It’s not really cola. It’s not really root beer. It’s somewhere in the middle of all of those flavors, with some dental office thrown in. I’m going to have to look up what “Gentian Root Extractives” are now.

The aftertaste stays with you for a while. It’s actually quite nice. This doesn’t jump out and make me love it, but I do really like it. It grows on you. I’m liking it more and more as I drink it.

I would buy this again. Yes, I would.

I have moxie. I want more.

Jack Black's Blue Cream Soda

I really didn’t want to try this one after the last soda pop with a skull and cross bones on it, but this could be totally different. I was getting ready to ride my bike and thought maybe this was an energy drink. It’s not.

The label says “It’s better to live for something than to die for nothing.” Of course, I think it’s better to live for nothing than to die for something too…

First smell was a good sign. It seemed sweet and fresh and not too bad. Was this going to be too sweet? I was intrigued. I think I’m going to like this.

First sip and, yes, this is a creme soda. Straight up creme soda. This is good. It’s smooth. It’s got the creme flavor. No bitterness at all. Very nice.

Not getting anything that’s “blue”, which is kind of funny that I would think that “blue” is a flavor.

The worry is that it might be too sweet. I hate the sticky, syrupy sweetness of some creme sodas, but this one is nicely done, laid right down the middle of the sweetness spectrum.

It’s got a nice, fresh sweetness to it, just the right balance. I’m surprised that it’s not cane sugar. It’s got a clean sweet flavor.

I’m very impressed with this one. I really like it. I like it a lot. It’s a nice, fresh, clean, sweet, creme soda. I’d buy it again.

Plus it’s got a skull and cross bones on the label! How cool is that?

INGREDIENTS: Carbonated Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Yellow #5 & Blue #1

Wait! What is this? The web site says “High Fructose Corn Syrup”, but the bottle says “Cane Sugar”. I knew it! I knew it tasted like real sugar. I’m getting the knack for telling when it’s got real sugar. It really does make a difference.

This stuff rocks!

It's better to live for something than to die for nothing.

BRAIN WASH - RED

It was a Monday morning, so I thought I’d try a little “Brain Wash” to get the week started. There’s “red” and there’s “blue”. I pick the “red” to start out.

It’s got a nice skull and cross bones with a brain, so I think this is going to be fun. We’ll laugh. We’ll joke. Ha ha ha.

I open the bottle and it smells kind of sweet, maybe fruity or something. Maybe a little too much like an energy drink. Maybe it’s a little too potent. HHmmm… We’ll see. My laughing and joking subside and are replaced with caution.

I take a sip. The first taste is like berry, or fruit of some sort, definitely sweet. Then there’s the citrus twang. Nice tartness after the sweet. Very strong flavor. Nothing subtle about this one.

OK. Wait. What’s this? What’s this after taste. There’s a bit of a bite to it. Interesting. Sweet, tart, then bite. What is that? Confusion rules my mind. Perhaps this is the part where the actual washing of the brain takes place.

Let me read those ingredients again.

INGREDIENTS: Carbonated Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Citric Acid, Caffeine, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Red #40, Herbal Blend consisting of: American, Siberian and Korean Ginseng, African Capsicum, Buchu, Echineacea, Jalapeno Oil, Ginkgo Biloba, Ginger, Gotu Kola, Kola Nut, Brazilian Guarana, Skullcap (Mad Dog Weed), Clove, Damiana, Sage, Sodium Benzoate (to preserve taste).

Wait, what was that? “African Capsicum”? “Jalapeno Oil”? In a soft drink? Oh, I can feel it now. My mouth is burning. I take another sip to cool it off. Wait for it. Yes, there’s the Jalapeno Oil kicking in. This has a hot after taste. Wow. Drink some more. Wow. My tongue has melted.

Wow again. Another sip, another “Wow”. My head wants to explode.

This is frat boy juice. This is what angry teens should drink. Pirates would love this stuff.

Wow. I can’t stop saying “wow”.

I drink the whole bottle. It does taste “red” and not “blue”, but wow, it’s got an after taste that will stay with you for a while.

I meet a friend for lunch and we go to our favorite Mexican food place. I have some chips and salsa, but the salsa tastes 3 times hotter because I can still taste the Brain Wash.

Wow.

Just wow.