whole foods' lemon soda

ok, so i never should have tried it.

how could i have known that it would be truely tart....heavenly with a little lemoncello, and truely addictive in hot weather?

i'm looking for a less expensive version of this lemon flavored heroin so i don't send my family to the poorhouse.

for the record i've taste tested 50/50, squirt, san pellegrino, (just as expensive & not as tart) and torani syrup, (too sweet)

help before i buy again!

eve

Try making your own! Here's my recipe for a nice summer lemon soda:

syrup: equal parts sugar and water (use 1 1/2 cups of each), chopped up zest of 1 lemon, 1-2 fresh rosemary sprigs. Bring to a boil, stir so all of the sugar is dissolved, cut heat and let cool (then take the rosemary out after cooling)

freshly squeezed lemon juice, helps if you can find a cheap bag of 10-12, but unlikely in the summer

seltzer water and ice

mix in somewhat equal portions, to taste; the above portions should be enough to fill a large pitcher

Most of the Mexican produce markets in the city sell limes at 20 for a dollar this time of year, Rich. I'm going to try a limeade with your recipe (and one or five splashes of vodka)this weekend.

Thanks.

Try Club Lemon or Fanta Lemon, available at most Irish import shops, and at some supermarkets (Happy Foods on the Northwest side; Dominicks in Park Ridge.) I don't know that its any cheaper than Whole Foods' version, however, particularly at the import shops.

YourPalWill wrote:Most of the Mexican produce markets in the city sell limes at 20 for a dollar this time of year, Rich. I'm going to try a limeade with your recipe (and one or five splashes of vodka)

If you're using limes, I'd try the infusion with mint instead of rosemary. Also if you add rum instead of vodka, you've basically made a pitcher of mojitos.

Hi,

I am a fan of Schweppes Bitter Lemon, which is easily available in Europe. My only source are liquor stores like Binny's where you get six tiny bottles for $4. I even checked everything at Woodman's hoping they had some because they seem to take full lines; no luck.

I will have to try Whole Foods offering as well as this recipe. Anything has to be cheaper than what I pay at Binny's. Though I have a secret stock of 4 one-liter bottles bought in Europe.

Years ago, there was a pop which was cloudy with little bits of pulp in it. I believe it was Fresca, then they changed the formula to make it clear and it was never interesting to me thereafter. Unfortunately, there was not the uproar which occured when Coke changed their formula, so my drink disapeered.

I will try Rick's recipe, I really hope it approachs my favored bitter lemon drink.

Regards,

Cathy,

I also enjoy Schweppes' Bitter Lemon. Even more though, I love Schweppes Indian Tonic--also readily available in Europe. It has a more assertive taste than American tonic waters, but is also cleaner and crisper somehow (if that makes any sense.) In my opinion, there is no better tonic for a G&T or V&T--it's like the difference between regular salt and sea salt in cooking. Have you seen this product anywhere?

Hi,

You may want to try Binny's. I have drunk gallons of Indian Tonic over the years. From what you are stating, it is not the same as Schweppes tonic water sold here. It may be the reason I almost never drink tonic here, though I did have a large tonic water with lime Saturday night which really hit the spot.

I have been advised because of the quinine in tonic water, commercial pilots cannot have a tonic water within 24 hours of flight.

I have another Schweppes product I bought, which I never saw before, a bitter orange drink. I have yet to open the bottle ... waiting for that special occasion.

Regards,

Though I have a secret stock of 4 one-liter bottles bought in Europe.

Cathy,

I can add to your secret stock. I ordered a case from sodapopshop.com (or something like that). I don't recommend buying from there as the shipping is obscenely expensive, and they don't provide the shipping charges until you receive your confiming e-mail, otherwise I would have cancelled my purchase. Worst thing was I found that I'm not that fond of the Schwepps Bitter Lemon. I was trying to find a cheaper alternative to the Riggs & Forsythe Bitter Lemon Soda, which is also obscenely expensive, but extremely good, though perhaps not what you're looking for as it is crystal clear.

I was trying to find a cheaper alternative to the Riggs & Forsythe Bitter Lemon Soda, which is also obscenely expensive, but extremely good, though perhaps not what you're looking for as it is crystal clear.

MAG,

I don't have an issue with something being clear or not clear. Simply the formula change altered the taste and mouthfeel so much, it just was not the same drink.

I wonder if I would like Riggs & Forsythe Bitter Lemon Soda ... hmmmm. Is this USA made or English? The name suggests English, but that just may be marketing.

Regards,

I wonder if I would like Riggs & Forsythe Bitter Lemon Soda ... hmmmm. Is this USA made or English? The name suggests English, but that just may be marketing.

Just marketing, it's actually a Chicago based company.

http://www.riggsforsythe.com/

Cathy2 wrote:I am a fan of Schweppes Bitter Lemon, which is easily available in Europe.

Speaking of outlawed Europeans sodas, I am looking for blood orange soda. There's Orangina Rouge, cheap and widely available in France. I've seen 1.5-liter bottles of San Pellegrino La Rossa, which is very similar, on sale for $4 each at Dean & DeLuca in SoHo/NYC. An unnamed source used to sell it to me for $3 a bottle if I bought it by the case (which I did), but the bottles were clearly not marked for USA consumption and now my source has dried up as our government has cracked down on such product smuggling.

John Ashcroft, I want my blood orange soda!

I, too, love bitter lemon & bitter orange soda. (That blood orange soda has me drooling...)

Why, oh, WHY do US companies think we ONLY like sweet, cloying flavors?

My favorite discontinued domestic soda flavor was Diet Sunkist Sparkling Lemonade. Really tart, lots of bubbles. My imbibing friends liked to mix it with gin or vodka or Southern Comfort.

Watching the Food Network recently, they visited the CocaCola plant in Atlanta & mentioned the numerous flavors distributed by Coke around the world which you can sample on the tour.

Kind of made our basic cola, lemon-lime choices seem lame.

And does anybody else think soda tastes better & bubbles last longer in GLASS BOTTLES?

I recently had a bottle of Pepsi from the Super Mercado that was left standing open for 3 days....and it was still fizzy.

Soda in cans or plastic bottles seems to go flat within 10 minutes.
And have you ever bought soda in plastic on sale & gone to drink it a couple of months later only to find half the bottles are flat (because plastic outgases?)

Dorty,

Pepsi in glass bottles from Supermercado was very like the Mexican-made variants where they use cane sugar instead of corn syrup. I think someone on the other board once commented it represents the taste of Pepsi/Coke circa 1970, before corn syrup.

My preference for all sodas is to drink from a glass with ice. The ice not only chills, it slightly dilutes the pop and promotes bubbles. I can drink from plastic containers and cans, but always it tastes better in a glass with ice.

Why would there be any ban of importation of bitter lemon, bitter orange and blood orange sodas? Don't you believe it is really people marching with their money to something else? We represent just a fringe market not worth the bother of catering to?

Cathy2 wrote:My preference for all sodas is to drink from a glass with ice. The ice not only chills, it slightly dilutes the pop and promotes bubbles. I can drink from plastic containers and cans, but always it tastes better in a glass with ice.

Ice promotes bubbles? That feels right, in an intuitive/experiential way, but I cannot imagine what principle of thermodynamics might lead to that result.

I think, when it comes to glass or plastic, glass is better, and I believe it may have something to do with the ability of glass (being thicker) to retain temperature more efficiently...and a glass cup usually has a thicker lip, channeling the beverage over the tongue in a way that is more pleasing (and I say that based on absolutely no science whatsoever).

Rich4 wrote:Speaking of outlawed Europeans sodas, I am looking for blood orange soda. There's Orangina Rouge, cheap and widely available in France. I've seen 1.5-liter bottles of San Pellegrino La Rossa, which is very similar, on sale for $4 each at Dean & DeLuca in SoHo/NYC. An unnamed source used to sell it to me for $3 a bottle if I bought it by the case (which I did), but the bottles were clearly not marked for USA consumption and now my source has dried up as our government has cracked down on such product smuggling.

John Ashcroft, I want my blood orange soda!

Rich,

A few months ago I bought two six-packs of the La Rossa 1.5 liter bottles for $10 at the caputo cheese market. A fantastic deal and a fantastic drink, cloudy with bits of blood orange pulp in it. They didn't have it last time I looked, but I'm almost positive they can get some for you if you ask. They tend to look the other way on products labeled for US consumption -- they have the italian-market barilla pasta sauces, also lacking import labels.

-ed

Ed, thanks for the heads-up on La Rossa at Caputo's.

Soda is usually off my radar, but with three kids home this summer, I'm sure they'd appreciate it (they acquired a taste for Orangina/Aranchiata a few years ago).

I hit Caputo's twice a month -- I'll post an alert if I spot the deal you mentioned.

David

Ice promotes bubbles? That feels right, in an intuitive/experiential way, but I cannot imagine what principle of thermodynamics might lead to that result.

According to my high school chemistry teacher Ms. Patsy Mueller! She was quite cerebral and wouldn't make a comment without some anchor in science or fact!

I remember once commenting to my nieces about a gallon of water weighing 8 pounds. A man walking past said, "You must have waited years for someone to convey that wisdom to." Oh the dust bunnies my mind collects waiting for the right moment to regurgitate!

David Hammond wrote:Soda is usually off my radar, but with three kids home this summer, I'm sure they'd appreciate it (they acquired a taste for Orangina/Aranchiata a few years ago).

I don't think I've seen mention of chinotto here. Another San Pellegrino product, Chinotto is made from sour oranges and stands in a relation to American mainstream sodas as an Italian Amaro stands in relation to Southern Comfort. It's sour and bitter and only a little sweet. I almost never drink soda but am also fond of Aranciata and Limonata; if you like those, try Chinotto, which is my favourite of all. It's available at all the salumerie.

A

P.S. Link to the the history of Chinotto in Italian:

http://www.chinotto.com/spuma/ma_che_cose.htm

David Hammond wrote:

Cathy2 wrote:My preference for all sodas is to drink from a glass with ice. The ice not only chills, it slightly dilutes the pop and promotes bubbles.

Ice promotes bubbles? That feels right, in an intuitive/experiential way, but I cannot imagine what principle of thermodynamics might lead to that result.

This got me thinking this morning why ice does release carbonation. It's not changing the pressure, and lower temperature would favor increased dissolution of CO2. But I think the key is in the dilution, from the acidic levels of carbonated beverages (pH 3) toward the neutral tap water (pH 7), where more CO2 will be released from solution.

I also think that the ice dilutes the sugar, which gets more intense as your soda increases in temperature. I never mind the initial few sips of a coke, bitter lemon, raspberry soda without ice, but as it gets towards the end, the sugar gets almost overwhelming.

see, i love aranciata, limonata, and la rossa.

but chinotto just doesn't do it for me. I really can't stand the stuff. I've only tried it 3 or 4 times, but it still makes me want to spit it out immediately.

*shrug*

Orangina Rouge - I think I have seen it occasionally. It has Guarana in it, which is probably why it's not available.

Mr. Wizzard to the rescue...


Not sure ice promotes bubbles, but it does provide additional surface area from which bubble form.

L'Amore dell'Amaro

gleam wrote:...i love aranciata, limonata, and la rossa... but chinotto just doesn't do it for me. I really can't stand the stuff...

De gustibus non est disputandum... I know people who have the same reaction to Cynar (or, for that matter, to the strong bitters such as Amara Siciliana, Averna, Lucana, Fernet Branca, etc.); they don't just dislike it but find it really repugnant. But Italians generally like things that are bitter and use them as counterpoints to other flavours. And it occurs to me now that I can't think of too many commonly consumed things in the US that feature a bitter flavour.

In this regard, I am always rather surprised at posts I see on CH General Topics concerning how to make dandelions and broccoli rape less bitter. To me, the whole point is that they are bitter and there are other greens that are naturally much less so. I also love lampascioni which can be so bitter as to make one a potential girning champion.

To me, a perfectly balanced little lunch, involving the best sandwich imaginable, is the following: first-rate Italian bread with just prosciutto di parma and fresh mozzarella or fior di latte and a good grind of black pepper, accompanied by a Chinotto... Sweetness, , a little sourness, saltiness, a little piquancy, and, as in life, a dose of bitterness at the end.

Antonius

ok, back to the original problem:

how to have really good tart lemon soda and not go bankrupt.

Rich's idea of making my own is great except that i think a pitcher of soda would go flat in a couple of hours and i was hoping to extend the lemony heaven over the course of days.

so my object would be to construct a syrup and make drinks by the glass.

here's a question for the wizard food technologists -
if i formulate the perfect fresh lemon juice to sugar ratio syrup, how long will it keep in the fridge????

cheers,

eve

pixie wrote:ok, back to the original problem:

how to have really good tart lemon soda and not go bankrupt.

Rich's idea of making my own is great except that i think a pitcher of soda would go flat in a couple of hours and i was hoping to extend the lemony heaven over the course of days.

so my object would be to construct a syrup and make drinks by the glass.

here's a question for the wizard food technologists -
if i formulate the perfect fresh lemon juice to sugar ratio syrup, how long will it keep in the fridge????

cheers,

eve

I haven't a clue how long it will keep, sorry, but I'd guess a fair while. The acidity would certainly help preserve it.

http://www.creamright.com/Merchant2/mer ... ore_Code=C sells equipment you may also be interested in - reusable seltzer bottles which take co2 chargers. You fill them with the liquid of your choice, activate the charge, and they last a few days before going flat. And you can always recharge the bottle with another charger if desired. I had great success mixing orange juice, lemon juice, and lime juice with a little water and carbonating it. Fantastic stuff.

-ed

MAG wrote:I also think that the ice dilutes the sugar, which gets more intense as your soda increases in temperature. I never mind the initial few sips of a coke, bitter lemon, raspberry soda without ice, but as it gets towards the end, the sugar gets almost overwhelming.

Hi,

Our taste buds responsiveness does have a correlation to temperature. Extremes in heat or cold lessens the sensitivity of our taste buds. So it is quite reasonable you are tasting a fuller spectrum of taste as your sodapop warms.

It's also why Thanksgiving Turkey and trimmings taste so much better an hour later. They're no longer fresh from the oven, they are at room temperature. I will let my turkey rest at least 20 minutes before carving and serving.

I also think that it is related to the dissipation of the bubbles, which cuts the sugar or lightens the mouthfeel of the syrup.