tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17766890657623882232024-03-13T20:10:48.146-07:00WEEKLY FIZZStrange Soda History, Anecdotes, Cola News & More | Where Creative Caffeine Junkies Get Their FixKevin Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16612628211730123860noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1776689065762388223.post-74616282926839530372009-09-24T21:25:00.001-07:002009-09-24T21:37:48.065-07:00Filmography, Future Colas, & Lab Coats<blockquote></blockquote><blockquote></blockquote><blockquote></blockquote><blockquote></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Breaking News: A nice-looking short film titled </span></span><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1189389/"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">The Red Ace Cola Project</span></span></i></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> is playing at </span></span><a href="http://www.sidewalkfest.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Sidewalk Film Festival</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> this weekend in Birmingham, AL. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">I'm pretty sure the entire Weekly Fizz staff (me) will be there on Saturday 1:30pm at the </span></span><a href="http://www.alabamatheatre.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Alabama Theater</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">.</span></span><div><div><a href="http://www.sidewalkfest.com/"></a><div><br /></div><div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihMZKPXCFyTyFy2t88wEpVOpWKbWEpC2Unm_u2lZhok49UHBpQV5Ziksy8IGpaXJQVq6eQDGougfjlhg4q7ujfuCi4ftCP6mNTrAmUOIykOPLFGaTq_npp5v_HEdINCNNQnXoUihI-81Q/s320/red_ace_cola_project-06.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385257899387334274" /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Description:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 15px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:georgia, serif;"><blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">It’s 1955 and artificial flavors, TV dinners and space-age foods are all the rage. The International Foods and Flavors Company has just hired its first woman flavorist, Dr. Elizabeth McCovovich. Elizabeth's dream is to work in the lab with her idol, resident big man flavorist Dr. John Comden, but she soon discovers that Dr. Comden would rather her be a secretary than a scientist. Determined to prove herself as a flavorist, Elizabeth must beat out her boss and everyone else to create a new formula for Red Ace Cola, the “cola of the future."</span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:-webkit-xxx-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:-webkit-xxx-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></blockquote></span></div></div></div></div>Kevin Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16612628211730123860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1776689065762388223.post-23024157463395583702009-08-28T14:13:00.000-07:002009-08-29T16:05:52.538-07:00Zooce | Japanese Translator For Hire<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVRBLIFqMSfyGtgUvG0kexMTnq7frwY1rmAbwqybp7UaqRpxiJuRzYtJMIkOrjIpgo7u8nq8iLTzY7U2KxIyBxRIhHV8o22ArC68app2mEJKqYGnVrZeeff9c-ARr7i6nEXvLCGCBLHIM/s1600-h/DSC01288.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 218px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVRBLIFqMSfyGtgUvG0kexMTnq7frwY1rmAbwqybp7UaqRpxiJuRzYtJMIkOrjIpgo7u8nq8iLTzY7U2KxIyBxRIhHV8o22ArC68app2mEJKqYGnVrZeeff9c-ARr7i6nEXvLCGCBLHIM/s320/DSC01288.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375135762679994050" /></a><b><a href="http://www.suntory.co.jp/softdrink/zooce/index.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Zooce Sparkling</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">is a new beverage from Japan that is very hip and very </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">now</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. Teens and tweens have been drinking it while skateboarding and listening to hip-hop, or so we've read. American adults like us couldn't be more jealous of both the packaging and the taste, so we are begging our young overseas friends to lend us some. Guess we'll be sticking to our </span></span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOjfczt7c_Q"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Metamucil</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> and </span></span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UnJSTpHsXc"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Grape Nuts</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> until that time comes.</span></span></span></b><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"></span></span></b><br /><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Look at the colorful animals. It's okay. Go ahead and touch them. They won't bite. Okay, so the leopard-spotted elephant probably might run you over, but only if you forget to feed his buddy the star-spangled moose. The plaid squirrel is harmless, as long as you promise to keep your hands off his nuts.</span></span></span></b></div><div><div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Now pour yourself a glass. Notice the light taste. Very fruity, right? Kind of like a new sort of hybrid juice/soda? Clear and sparkling and <i>good</i>, isn't it? Unlike many of the beloved sodas in our repertoire, this one goes down smooth, not even leaving behind a an afterparty mess in our bellies.</span></span></span></b></div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 234px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOCZkdJBPTxKlAEyQKHjhO4u7mSwXWVPXSp3sCJ3h4R5SQY7tvYO2je4W2x_qLq89vg1IMEAg7yietOvlTMRbIxmdHvIAMWirMYSkM-DNVr06yB05Ms6FGXn2YMsUz98Srvm86t6SJ9w/s320/1024_768_03.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375139946671161682" /><div><div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Zooce comes from the </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suntory"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Suntory</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> group. It's difficult to find any English information on the soda (so by all means, tell us what you know). My colleague reminded me of the Bill Murray scene from </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Lost in Translation</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> where he films a Suntory whiskey </span></span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiRy1VqPFqI"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">commercial</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. And that, friends, is about all we got.</span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Kevin Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16612628211730123860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1776689065762388223.post-69788174575016806562009-08-19T20:08:00.000-07:002009-08-19T20:13:00.022-07:00Heaven<a href="http://2guys1blog0job.blogspot.com/">John Yam</a> brought <a href="http://www.chow.com/stories/11802">this video</a> to my attention:<div><br /></div><object width="400" height="300"><param name="movie" value="http://www.cbs.com/e/6KnEINMpok9GkzhVyTcGs0rPKXunUN9p/chow/1/"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="FlashVars" value="config=http://search.chow.com/config/canPlayer"><embed width="400" height="300" src="http://www.cbs.com/e/6KnEINMpok9GkzhVyTcGs0rPKXunUN9p/chow/1/" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashvars="config=http://search.chow.com/config/canPlayer"></embed></object><div><br /></div>Kevin Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16612628211730123860noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1776689065762388223.post-59454262909069981092009-08-13T14:50:00.000-07:002009-08-15T07:44:25.497-07:00Yike's Showdown | 3 The Hard Way<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5b-S8YkVF0mXjBW6hkdhEZ21y5-qNbk1Lcs6d0JDxfNXWf_3i2zFASTMlc5PBalLRIQcUfgz1wmiPomCEsYbhzQR0OPx0SjX_XI3MJVOlYwEe_uOTLymoV3tovvH_l6Yv0O0ZuHUNd80/s1600-h/DSC01281.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5b-S8YkVF0mXjBW6hkdhEZ21y5-qNbk1Lcs6d0JDxfNXWf_3i2zFASTMlc5PBalLRIQcUfgz1wmiPomCEsYbhzQR0OPx0SjX_XI3MJVOlYwEe_uOTLymoV3tovvH_l6Yv0O0ZuHUNd80/s320/DSC01281.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369590578404011218" /></a><b><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Since a </span></span><a href="http://www.somenewtrend.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">certain serialized young adult novel</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> is merely a few days from being finis, kaput, ende, no mas ... some of you have been buzzing in at the Hottline (1-800-MORE-SODURR) to ask the inevitable: "When will our phavorite alterna-sodablog be delivered more phrequentlee?"</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">The answer is: </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">"</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">¡</span></span><em style="font-style: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">S</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">í</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">, Se Puede!"</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> W</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">eekly Phizz should go back to being ... err (fingers crossed) ... more </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">weekly</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">. But that's assuming no phatal illnesses or unwanted houseguests find their way to our lair. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">And what better way to celebrate this unanticipated trium-fant return than a healthy co-ed game of laser tag? </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">OK, we lied. No lazrtagg. We here at the W.F. Offices, L.L.C. are more than a wee bit scared of the dark. Give us our night-night and a Louisville Slugger 'neath the pillow and we can only hope morning comes without enduring a panic attakk.</span></span></span></span></span></span></em></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">What I really meant to say was ... what better way to celebrate the return of WF than a</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">YIKE'S SHOWDOWN! </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">We're sipping all three beautiful bottles pictured on the upper left, blindpholded, wearing straightjacketz and suspenderz, then writing </span></span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djXlrTUphX4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">the way we pheel inside</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">. </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">(</span></span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Ed. note: We already feal pretty good. Not only are certain </span></span></i><a href="http://www.somenewtrend.com/"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">old trends</span></span></i></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> currently getting replaced with lengthy naps and uninterrupted </span></span></i><a href="http://andromedaklein.com/"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">reading sessions</span></span></i></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">, but, just take a look at the near-perfect coloration on those beauts! Wouldn't YOU feel good?)</span></span></i></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdacIm93cScWCcxqzKFBFlQt0J8CRaHt7gxS7WvTDBLj31s9z-DdwdnbgN7V9xc8d7kTHrgXoYUwFORNEK-8gGsGJXoE-CJdwf3K_eXpWI3Wql1yJCn5cD0ahuH0oWXwinVN4IJN8HDxM/s320/laser_tag_kidsplayinglasertron.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369588712394930194" /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Here we grow with Numero Uno. Blindfolds on. No peeking. </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Peach Pop </span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">tastes like sailing on pink clouds. And not being dead, but very much alive. The peach flavor tastes far from overbearing and, well, tasty. <span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia, fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Next, please. </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Blue Bubble Gum Pop </span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">is like one might imagine only 50 times bettr. It's diving from a board into a pool philled with bubblegum, cream soda, blueberries and pool chemicals — a feeling one wishes would last forevr. </span><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Green Apple Pop, </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">however, is</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> jollyranchier. I do not like green apples and ham, Sam-I-Am, so maybe you should talk to someone who duzz. In the next focus group meeting we'll be referring to this one as the greenheaded stepchild, and plotting ways to humiliate it in publick.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">(</span></span><a href="http://www.wheeloffortune.com/downloads/downloads/1024/wallbigmoney.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Vanna</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">, where'd you run off to? We need you to announce that</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">BLUE is the winner.</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Vanna, are you dead?) </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">It was not quite a foto phinnish, but several pheet behind came LE PEACH (4th from the last, in bowling lingo). And sorry, green apple. We hate you.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">So we'll give you — the audience — a brief cirius history lesson and then we be dunn. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Yike's</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> flavors are certainly what you might call rare. The soda is "produced exclusively for EZ Mart Stores, Inc." out of Texarkana, TX. It's a shame indeed, because no one in the world should be deprived of the physical greatness of Yike's. Where </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">we</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> got these bottles, howevr, is a </span><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/ca/Hardy_boys_cover_40.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">mystery</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">. Somewhere in North Alabama or Southern Tennessee, we think. It wasn't at the </span></span><a href="http://jschumacher.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/bungalow.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Boobie Bungalow</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> (at least not if yer children are reading. This blog's got a TV-14 rating.)</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">**UPDATE:: Steph says Yike's came from the EZ Mart close to her home. Mystery solved!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Thanks for tuning in. C U nexxt week!</span></span></span></div></b>Kevin Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16612628211730123860noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1776689065762388223.post-73970323019037086692009-06-17T18:21:00.000-07:002009-06-19T13:15:43.329-07:00Fanta Muscat | Patience is Key<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpBMSmzhg9RwS8mH2oSgNGBqDFBxRFwv9ZG5zOihR4_CXGg7W7QcsD5xAJxOh7BtZgIyCVaaaA9lvlmi3KPtdtsjLvjibdAIIlriWbZG5J1QNPRIRYy_29OnhVoOGB4GhXcj3kgEn4VcM/s1600-h/IMG_1182.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpBMSmzhg9RwS8mH2oSgNGBqDFBxRFwv9ZG5zOihR4_CXGg7W7QcsD5xAJxOh7BtZgIyCVaaaA9lvlmi3KPtdtsjLvjibdAIIlriWbZG5J1QNPRIRYy_29OnhVoOGB4GhXcj3kgEn4VcM/s320/IMG_1182.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348486056355250226" /></a>We're on a roll! Only four months since the last post!<div><br /><div><div>I promised a casual stranger I'd sift through the ashes of "the Fizz" this week, to resurrect the project for a post on a particular beloved drink. A promise from my lips is a promise richer than goat's blood. I'm writing this review on a napkin, sitting on a neighbor's roof with a cherry stem in my mouth. I'm trying to do that thing where you tie the stem into a knot using only your tongue. Saw it on the internet once. I've been hiding from the fuzz since last night. They caught me in a cage sipping a bottle of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Fanta Muscat</span> through a (rare) hollowed-out (infant) elephant tusk.</div><div>Truth is, "the W.F." has been on my heart a ton lately. When <a href="http://somenewtrend.wordpress.com/">a certain writing project</a> comes to an end—and assuming I'll have found a cure for this rare neck disorder—I'd like to make this blog a more constant, less part-time gig. Right now it seems to be more of a part-part-part-part time gig. Except with more "parts." To those of you who fancy reading vital information related to sodas, I send my apologies. If there's anything you'd like to see in the future on our improved beta 3.1 site, shoot me an email. Or if you'd like, send me sodas. I'll always be willing to drink and write about them. Sometime before Armageddon.</div><div>On to the drink...</div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTBzF1738Lhv-uOT2_4asSZLKkFBo8UKeVFrDpOcwromcbh1R-kJ3bBN11481k_QxUMK2WpONppJu_ejCXaUmrVm5kkRyOwikpKAinIW_TO0y1ZoXPjHs6JVeaF7k9hBwTxpo9_p4OU0w/s320/IMG_1186.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348486256124214898" /><div>My third cousin purchased this bottle on a recent voyage to Japan. Japan is a village outside of Hungary, and if I'm not mistaken, it exists on a quaint hill overlooking springs and ferris wheels. Here in Japan, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitis_rotundifolia">Muscadines</a> run free, along with tiny leprous rabbits. Seriously, this drink is gooder than you can imagine. We drank it over ice, and immediately decided it was time to go sailing. And just so you can fully grasp the absurdity of our admiration, neither of us owns a sailboat, nor do we live by the water. We'd like to live by the water someday, but can only hope to do it after this gall-dern recession ends. Soda bloggers can't find work these days—who saw that coming?</div><div>I'd like to find some more bottles of this drink outside of France or Japan, so if you happen to be in-the-know, help a brother out!</div><div>Have a great summer, caffeine luvrs. See you <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">soon</span>.</div></div></div>Kevin Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16612628211730123860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1776689065762388223.post-338533216089670772009-02-20T12:01:00.000-08:002009-06-18T22:51:22.358-07:00Jarritos Tamarind | Tiny Jars of Euphoria<a style="font-family: georgia;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipVGChb1rvRdUGy0kKzMTci6z78vGgAAauCojfsU2Lz9iwnuI00qRwnGT3ELA3vUd_0AhtPgpDaM4yoszzQ2JplNLtuQxazkg0sfjvjpMRNAKAoKFAJ2B2htXwb5-9k7fV_pCsCpa1o2I/s1600-h/DSC01161.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 189px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipVGChb1rvRdUGy0kKzMTci6z78vGgAAauCojfsU2Lz9iwnuI00qRwnGT3ELA3vUd_0AhtPgpDaM4yoszzQ2JplNLtuQxazkg0sfjvjpMRNAKAoKFAJ2B2htXwb5-9k7fV_pCsCpa1o2I/s320/DSC01161.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304995787586698930" border="0" /></a><div style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">On a train ride through the Yucatán peninsula this spring, a team of scientists and I found a mysterious straw bag hiding in a storage compartment. We opened it to find not potatoes, but dozens upon dozens of ripe tamarinds. Having gone through weeks of voluntary starvation, we proceeded to eat the contents in a matter of minutes. When Lairy tossed the empty sack out the window, my environmental convictions went aflutter. Also, was it me, or were we hearing the sound of glass breaking? I adjusted my "'nocs," and peeked out the window. There it was. A bottle of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Jarritos Tamarindo: </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Refresco Sabor Natural laying on the track. Helpless, shattered and fizzing. Surely it would be a few hours before our next bathroom break, and I could only hope to find another one then. I sunk into my seat, tearfully remembering the delightful taste from years ago. Oh, how it felt "my first time"! ...</span></div><div style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">(</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">This</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">section</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> has been deleted—Ed.)</span></span></div><div style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Tamarinds are tropical trees native to Africa, and now, thanks to their seeds being scattered throughout the world, they've gained popularity in various regions in Mexico and India. The pulp is valued for its sour and acidic—and at the right stage sweet—flavor**. The soda peeps have mimicked it pretty well, as far as I can tell. The aftertaste, however, reminds me more of the favorite lip balm worn by my first wife. It's a memory only enveloping me in yet more sadness.</span></div><div style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Mexico's first national soft drink brand has been goin' strong, as they say, for nearly 60 years</span></div><img style="margin-top: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 227px; height: 191px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikJKNvBn-HkS7kJxmaKHBQd2KT9iAVoHWtg0wr6HON6K2-4mjs6nZF7keE_8tRUdOzDhtAJqALt5rmjTnjgtiK4WS21Mv4OeaX-e_Umfvq9bRWOItFO-CTfTWlS15i22wfl-0gx-mfjJw/s320/DSC01165.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304997623900987554" border="0" /><div style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">now. The great Don Francisco Hill (a.k.a. “El Güero”†) named the drink as a nod to the clay pottery jugs, called jarritos, that helped keep coffee and other drinks fresh. I was lucky enough to be one of Don's original test subjects, back before I earned my fortune. During these humble times I had vowed to never again find myself a participant in the illegal arms trade, but still needed easy money to get me a ticket back to the States after my banishment (some involvement in a barfight preluded this, where I seriously injured a team of five or six Hell's Angels.. we won't go into it here). </span></div><div style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">You can find individual bottles of Jarritos at </span><a href="http://www.latinmerchant.com/productdetail.asp?ProductID=D0021"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Latin Merchant</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">.</span></div><div style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">*Note: It should not be confused with </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Barrilitos</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">, also from Mexico, which is waiting in the fridge for future review.<br />**Speaking of flavors, look at</span></span><a href="http://www.novamex.com/jarritos.sstg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> all these</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">! How will I ever get to them all?</span></span></div><div style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">†Not a joke.</span></span></div>Kevin Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16612628211730123860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1776689065762388223.post-34963961596021864052009-01-03T12:51:00.000-08:002009-03-04T23:42:04.662-08:00Celeste Peach Soda | Spending New Year's Alone<a style="font-family: georgia;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWVrQA71vXSzXvyxiNOn3aj6x_-t6FRQwKBjhwaRmmJY5L83jjtds7p43qPtfXrmR3vvQmNc6-sjqE0IOqB7FalM_0wz_p-WvqQA_xouCpwjUdHhJ8cDq33UhQ-NLmv_Z0srlXTgswqQc/s1600-h/DSC01101.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 165px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWVrQA71vXSzXvyxiNOn3aj6x_-t6FRQwKBjhwaRmmJY5L83jjtds7p43qPtfXrmR3vvQmNc6-sjqE0IOqB7FalM_0wz_p-WvqQA_xouCpwjUdHhJ8cDq33UhQ-NLmv_Z0srlXTgswqQc/s320/DSC01101.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287985803141969746" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:georgia;">This New Year's Eve was not different than others in that many found themselves celebrating by popping champagne bottles. I, however, saw myself consuming glass after glass after glass after glass after glass of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;">Celeste Peach Soda</span><span style="font-family:georgia;">. "What're you doing over there?" one of my closest, most beardest friends asked. "Nothing," I told her, and then, "leave me alone," and also something along the lines of, "it's none of your business, you foolish stupid stupid foolish foolish person!" And I ran to the nearest closet, tears falling like bad weather. Minutes later, I was being dragged from the house by my ankles, but only after I'd managed to smuggle another bottle under the coatsleeve of my windproof jacket.<br /><br /></span><div style="font-family: georgia;"><div>I grabbed my necklace/whistling device and blew my special top secret birdcall whistle-sound for my special hired personnel cab driver person to arrive. I hopped in. He offered some water. I drank the entire pitcher, and then broke it over my head, thinking how weird is it that pitchers are made of glass these days? After that, my recollections are vague, though I do remember pulling up unannounced at another party, cursing everyone in sight, and the coolers especially for housing only cans of cheap beer and warm <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Diet Pepsi Lim</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">e</span>.</div><div>Now, thankfully, Celeste sodas (and energy drinks) have been planted at various gas stations throughout the South. According to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pantry">this article</a>, they can be found at The Pantry, Kangaroo Express, Cowboys, Handy Way, Quick Stop, Zip Mart, Fast Lane, Big K, Depot, Mini Mart, Lil Champ Food Store, and Petro Express.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-size:13;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;font-size:100%;">The drinks are strong, tasty, and completely enjoyable in all other regards. They're near perfect on road trips, even better on scuba diving voyages, and forever wonderful when served over ice at bat mitzvahs. We'll be reviewing another fabulous Celeste product again sometime, hopefully before the shades are pulled over 2009. Maybe we'll even talk to <a href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=223458772">this Celeste</a> and see how it feels to have your very namesake printed on a soda bottle.</span></span></div><div>These days people like to go on and on about the true meaning of Christmas. With that in mind, I'd like for people to also take some time to reflect on the true meaning of New Year's. New Year's is a time to be spent with family and friends. It's a time for getting conned into an overpriced gym membership. It's a time for kissing total strangers on the lips. Take a moment to remember how bad last year was, and be completely honest with yourself when you envision the thousands of ways that this one could be even worse. Then drink some peach soda, and watch your problems dissolve into oblivion.<img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 208px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf5PxL9XmI9uFVykOflRxAC6aGQWUm5ez5pgiEx_zGu7ShBvzkqnN-pGijeJSlbscqD1UwvwVP2NUr1NYJ3I2lNsyzkbM5FLdylMh7zOX-gdD6WFhu3i2sXYojFeMBzeQA54QMPNNC4Sg/s320/sydney-fireworks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287987587390631666" border="0" /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;">(photo: fireworks in Sydney;</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> one of many locations where the author</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> did <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">not</span> spend the holiday)</span></div></div></div>Kevin Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16612628211730123860noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1776689065762388223.post-63936041260085874042008-12-10T14:21:00.000-08:002009-03-04T23:43:38.433-08:00Nygårda Julmust | Happy Whatever You Celebrate<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqhc3Ym1-u-6JtPVPjwl5WF5pI8vwPbYYsv470D2CK9ngVOuUPXY1GKPgFQ32vHGbA4eRk-PusmOBiowAEtcITdPYl3Ke4sG5mRiRLDAehipuUbNEDKMdOzFpURtoAqWRcDJVF7JX5cVU/s1600-h/DSC01094.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 145px; height: 325px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqhc3Ym1-u-6JtPVPjwl5WF5pI8vwPbYYsv470D2CK9ngVOuUPXY1GKPgFQ32vHGbA4eRk-PusmOBiowAEtcITdPYl3Ke4sG5mRiRLDAehipuUbNEDKMdOzFpURtoAqWRcDJVF7JX5cVU/s400/DSC01094.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278327504923167730" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:georgia;">This morning, as I was marking another x on my smutty Mrs. Clause calendar, I realized it was time for:<br /><br /></span><div style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span">THE </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span">WEEKLY</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span"> FIZZ </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span">SPECIAL</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span"> YEAR </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span">END</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span"> HOLIDAY</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span"> SALE..</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span">err..</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span">INSTALLMENT</span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-family:georgia;">Yuletide fizzlings to be had by you, and all your kinship and grandfizzles! The Ghost of Christmas Mental Affliction and I will be guiding you as we traverse underprivileged neighborhoods, making our list and checking it for factual and grammatical errors. Don't forget to pack your flask. We'll be filling it to the brim with the rare exotic <span style="font-size:100%;">mistle-tinged taste of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Nyg</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span">å</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span">rda Julmust<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span">(careful.. it's from Sweden).</span></span></span></span></div><div><div><div style="font-family: georgia;"><div>Now you know I hate dwelling on bad holiday memories. But after sitting through the bulk of last year's VHS tape slide show footage, I just can't help it. As you may or may not remember, someone drank too much cider and proceeded to crash their sleighbells into grandma's giant pile of dead snowmen. This gave us no choice but to call the authorities. And then the New Year's incident at the McDonald's playground with the binoculars? Needless to say, it's been a rough year. </div><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 324px;" src="http://images.wikia.com/uncyclopedia/images/thumb/1/1d/BLACK_SANTA.JPG/250px-BLACK_SANTA.JPG" alt="" border="0" /><div>Which is why we've enlisted help from Mr. Clause. Not the phony Santa we all know from the mall and the movies and stuff, but <a href="http://www.blacksantamovie.com/">Blanta</a> himself. Take a seat on his chunky lap, while he scratches your back and listens to your naughty Christmas desires. </div><div>Oh right, about the soda. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julmust">Julmust</a> is a beverage consumed around Christmas in Sweden. In fact, during this time the country's <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; ">Coca-Cola <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">sales drop by roughly 50% due to its popularity. It tastes a little like beer, but with a lot of spice and no alcohol. Sort of bitter and strange, truthfully. My advice is <span class="Apple-style-span" style="">not</span> to drink it from your stocking, like you might with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wassil">wassail</a>, hot cocoa, or the like. Body shots are okay, but only after the children are fast asleep. And when Uncle Freddie (you know, the guy who kissed your girlfriend under the mistletoe the year before) punches you in the chestnuts, don't cry. Just string him up with lights and let those frisky elves take care of him. I'll show you where to stash the body.</span></span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">Get some at IKEA, after you purchase that coffee table you'll never be able to assemble. Get in the spirit! And then decorate your mass spam emails with </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://chris.com/ascii/art/html/christmasjoanstark.html">cool holiday-themed ASCII art</a><span style="font-family:georgia;">.</span><br /></div></div></div></div>Kevin Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16612628211730123860noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1776689065762388223.post-58735720704720980652008-12-05T13:09:00.000-08:002009-03-04T23:44:25.476-08:00Barq's Red Creme Soda | Cream Can Be Spelled "Creme" But Only In Certain Circles Which've Earned The Right To Do So<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ72KvyBr_XYkIAdcnrfv4S2Lk-Tuo1raH_v8iE3RN-0Rph2Y6I8elSfktxgHQaE0zUf9cUaWc2vNRQwZ1ppnkUnGjmWzfPCKvR-NJb47XEhifjY1O6m-LHpkzy0oELtm-T6T9SNJdD8w/s1600-h/DSC00297.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 164px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ72KvyBr_XYkIAdcnrfv4S2Lk-Tuo1raH_v8iE3RN-0Rph2Y6I8elSfktxgHQaE0zUf9cUaWc2vNRQwZ1ppnkUnGjmWzfPCKvR-NJb47XEhifjY1O6m-LHpkzy0oELtm-T6T9SNJdD8w/s400/DSC00297.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276429224094144978" border="0" /></a>My colleague and I shared a plastic bottle of<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>this drink today<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">, </span>on a much-needed break from doing less important things. I picked it out of the fridge in the same manner someone picks a new member for his team in kickball. I don't remember what it was like in kickball, doing the picking, but rather how it felt to be picked close to last. (It's true! This blogger had an unfortunate bowl cut and braces!) With past horrors in mind, I thoughtfully chose <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Barq's Red Creme Soda </span><span class="Apple-style-span">amid the</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">other bottles that'd been gathering dust for far too long.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"></span></span><br /><div>As pointed out to me earlier, this marks <a href="http://weeklyfizz.blogspot.com/">Weekly Fizz</a>'s first major label review. I know. In the past we have stood on the forefront as the elite pioneering-bastards of the indie drink evaluation. But this time around we couldn't resist. </div><div>Flash back to middle school, back to being an awkward fourteen year old (thank God I've endured the hardships, and can now say I've achieved awkward twenty-six year old status): I'd often walk around the school "brown bagging it." What doth this statement mean? Well, in the designated "lunch area," one could find me "hidin' from teach"—after tearing through my Swiss Cake Rolls—holding a bottle of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Barq's Root Beer</span> wrapped in a brown paper lunch bag. (Maybe it was IBC, actually, I don't remember.) I wouldn't have known about the other <a href="http://www.barqs.com/product.jsp">Barq's products</a> at the time, probably because I lived in Tampa and not New Orleans. It's probably for the best, since chances are I would've dropped out and become a junkie, soon grappling harder vices like <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Minute Maid Tropical Citrus</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">.</span><br /><br />So, before getting any more sidetracked, let's talk about New Orleaners. Did you know they've claimed red cream soda their unofficial beverage? And here</div><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ZFhCkJ4HW_UjYsx3m526R0nt_N7x90vscmXJYynOUtsyE6dG3QTVsXLHKFTY-UlGKOpBZZ6bTYrFr3_XuV13JbOU5ETG_GMrssecNM0wmuajvmvEnPHRpYRTNVqJh4mcHhLK2yCPoCk/s320/DSC00295.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276434224584246642" border="0" />I was imagining it was malt liquor. Also, to answer this week's mailbag, James William Black—a.k.a. "Big Daddy Black"—single-handedly patented the cream soda in Nova Scotia, 1886. And, let it be known, Barq's were the first to include caffeine as an ingredient in a non-coffee beverage. As for the taste, it resembles cream soda, but with added <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">red</span>. What the red allegedly represents is still a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery_%28pickup_artist%29">mystery</a>. Are we supposed to taste cherries? Strawberries? Hybrid Perennials? Does color have a taste?</div><div><div style="text-align: left;">Click <a href="http://www.redcreamsoda.com/">this link</a>, order a 12-pack, and decide. Enjoy the little animated Spot characters on the page. They will dance for you.</div></div>Kevin Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16612628211730123860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1776689065762388223.post-5062333489925377422008-10-23T20:07:00.001-07:002008-10-23T20:25:30.262-07:00"The Dr. Pepper's On Us"As mentioned <a href="http://weeklyfizz.blogspot.com/2008/03/dr-pepper-giving-every-american-free.html#links">earlier</a>, a Guns 'N Roses <a href="http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/146758-chinese-democracy-its-official">album</a> is on the horizon. <div>Why should we care?</div><div>Oh yeah. The 2008 completion of it entitles us all to a free can (or bottle? canteen?) of Dr. Pepper. <a href="http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/10-22-2008/0004909689&EDATE="></a></div><div><a href="http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/10-22-2008/0004909689&EDATE=">Here's</a> some instructions on how to obtain your very own coupon (which will take a while to arrive). </div><div>Supposedly it can be used anywhere. I'm trying to imagine the expression I'll get from the cashier ladies at <a href="http://www.birminghamrewound.com/western.htm">Western</a>.</div>Kevin Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16612628211730123860noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1776689065762388223.post-89455449452557203462008-10-07T17:42:00.000-07:002009-01-07T18:05:04.115-08:00Refrescos Country Club Frambuesa Raspberry Soda | See Me, Feel Me, Touch Me, Drink Me<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitsM8i8MUNB-i8oQdqXu5aEFkHTSx4YgFD1BLddSDip19BgQ_ku2YAb68OLUOAhBFWy8q2FAs4Wtl5cCO4eGC2m9P1VZagS4YEkOOZeZpkbiD53K8LMBSVS64p6OVJtyL__WR5K4wNDTc/s1600-h/DSC01060.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 236px; height: 315px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitsM8i8MUNB-i8oQdqXu5aEFkHTSx4YgFD1BLddSDip19BgQ_ku2YAb68OLUOAhBFWy8q2FAs4Wtl5cCO4eGC2m9P1VZagS4YEkOOZeZpkbiD53K8LMBSVS64p6OVJtyL__WR5K4wNDTc/s400/DSC01060.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254596922235736674" border="0" /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">More like <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Monthly</span> Fizz.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br />I blame the delays on my wall clock, which is getting a little old (my middle daughter made it with construction paper and glitter, and I've never had the heart to tell her it has no method of actually keeping time.)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I've been seeing a lot of </span><a href="http://mountaineermusings.com/wp-content/momhatesme.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">sad eyes</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> lately, so I was thinking, what the hell, I guess we </span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">are</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> due for another post about now, aren't we?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">So gather 'round children, and put on those party hats. It's time for the evening news. That means you too, </span><a href="http://www.philcollins.co.uk/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Phil</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Let's talk about things that've happened in the past 24 hours:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">1) Some </span><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-10-07-oj-simpson-trial_N.htm"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">interesting developments</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> have occurred regarding that OJ Simpson case we've all been following oh-so-closely.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">2) Another <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95492212">debate</a>'s going on at the very moment I'm writing this. Politics is crazy. But then again, so is sodas.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">3) The stock market crashed again (at least I heard; I was shampooing my cat around that hour).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">4) Reginald came in yelling and screaming and hollering and whistling, "Chief," he said—he calls me that occasionally—"Listen up! I think I might've found something!"</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">"Really?"</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">"Well.. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">yeah</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">."</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">"What is it?" I asked. His nose was twitching at this point. Also, he was still wearing his pajama pants, the ones with little sailboats. "Make it snappy," I said. "And speak up, I got a bad headache."</span></div><div><div><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 139px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAT3vMnAEHtrcgu8iKFy9QjEDgUvCetUXhoPadytJVGCpijlBFnj64nDW3MsxjoJP0h45JkOjI_7AKsHYtOG-KR_e8UthATKSa73jxcQ816I9KYg805t-NLNhMh1dd48syIeFp2-apphs/s400/DSC01066.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254597381067703938" border="0" /></div> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">"The missus and I have found a terrific light caffeine-free Raspberry soda."<br />He wiped his sweaty face on his sweatshirt, leaving a large greasy stain over Daffy Duck. I asked him to say again what he just said, and then myself said, "You don't say!" I put down my Sudoku puzzle—I'd given up on it and instead had begun crafting an origami swan out of the page. I raised my monocle to see his tiny face grinning. He hardly ever does that anymore, due to insecurity, mainly for losing every tooth in his </span><a href="http://www.hotrodscustomstuff.com/HUMOR/drag%20scooter.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Razor scooter</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> collision last spring.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">He handed me the bottle, and accidentally cracked the glass of my monocle in the process. Several shards made their way into my cornea, but rather than getting angry, I wiped the blood with my kerchief and asked him to slowly read the label.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">"It appears to say </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Refrescos Country Club Frambuesa Raspberry Soda</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, sir."</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">"What's that, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Español</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; white-space: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">or something?" I asked.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">"Think so."</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">And then I had a sip. I had seventeen of them, actually, completely finishing off the bottle. I did this before getting him to order twelve additional cases for the West cellar. It was damn good. Damn good.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">If you don't trust my senses, trust your own and order a 2 liter (also in Orange) from </span><a href="http://www.amigofoods.com/coclsodr2li.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">amigofoods</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. And then throw a party.</span></div>Kevin Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16612628211730123860noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1776689065762388223.post-6021533466911343962008-09-06T14:12:00.000-07:002009-06-18T23:32:17.256-07:00Citadelle Fruit Cola | Taste of the Islands<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn-uQukfq9mH7Xlmrk6wVH1p01LlsEJY0wkrM-HuSv40BbGBwDpM7qxv-iUQxyDQbohQyI0gxEzO2Ssbk49jpHoTyW-HmQCMzzRo6B_f2zDb0bPGhj8Xyar1_n6xCzBOp4eHD44SwA0c0/s1600-h/DSC01057.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 191px; height: 285px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn-uQukfq9mH7Xlmrk6wVH1p01LlsEJY0wkrM-HuSv40BbGBwDpM7qxv-iUQxyDQbohQyI0gxEzO2Ssbk49jpHoTyW-HmQCMzzRo6B_f2zDb0bPGhj8Xyar1_n6xCzBOp4eHD44SwA0c0/s400/DSC01057.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243036091926634050" border="0" /></a>I know my prolonged absence has left a cold and miserable hole in so many of your lives. My secretary's been reading and rereading several letters addressed from concerned followers. A few have even brought me to tears, which is a feeling I can only compare with my time spent in the woods with <a href="http://view.break.com/565864">these people</a>. You see, it's not that we here at <a href="http://weeklyfizz.blogspot.com/">Weekly Fizz</a> have been lazy. It's just that we've been taking the private jet out, and much like <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0113164/">Bruce Brown</a> we've traveled the world over in search of The Perfect Cola. Yeah, that's it.<div><br /></div><div>Last week we landed in <a href="http://theledfordfamily.net/images/Jamaican_Leonard_Crazy.jpg">Jamaica</a> to stock up on <a href="http://weeklyfizz.blogspot.com/2008/05/ting-dont-worry-you-can-still-feed.html">several</a> <a href="http://weeklyfizz.blogspot.com/2008/05/dg-sof-drink-kola-champagne-still.html">sodas</a> we've reviewed in the past, and came across a new one. The rather nonspecific <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Citadelle Fruit Cola</span><span class="Apple-style-span">, our interns found, </span>takes a relatively new approach in giving drinkers a chance to decide for themselves what it is they're actually tasting. You see, the people at Citadelle don't bother claiming their drink is "<a href="http://991.com/newGallery/The-Real-Thing-Can-You-Feel-The-431771.jpg">The Real Thing</a>" nor do they go with cocky simple one-word slogans like "<a href="http://redkelly.blogspot.com/2007/01/grand-master-flash-and-furious-five.html">Enjoy</a>." No sir. This forward-thinking marketing team has used the skilled illustration seen below- a sunset behind a lovely pair of palm trees- to convey the joy and serenity one felt the first time they swam in the deep end without parental supervision.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnzvRbxXMiIcLqA3AASwuEJkTTy0gxpDA56gDh_q28kaHtmAENP_WkTz0oktjqVafvOdegGAUSB3HG4sI6YsCbHmqtraE23v0kRjDkOj3lFgKMcAomd9JWqHJsumHKEnk0KNMlp0JGnQE/s1600-h/DSC01059.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 181px; height: 136px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnzvRbxXMiIcLqA3AASwuEJkTTy0gxpDA56gDh_q28kaHtmAENP_WkTz0oktjqVafvOdegGAUSB3HG4sI6YsCbHmqtraE23v0kRjDkOj3lFgKMcAomd9JWqHJsumHKEnk0KNMlp0JGnQE/s400/DSC01059.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243037949516452962" border="0" /></a><br />My colleague mentioned it tasted like cotton candy. I suggest you drink this one the same way we did, and decide the emotional landscape behind what you're tasting. Make sure to put on some Saul Williams and preheat the oven to 450 and cook that Totino's Triple Meat in style.</div>Kevin Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16612628211730123860noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1776689065762388223.post-57372056561293610992008-08-06T06:19:00.000-07:002008-10-07T20:32:45.913-07:00Fernandes Cherry Bouquet | Dutch Treat<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5e-IJ4oiHUqG4T2XKC3SvwK0xKO5U8oZrv5qExj2ZidbAETztKnEUzHJPUGHrXZEPGrK-yvw8tlXn30HyvxOQz7VtulN_ulttpIUbNslDMHc6TwApaVyB6oE4CzHNJSmDL29zrwgW1hQ/s1600-h/DSC00849.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5e-IJ4oiHUqG4T2XKC3SvwK0xKO5U8oZrv5qExj2ZidbAETztKnEUzHJPUGHrXZEPGrK-yvw8tlXn30HyvxOQz7VtulN_ulttpIUbNslDMHc6TwApaVyB6oE4CzHNJSmDL29zrwgW1hQ/s320/DSC00849.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231450630927820098" /></a>Amsterdam has a tolerance for many things unpermitted in other places. Prostitution, marijuana, children peeing in bushes, and none other than <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Fernandes Cherry Bouquet</span>.<div>I can say with honesty that on last week's trip I searched the city over, and couldn't find much in the way of peculiar non-U.S. sodas, but only weird juices, smoothies and things. </div><div>Here were a few soda-related observations:<span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="">1)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "> F</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">anta</span> is even more common, in every local shopkeeper's cooler and served in every restaurant. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="">2)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"> Diet Coke</span>s look the same, yet they go by the name <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Coca-Cola light</span>. </div><div>3) Also one day I thought I was buying a carton of chocolate milk, but upon opening it I found out I had actually bought a carton of chocolate <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">yogurt</span>. How is <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_TNuWOn6o7l0/SBSpT3Ue8kI/AAAAAAAAAo8/zjCFrjHRC-c/IMG_2387.JPG">one</a> supposed to consume an entire gallon of chocolate yogurt? You'll have to ask a Dutchman.</div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHCPEOMF2JkhT1wtQYIwJT8odtchsj9HoMcz2aVUoZebZubt4-wYtBJARkqj-PPGXZu_uR2UTNDyhi_wGxPB5Sj9_MPvT6tK8ZKZ3W_xhlXD3Tvj1aVlv7JGW9acgcBpbzZnQ-yXuGORk/s200/DSC00672.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231453722514315634" /><div><div>I got this little can from a vendor next to an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuschinski">art nouveau/deco neo-gothic theater</a>, and threw it in my backpack until arriving home. And buddy, was that a long walk. It came as a reward that particular day of taking wrong turns all over the city, trying not to fall into canals and get run over by bicyclists.</div><div>I couldn't find Fernandes drinks online. The company had a few other soda flavors all over Amsterdam (Green Punch, Super Pineapple, and YES- Red Grape!). The ones I tried were all good, but Cherry Bouquet was certainly the tastiest. </div></div>Kevin Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16612628211730123860noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1776689065762388223.post-86566543254076100172008-07-28T09:00:00.000-07:002009-01-07T18:01:46.457-08:00Black Lemonade | Welcome to the Other Side<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ_BCfSRMjTvxMmPFZCJ-9eGxVBs6VD-llpIXKcYliUwoqj8YJhDzq_LyPlnn7sc_4i-T1ofejqLUtj2pEFmUiH9sxRSPO3yseIaeFnA7dsC4ONGU-2i4NR4BE6qSmTLRRhyphenhyphenIjX76iLzs/s1600-h/DSC00595.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ_BCfSRMjTvxMmPFZCJ-9eGxVBs6VD-llpIXKcYliUwoqj8YJhDzq_LyPlnn7sc_4i-T1ofejqLUtj2pEFmUiH9sxRSPO3yseIaeFnA7dsC4ONGU-2i4NR4BE6qSmTLRRhyphenhyphenIjX76iLzs/s320/DSC00595.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225217936842012274" border="0" /></a>Pirates are all the rage these days. Or was that a few years ago? I never saw the final <span style="font-style: italic;">Pirates of the Caribbean </span>movie. Got kind of bored in the second one. Either way, pirates love this drink. I have evidence of this because I have some pirate friends. Seriously, I'll show you where they live.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Black Lemonade Private Reserve</span> is one of the strangest, bitterest things I've ever tried. It's the kind of thing thirteen year-old boys pass back and forth and dare one another to finish at slumber parties (no wait, girls have 'slumber parties' and boys have 'sleepovers,' right? or was it the other way around?). While we're on the subject, it's not sissy thirteen year-old boys who might drink this either, but the kind that sneak weapons into school on the days they actually show up. <div><br /><div><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 166px; height: 172px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5vZ5Fwl6XaLhBusof205lvSuyPPTAdFADWw6KTV2ejpUpTHIxX1lYmfIm8PoAV1wZJpNdA_fIq1qoncGYdRckD7_P3NacEntfpGAgEq6VfztLtJdi5VBdY7SMkxKwxIneZvqN8uxPLA/s320/DSC00593.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225218548296701090" border="0" /></div><div>I enjoyed the herbal lemonade/motor oil experience quite a bit, but probably wouldn't drink more than two bottles a year, if you catch my drift. There are several warnings on the label to not take lightly, including "once you drink black you never go back" (really.. their words, not mine). The drink is made by the alternative beverage group <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Skeleteens</span> (and is it my imagination, or wasn't there a ska band with this same name sometime in the 90s?), and can be obtained via the web from <a href="http://www.sodaking.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=skeleteens">the Sodaking</a>. <br /><br /></div></div>Kevin Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16612628211730123860noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1776689065762388223.post-81523385948001890552008-07-20T12:15:00.000-07:002008-12-10T13:19:11.817-08:00Bubble Up | Cool Drink, Even Cooler Jersey<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAKWmBP5RgnihcQpw4L_5Lli6EhWXaVtrS26DjUTlobaH6-lh2RtcF1gdiOAFeAt0J2Zx1a-jli2-onF4WW4Whed2ZCFFDQkgjjKirUatgllPMD1Cc6PP51CTwhafWVLlwEErpvGPKUGY/s1600-h/DSC00604.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAKWmBP5RgnihcQpw4L_5Lli6EhWXaVtrS26DjUTlobaH6-lh2RtcF1gdiOAFeAt0J2Zx1a-jli2-onF4WW4Whed2ZCFFDQkgjjKirUatgllPMD1Cc6PP51CTwhafWVLlwEErpvGPKUGY/s320/DSC00604.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225187833313706770" border="0" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span">The day has finally come. All of us</span> here at Weekly Fizz can now say we have a favorite caffeine-free lemon-lime beverage. We've been drinking it around the offices all week long and asking each other "Why didn't we know about this stuff at the <span style="font-style: italic;">beginning</span> of summer? (chuckle chuckle)." Unlike <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sprite</span> or <span style="font-weight: bold;">7Up</span> or <span style="font-weight: bold;">Ting</span> or <span style="font-weight: bold;">Weis Up!</span> or <span style="font-weight: bold;">That Lemon-Lime Drink Your Uncle Used to Swear By</span>, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Bubble Up </span>packs an unexpected, special lemon kick in the blue jeans.<br /><div><br />As for the taste, it's extra <a href="http://crisp.cit.nih.gov/">crisp</a>, and best served chilled. Even better than drinking <span style="font-style: italic;">one</span> bottle cold though is chilling several thousand, filling up an entire pool with 'em and inviting a dozen or so scantily-clad ladies over for a <a href="http://www.valleyridgebarnes.net/images/snorkel%20party%20a.jpg">snorkeling party</a>. Just make sure your goggles are on tight-- don't wanna get any in your eyes. As your mother and I know, it could send you to the hospital, and bills could get rather expensive since we had to cancel your policy a couple months back.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.ecyclingstore.com/mcart/images/bubbleup.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 227px; height: 202px;" src="http://www.ecyclingstore.com/mcart/images/bubbleup.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Alright, now open your textbooks to page 137. It's history time:<br />The Bubble Up product was first introduced in 1917 and later sold to the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Dad's Root Beer </span><span class="Apple-style-span">dudes</span><span class="Apple-style-span"> (and later on, overseas, to the Monarch Beverage Company).</span> I like to think of it as the <a href="http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.stfrancis.edu/historyinthemovies/images/olivertwist/olivertwist1.jpe&imgrefurl=http://www.stfrancis.edu/historyinthemovies/oliver%2520twist.htm&h=349&w=550&sz=90&hl=en&start=5&um=1&tbnid=fsFiRmFhymS2gM:&tbnh=84&tbnw=133&prev=/images%3Fq%3Doliver%2Btwist%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DG">orphan child</a> of lemon-lime bevs, since it was first made in Ohio, then in Atlanta, and now has found a special home in Indiana. <span style="font-style: italic;">Hey.. in the back of the class.. stop yawning or I'll saw your toes off!</span><br /><br />I got my bottle, along with others to minimize shipping costs, from my good buddy <a href="http://www.sodaking.com/">the Sodaking</a>.</div>Kevin Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16612628211730123860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1776689065762388223.post-26806705828326720352008-07-14T17:53:00.005-07:002008-12-10T13:19:12.010-08:00Vimto | Purple Stuff, Dad's Pants, etc.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEVs4SN_9eHfpeJ6mSoK42QhKOPdpVw-BjacWqsCsSoYFVgpAsMgeKydOkJ5PHt9bhqI7eW6IStFbbEgdTdLoaYCBtfw0SrZKnaTnitGKvT-SOtxj_4njIJcg_ODBWuryQgCTLgn-bSNg/s1600-h/DSC00512.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEVs4SN_9eHfpeJ6mSoK42QhKOPdpVw-BjacWqsCsSoYFVgpAsMgeKydOkJ5PHt9bhqI7eW6IStFbbEgdTdLoaYCBtfw0SrZKnaTnitGKvT-SOtxj_4njIJcg_ODBWuryQgCTLgn-bSNg/s320/DSC00512.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223047991183852434" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Vimto</span> is big stuff in the U.K. I kid you not. The concoction seen to your left comes straight from the fruit of grapes, raspberries and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackcurrant">blackcurrants</a> (yeah, I had to look it up). Upon first glance I expected the purple stuff to be from somewhere in India, since my can was retrieved from a hookah lounge.<br /><br />And most anyone would agree, this <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sparkling Vimto Fruit Flavoured Drink</span> is mighty delicious. If you could see my face you would detect no disappointment. And as of 2008, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nF_lMIXzNc4">folks</a> have been "Shlurpling The Purple" (as some have called it) for 100 years*.<br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(*<a href="http://www.vimto.co.uk/how_to_shlurple.aspx">some creepy instructions on <span>how </span><span>to perform this task, which I feel rather uncomfortable disclosing</span></a>)</span><br /><br />Unlike several of the soft drinks we've reviewed, the powers that be have chosen a mascot with an <span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">actual name</span></span>: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Purple Ronnie </span><span><span style="font-size:85%;">(no, not <a href="http://www.worth1000.com/entries/98500/98621fkNJ_w.jpg">him</a>)</span>.</span> Let's see.. What can I tell you about the guy? Well, what all would you like to know? We used to be roommates. OK, just messin'. Purple Ronnie is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stick_figure">stick figure</a>. He might be <span>the world's </span><span style="font-style: italic;">most famous</span> stick figure for all I know. And, don't take this the wrong way, because I really do love this beverage, but please don't get me started on how much I despise stick figures. Show me a man/woman drawing a stick figure and I'll show you a man/woman that is utterly lazy. LAZY!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.rowanygolfclub.com/vimto_logo_with_splash.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 258px; height: 178px;" src="http://www.rowanygolfclub.com/vimto_logo_with_splash.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> On the contrary, I happen to find <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phasmatodea">stick insects</a>* quite fascinating. They are ACTS OF GOD and DEFINITELY something worth going on and on about.<br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(*for the scientific mind, these are really called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phasmatodea">Phasmatodea</a>)</span><div><span style="font-size:85%;">(*forgive me today for being overly caps-happy)</span><div><br />I expect to drink a little Vimto on my European travels next week, amongst other things. Order it from <a href="http://www.vimtointernational.com/local.aspx"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Vimto International</span></a> or ask somebody at an import-friendly local grocery store to help you out.</div></div>Kevin Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16612628211730123860noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1776689065762388223.post-74362298284990663302008-07-10T07:34:00.000-07:002008-07-16T20:51:06.863-07:00Drowning at the Soda FountainAll's been pretty quiet on the blogging front lately, and for that I apologize.<div><br /></div><div>It's just that the lease on my house in Tampa has ended, and for the time I've been staying in Brooksville, Florida, debating my next move and failing to locate any sodas looming. I was gonna say <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hughie_Thomasson">this guy</a> lives in the neighborhood, but he died last year.</div><div><br /></div><div>Solution: I ordered a bunch of bottles on the internet. As soon as the mailperson delivers them, I'll be hitting it hard again.. weekly and even more fizz-ly.</div>Kevin Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16612628211730123860noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1776689065762388223.post-67640795083029712122008-06-28T18:07:00.000-07:002008-12-10T13:19:12.161-08:00Soda and The Big Word Project | Two Kids Getting Easy Money<div>What exactly do dictionaries and caffeinated beverages have in common? Well, as the 5,732nd word to be included on <a href="http://www.thebigwordproject.com/">The Big Word Project</a>, the word "<a href="http://www.thebigwordproject.com/search?word=soda">soda</a>" will now link to <a href="http://weeklyfizz.blogspot.com/">Weekly Fizz</a>.<br /></div><div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV1_4ksnf77NURIWyA_Fo4gzQ3y4OfzgjYt__wvii_xRdehPQMOf4sBm8Vtmjos3uhekaMQ-2lw9Y0VHLjcG82R4Uz1KMn8BaOlViJsApj8nU2tW8ObHuLcm3x0WlAvKk-UEHK2e8auQY/s320/the-big-word-project-20080508-160433.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217106814063061522" /></div><div><div>The <a href="http://www.thebigwordproject.com/about">project</a> is a viral campaign created by two Masters students from Northern Ireland, aiming to redefine the English language dictionary by linking words to websites. At $1 per letter, soda- being a four-letter word- costed me four bucks. But heck, that's less than dinner. And it's exposure, right?</div></div></div>Kevin Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16612628211730123860noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1776689065762388223.post-81880487055586176272008-06-26T15:23:00.000-07:002008-12-10T13:19:12.367-08:00Red Rock Premium Cola | Get Silly<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLkCsld6UlpSIflcJx34v5zoPe7pj55u45T1JOq3qoo4DvCETF1L3hJGVbjZMX1ECkTExCphIcNu5P5rNwbo_9g5LYWL5yXnWvtNMyykxgBWKyLq49Fb7t9OiPF-OHg5Xa7Y3XJAawCnQ/s1600-h/DSC00416.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLkCsld6UlpSIflcJx34v5zoPe7pj55u45T1JOq3qoo4DvCETF1L3hJGVbjZMX1ECkTExCphIcNu5P5rNwbo_9g5LYWL5yXnWvtNMyykxgBWKyLq49Fb7t9OiPF-OHg5Xa7Y3XJAawCnQ/s320/DSC00416.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216325127991407410" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.dirtybutton.com/media/db1187-ronald-on-rims.jpg">Atlanta</a>...<br /><br />Lately I've spent some time in this city. I was interviewing for a job, seeing a couple good friends and listening to quite a bit of hip-hop radio. What else did I do? I drank <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Red Rock</span>. I also drank several Weinstephaners and a Left Hand at Brickstore Pub, but during the daytime I was mostly listening to <a href="http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u307/abria81/WEEZY.png">Weezy</a> and sipping Red Rock.<br /><br />Red Rock contains 100% natural pure cane sugar and a full-bodied taste in the soda fountain style. They've stayed relatively true to the original formula since 1885, which (as <a href="http://www.mg.co.za/article/2007-06-18-worlds-oldest-man-apologises-for-still-being-alive">this man</a> can tell you) is a really long time. If I had to compare it to another cola, I'd say it was a lot like <a href="http://www.coca-cola.com/template1/index.jsp?locale=en_US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Coke</span></a>*. But stronger and (honestly) better. They make a ginger ale too, which I speculate must be pretty dope, like you'd expect Southern ginger ales to be.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://paulstamatiou.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/coca-cola_hq_1024.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://paulstamatiou.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/coca-cola_hq_1024.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />In all actuality Red Rock has very little to do with the hip-hop <a href="http://oklahomateen.com/Hillarious_Pictures/pimped_bus/pimped_bus.jpg">lifestyle</a>, and more to do with helping preserve nature- particularly The Chattahoochee River. From the 4-pack side panel:<div><blockquote></blockquote><blockquote>One of Georgia's great rivers is endangered. The Chattahoochee River, a source of drinking water to nearly 3 1/2 million Georgians, has ben designated as one of the most endangered rivers in the nation. Red Rock is committed to helping save our great river. That's why Red Rock will donate a portion of the profit from every purchase to the <a href="http://www.chattahoochee.org/">Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeepers.</a></blockquote>There's quite a bit of history <a href="http://www.angelfire.com/tn/traderz/redrock.html">to be read</a> (if you have the patience). When in stock, you can order some from <a href="http://popsoda.com/redrockcola.html">The Soda Shop</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(*Speaking of, did anyone else wonder where they were when <a href="http://www.rocafella.com/">Roc-A-Fella</a> created the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fwErLndqs4">new Cherry Coke design</a> last year?)</span><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_fwErLndqs4&hl=en"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_fwErLndqs4&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="344" width="425"></embed></object></div>Kevin Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16612628211730123860noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1776689065762388223.post-87561150059921368992008-06-18T12:04:00.000-07:002008-12-10T13:19:12.782-08:00Ting | You Can Still "Feed The Animals" With It<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGFgQniXy9zKLVbLVuic-MvrU7g-97I01Yflg8ssVt1l_SiMS3eqXfJ9-uy6V9tYU-4ORBG4XNjNHvkJNHa5iJwnG39splbJLzBSViZNGxXvtdL7uN8FKEqlwGJgXPUgv1dfoZBNTIs3U/s1600-h/DSC00394.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 188px; height: 309px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGFgQniXy9zKLVbLVuic-MvrU7g-97I01Yflg8ssVt1l_SiMS3eqXfJ9-uy6V9tYU-4ORBG4XNjNHvkJNHa5iJwnG39splbJLzBSViZNGxXvtdL7uN8FKEqlwGJgXPUgv1dfoZBNTIs3U/s320/DSC00394.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213710994598274178" border="0" /></a>Another Jamaican beverage, and this time a grapefruit-flavored one. And folks, just like last week's, the flavor of this one isn't all that strong, great, noteworthy, delicious, sensational, happy, first-class, sterling, blue-ribbon, bang-up, killer, hunky-dory, <a href="http://www.quizilla.com/user_images/K/KISSgirl/1089397341_simagesaf1.jpg">ace</a>, terrific, smashing, awesome or brilliant. Honestly you could spend an entire Friday night playing with your neighbor's <a href="http://lolcats.com/images/u/07/22/lolcatsdotcomq0sgjxfx758rcuy9.jpg">cat</a> and feel precisely the same bit of excitement. Sorry, but that's just the way it is.<br /><br />Upon my first sip my immediate reaction was that it tasted just like Alka-Seltzer, but with some grapefruit (and/or lime) juice squeezed in (it even seemed to plop in a similar manner as I poured it over ice). But after a few more sips I didn't mind it so bad. And spending some time under the Carribbean sun might make anybody sing a different tune. I could see <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Ting</span> being refreshing under those sorts of circumstances. There's also a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Pink Ting</span> and a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Diet Tin</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">g</span>, both which I haven't had.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV6c3ZoT3Q6heyFI1twJrdAJbg22X1i-XXx-_5SJOd_KyYoq788mR721ulaRwqK467mxDnXUSSXAugdeNn3X-LuVkqGCCarxz0CS57mUEBPv5NdabGvx3sFT_OJGXJKChe6kM3j5GAGrc/s1600-h/DSC00396.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 159px; height: 164px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV6c3ZoT3Q6heyFI1twJrdAJbg22X1i-XXx-_5SJOd_KyYoq788mR721ulaRwqK467mxDnXUSSXAugdeNn3X-LuVkqGCCarxz0CS57mUEBPv5NdabGvx3sFT_OJGXJKChe6kM3j5GAGrc/s320/DSC00396.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213711178035028882" border="0" /></a><br />I feel like I need to show some love to Jamaica. How 'bout this: I listened to Augustus Pablo yesterday. Good enough? Alright, I'm sorry. I like the pretty green bottle, if that's any better. Speaking of music, <a href="http://74.124.198.47/illegal-art.net/__girl__talk___feed__the__anima.ls___/">this album</a> made the experience not quite as <a href="http://www.megsmakeup.com/images/Girl_Talk_Box_Cover.jpg">bad</a>.<br /><br />Also got this one at Yah Mon. (Don't) get it <a href="http://www.tingsoda.com/">here</a>. Next week we'll review something good. Promise.Kevin Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16612628211730123860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1776689065762388223.post-82477528922651890212008-06-11T09:51:00.000-07:002008-12-10T13:19:13.095-08:00DG Sof Drink Kola Champagne | Continually Endorsed By Paula Abdul's Dance Partner's Cousin<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbQwjy13pEGaE4DVzZ-e2JlmAKMmu5S8G8IpArOptHhgrT3aw2VabY51MqnH0r_2J1XUW-LFlIsAKJ5siATC3sW6TGrCljKlWN8n53PPocFlXUtNso-H82coUuX1TjskK9yzS1C4qaXg/s1600-h/DSC00390.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbQwjy13pEGaE4DVzZ-e2JlmAKMmu5S8G8IpArOptHhgrT3aw2VabY51MqnH0r_2J1XUW-LFlIsAKJ5siATC3sW6TGrCljKlWN8n53PPocFlXUtNso-H82coUuX1TjskK9yzS1C4qaXg/s320/DSC00390.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210673449155793874" border="0" /></a>There's a very light, non-cluttered taste to this beverage. I think the blandness might conflict with the anything-goes attitude of <a href="http://static.flickr.com/48/170094281_a07583994b.jpg">many Jamaicans</a> I've met who like to party. But who can say for sure? <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">DG Kola Champagne</span> tastes nothing like the cola champagnes I've tasted before. I clearly taste some citrus here, and almost no signs of a <a href="http://www.ugoto.com/picture_marijuana-restaurant.html">strange plant</a> found throughout the island nation. Recent news states that many young adolescents in our country have also discovered this plant and begun using it recreationally. But again, who can say for sure?<div>Let's be honest. There's not really much interesting to write about here, except for the store in which the bottle was obtained. I got it with a bottle of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Ting</span> at a bright yellow business called Yah Mon that's situated in the Historic 4th Avenue District of downtown Birmingham. I have not partaken of any food yet at Yah Mon, though my friends <a href="http://electriclion.blogspot.com/">Cary Norton</a> and <a href="http://alanbarton.blogspot.com/">Alan Barton</a> have said nice things.</div><div>As this post's title suggests, several DNA tests have determined the<br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvfVb8QqoOXoIA_f7rVNWAFX_Bwb0NEZmCj78Xtamw7pY5NOM74yoszGM2XvbPSLl_ZE2D_FhcTLS6dacaGsK3fYllwBFGVNlaTMkpdrb_JIA-9b49FZj4Em5il7su1wLYIb_io2tXklU/s1600-h/p+copy.+abdul+and+champagne+cola"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvfVb8QqoOXoIA_f7rVNWAFX_Bwb0NEZmCj78Xtamw7pY5NOM74yoszGM2XvbPSLl_ZE2D_FhcTLS6dacaGsK3fYllwBFGVNlaTMkpdrb_JIA-9b49FZj4Em5il7su1wLYIb_io2tXklU/s320/p+copy.+abdul+and+champagne+cola" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210679385312158194" border="0" /></a>"cool cat" on the label is actually a not-so-distant cousin of Paula Abdul's friend from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opposites_Attract">"Opposites</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opposites_Attract"> Attract"</a> video. The rich/famous cat's cousin does not only prefer the island heat over the U.S. of A, but is also the key to why so many women prefer assholes (though that type of information can only be read on <a href="http://blogs.laweekly.com/play/how-paula-abduls-opposites-att/">a whole other blog altogether</a>). Next week we'll talk about another Jamaican soda made by the same company as this one. You can find this flavor and some others at <a href="http://www.jamaicasearch.net/cgi-bin/ccp51/cp-app.cgi?usr=51F5202204&rnd=6216114&rrc=N&affl=&cip=72.27.40.74&act=&aff=&pg=cat&ref=JamaicanSodas">this</a> online store.</div>Kevin Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16612628211730123860noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1776689065762388223.post-39496151587576728282008-06-05T09:13:00.000-07:002008-12-10T13:19:13.348-08:00Dr. Wham | Distant Cousinry<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDXyTjdbXaPRMDzAwEevDSXJ-6ba6-gYIZ-l4jNchVUgxHTlI1mB9CWHDkLhwrYlYZ4Y7yEzbEH5CNVdusMK6iIPvdGl7jiSM-h2Vcx_kVj7vsiiYpv66oocstve9csc21oVWGRWcrtFw/s1600-h/DRWham_20.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDXyTjdbXaPRMDzAwEevDSXJ-6ba6-gYIZ-l4jNchVUgxHTlI1mB9CWHDkLhwrYlYZ4Y7yEzbEH5CNVdusMK6iIPvdGl7jiSM-h2Vcx_kVj7vsiiYpv66oocstve9csc21oVWGRWcrtFw/s320/DRWham_20.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207173437318988082" border="0" /></a>A friend of a friend of mine used to collect "Dr." drinks. I never met this man, but his legacy was spoke of often. Finding out someone had made it their duty to begin gathering these drinks meant a lot to me. It was inspiring. If I knew more about this man- this <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">friend of a friend </span>and<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"> lover of Doctor drinks </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="">man</span>- I'd try to get him in touch with the <a href="http://www.drpeppermuseum.com/">Dr. Pepper Museum</a> people. My ex-girlfriend and I stopped in this heavenly place two summers ago while in Waco, TX for my cousin's wedding. There's a large wall somewhere inside displaying many small enterprise "imposter" brands of soft drinks, and I imagine <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Dr. Wham</span> exists on the shelf somewhere amongst them. There must be over a hundred Doc drinks hiding out there, both in production and long forgotten. Dr. Wham is the first I've gotten ahold of since starting this blog, unless you count <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Dr. Thunder </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="">(which is </span>produced by the Wal-Mart corporation and I'll offer no support of, except in saying that it tastes mighty fine and can be obtained for under 50 cents the last time I checked.)<div><br /><div>Dr. Wham makes me recall a simpler time; one that existed before you and I, preceding eras where colas became consumed several times a day. Sodas then were thought of as rare treats. They were enjoyed and sipped slow. That's how I partook of this one, and how you should too when you buy it on your way to work tomorrow morning. Now, contrary to my expectations, the flavor doesn't resemble <b>Dr. Pepper</b> all that much. More like a standard cola I'd say, or cola champagne with less citrus. Observe the delightful logo and packaging. Now feel cheated. The whole "Since 1926" thing is a hoax- the best I can tell. The drink is <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">new</span>. So why would they choose 1926? I couldn't tell you. D.W. is bottled by <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Buffalo Rock</span>, straight out of Birmingham, AL (I've driven by the plant dozens of times) so I'm forced to cut these people some slack, out of my admiration for B.R. Under any other circumstances- like if the soda was bottled in Oregon, say- the slack might be left uncut.<img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 232px; height: 197px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLxSZ54Krr5ItteAtrHXn2BgJgw42kHJWfzgGMpwqpN7OaKY47Yx2hyphenhyphenQYh_l-5HTWSGCd1poH4hkctSLFY8UXJ6_t70kUHL8SVrLZ1PFnwJSCfojkq9ZLkYc0dGQW-wDwp6ClzyNseo8/s320/wham.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207173914060357970" border="0" /></div><div><br /></div><div>I don't mind going to the doctor whenever I need it. Likewise, I experience no shame in throwing a Wham! record on the turntable whenever the urge might strike (once a year might still be more often than deemed socially acceptable). Though Dr. Wham is <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">not</span> the product of combining professionally-trained <a href="http://www.fssevier.com/images/SevierSurgeons-full.jpg">surgeons</a> with eighties pop outfits, as a soda it's popping up in places all over the southeast. If you aren't from around here, I'll gladly FedEx you a bottle in exchange for some <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Doc Holiday.</span></div></div>Kevin Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16612628211730123860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1776689065762388223.post-26337040014779710122008-05-29T11:49:00.000-07:002008-12-10T13:19:13.689-08:00Virgil's Black Cherry Cream Soda | Mine Eyes Have Seen The Glory<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8gTYJhJ6oIzEbz-qHWsUQCRlsqy9aNgVPLDJTZQZdea6kQ_CdtQwdDlTmdmao3Rs8DVmDm3n_H2DbpttPhUYmcy-QrUCTkGK2JV6wnxQY7eoHNqsUEQEC9ZTwqYU85Ol-Za9Fs1AhaYc/s1600-h/DSC00386.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8gTYJhJ6oIzEbz-qHWsUQCRlsqy9aNgVPLDJTZQZdea6kQ_CdtQwdDlTmdmao3Rs8DVmDm3n_H2DbpttPhUYmcy-QrUCTkGK2JV6wnxQY7eoHNqsUEQEC9ZTwqYU85Ol-Za9Fs1AhaYc/s320/DSC00386.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206197753893322978" border="0" /></a><div>Anyone who's ever tasted a<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"> Virgil's Root Bee</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">r</span> can tell you two things. For one, it's really expensive. Also, it's mighty tasty (partially attributed to the fact that it's so expensive, thus leaving the taster no choice but to savor every intimate sip). The all-natural beverage "micro brewed with black cherry and vanilla beans" is a lot of things. It's a seagull perched on a tall rock. A drive through an old park with your lover. An observation of some mountains from the top of a ferris wheel, perhaps.</div><div><div><br />Honestly, I have never found anything remotely close to a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Virgil's Black Cherry Cream Soda </span>before today. It's worth the money. It might be worth <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">all</span> your money (assuming you make quite little, and your children are not enrolled in private school).<br /><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 149px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhky9gaSEhUTD40766Y74_LQHaE3ZKytd-97jJT0yBRExFnQrpK7SSsYmdr6AlsSr_K1zDaGgOSRuMRgoikfnioC3opmLyyHqqvOau5txDyU9gmOwhjgpVkrlqHTvIDaeDJCCuPzrLcLOU/s320/DSC00387.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206198874879787250" border="0" /><br />This Virgil guy claims to gather his ingredients worldwide. In his words, it's "what Ben and Jerry's is to ice cream," and "what Dom Perignon is to champagne." If you're a wine-taster turned soda-enthusiast (I know you're hiding out there somewhere) or a Wall Street gentleman who'd feel too second-rate chintzy strolling around with a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Capt'n Eli's Par<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">rot Punc</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">h</span> in hand, what other choice could there be? All snobbery aside, I'm convinced this gourmet beverage would suit anyone well. Confession time: I drank it alongside some leftovers from <a href="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl0/1/13255/13_2008/tacobell.jpg">Taco Bell</a>, and it <span class="Apple-style-span" style="">completely</span> counterbalanced the otherwise deplorable quality of my table d'hote. </span></span></div><div><br />I got my bottle at <a href="http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/">Whole Foods Market</a>. Check out Virgil's other products- their Root Beer and Real Cola- if you haven't already. A variety of places to find them are listed <a href="http://www.virgils.com/get.shtml">here</a>.<br /></div></div>Kevin Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16612628211730123860noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1776689065762388223.post-828110574937202122008-05-25T08:30:00.000-07:002008-12-10T13:19:13.857-08:00Barritt's Bermuda Stone Ginger Beer | Less Kick Than a Buffalo Rock, More Rock Than a Buffalo Kick<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirLoLbGQMZ3bO3AUhzNoshOGiYPBXgJ7vuGnQoUYpWhdfyQsauL_sjSikLxk6WamNrh-v38_XCZskAnDd-VyixLp0xqD3tekI4v1cF2ZVRIfyRxXAb6XyD0xGtwVL8FurSkS-7grsGl7k/s1600-h/DSC00339.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirLoLbGQMZ3bO3AUhzNoshOGiYPBXgJ7vuGnQoUYpWhdfyQsauL_sjSikLxk6WamNrh-v38_XCZskAnDd-VyixLp0xqD3tekI4v1cF2ZVRIfyRxXAb6XyD0xGtwVL8FurSkS-7grsGl7k/s320/DSC00339.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5204731941684740290" border="0" /></a>Bermuda is home to many things: the world's prettiest beaches, a thriving economic community, <a href="http://neatorama.cachefly.net/images/2007-01/bermuda-shorts.jpg">tacky shorts-and-socks combinations</a>, and none other than <span style="font-weight: bold;">Barritt's Bermuda Stone Ginger Beer</span>. I was lucky enough to travel there (and drink me some) my freshman year of college. I remembered this experience only after uncovering this colorful can at a service station in Little 5 Points, Atlanta.<br /><br />I'd like to say that ginger beer is basically the same as ginger ale, but that would be an injustice. Ginger beer is, across the board, more strongly flavored with ginger, less carbonated, and sweetened to a far lesser degree. Jamaica has some cool g.b. brands, but Barritt's has less cayenne than most of those. Really, if it was any easier to find, I'd drink it over <span style="font-weight: bold;">Schweppes</span> or <span style="font-weight: bold;">Vernors</span> any day of the week. But as many of my close friends will tell you, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Buffalo Rock</span>* beats them all.<br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(*more on this at a later time)<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bermudastyles.com/bermuda/images/bermuda-vacations.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.bermudastyles.com/bermuda/images/bermuda-vacations.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />If you're ever in Bermuda (or, evidently, many parts of Australia), you might find folks drinking a mixed cocktail called a <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dark 'N' Stormy</span><span style="">. This is comprised of </span>ginger beer and black rum over ice with a lime wedge. I never got to enjoy one since I was eighteen at the time-- a<span class="Apple-style-span" style="">nd you shouldn't either, kids!</span><br /><br />Go no further than the the Barritt's <a href="http://www.barrittsgingerbeer.bm/">company website</a> to read some history and find a link to their overseas availability.Kevin Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16612628211730123860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1776689065762388223.post-54503778586938984922008-05-15T21:15:00.000-07:002008-12-10T13:19:14.579-08:00Henry Weinhard's Vanilla Cream | Big Sky, Little Soda<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzd8Q5FQ7lng4cm5TaZ2AvqDtP8TzE-6FNHOa2lkALjwZXJTRlb_r4ljpghy6U5H0uQiv5BF7PRjCL-54iG-8b-aq0ehl0dmTnn_o2ucCfugocMNoxK7x9xGdekr_lKReDlTpv47ctMI/s1600-h/DSC00140.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzd8Q5FQ7lng4cm5TaZ2AvqDtP8TzE-6FNHOa2lkALjwZXJTRlb_r4ljpghy6U5H0uQiv5BF7PRjCL-54iG-8b-aq0ehl0dmTnn_o2ucCfugocMNoxK7x9xGdekr_lKReDlTpv47ctMI/s320/DSC00140.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201801128232942946" border="0" /></a>If you were frantically looking for my father or myself sometime during the past week and a half, you would have had a tough time, as we were camping somewhere in the mountains of Montana. While there, my agenda included the task of finding as many unique sodas from the West to fill a suitcase. This job proved fruitless. The soda (or dare I say "pop"?) selection at all the tiny shops and service stations from Missoula to the Swan Valley displeased me. On trips prior, I had enjoyed bottles of <a href="http://www.junkfoodblog.com/uploaded_images/flathead-lake-monster-soda-730198.jpg"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.flatheadlakemonster.com/">Flathead Lake Monster</a></span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Hand Crafted Gourmet Huckleberry Soda</span>, but this time around, nothing of the sort could be found.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhivUwsiB4iaB-4lyl1Rz0USyKnL04KF2p_80nyiBxbdT1zMHvQ-LJClbW0MmdofLAwBpwQGgly2YSiLP2MSQNFjCiHM8YzG41mzMXHSIDozfmh1BLdlZx1e0oLp5LiEbeIBT6J5AAIqs/s1600-h/DSC00141.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 193px; height: 203px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhivUwsiB4iaB-4lyl1Rz0USyKnL04KF2p_80nyiBxbdT1zMHvQ-LJClbW0MmdofLAwBpwQGgly2YSiLP2MSQNFjCiHM8YzG41mzMXHSIDozfmh1BLdlZx1e0oLp5LiEbeIBT6J5AAIqs/s320/DSC00141.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201802197679799682" border="0" /></a>I did, however, find some Portland, OR vanilla cream soda while stopping in for some groceries. The gentleman on the label, who calls himself Henry, suggested I give his bottle a try. I took his advice because he had a beard that spoke honesty, and because I still haven't bought a can of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Fanta</span> since they started running those god-awful <a href="http://www.2blowhards.com/archives/BlowhardF2004FantaBillboard3-thumb.jpg">Spice Girl ads</a>.<br /><br />The <span style="font-weight: bold;">Henry Weinhard </span>people also brew beer, which my father and I partook of on a few evenings. This beer paled in comparison to MT's locally-brewed Moose Drool Brown Ale, and Colorado's Fat Tire (we drank both at a legendary hole-in-the-wall type of bar called <a href="http://www.dirtcheapinmontana.com/images/LiquidLouiesB.jpg">Liquid Louie's</a>).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAfN_h83g5Oj4VD7PT9rlZG07OsFjjzsRs3vgPhzOw0tA23zVet033cHzkqbWKb1y4jDHJmAgEbzLnU2NvoYbiFvANpvKVlPhwpRyapX6QK3tRoWKFGzw60yPEAcBnSUWn9h0y6PygHbo/s1600-h/DSC00061.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAfN_h83g5Oj4VD7PT9rlZG07OsFjjzsRs3vgPhzOw0tA23zVet033cHzkqbWKb1y4jDHJmAgEbzLnU2NvoYbiFvANpvKVlPhwpRyapX6QK3tRoWKFGzw60yPEAcBnSUWn9h0y6PygHbo/s320/DSC00061.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201802794680253842" border="0" /></a>To the state of Montana: you seem to support local businesses quite well. My hopes for shop owners is that you'll practice similar techniques and carry more alternative beverages in the future. That is all.<br /><br />Henry Weinhard's drinks can be found at <a href="http://www.beveragesdirect.com/products/henryweinhards/">Beverages Direct</a>.Kevin Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16612628211730123860noreply@blogger.com0