Forgive my lack of posts over the last two weeks – I was detained on top-secret Better Libations official business.  (And no, don’t assume that’s just code for me being lazy.  That’s only a half-truth).

I came across this tantalizingly unique flavor at our local health food store, and it would not let me pass without buying it.  A rhubarb-flavored soda??  I barely even know what rhubarb is, but for some reason this got my curiosity up.  (I have a thing for new and unusual flavors).

Now it sits in front of me, waiting to be reviewed.  It gives off a very light, tart aroma that reminds me of… grapevine.  That’s the only thing I can compare it to.  OK, let’s see what rhubarb soda tastes like.

Wow.  On the bottle it says, “refreshingly tart and complex”.  Complex is the right word for this one.  After taking a drink, it’s like I am hit by four distinctly different stages of flavor.  Let me outline them for you:

Stage One: Bubbles, bubbles, everywhere.  Not a lot of taste in the first second, just carbonation.

Stage Two: Oh, there’s some flavor.  A light, tart, slightly fruity flavor creeps out for a moment to play.

Stage Three: Revenge of the bubbles.  The fruity flavor gets sent to its room, and the carbonated tonic-water comes out for another swing at your tongue in the aftertaste.

Stage Four: Just when you thought it was safe.  After the first three stages fade away, just when you think the roller-coaster ride is over, you find that the rhubarb flavor still lives on in your mouth, this time as a long-lingering aftertaste that clings to the back of your throat.

Complex, indeed.  I give props to DRY Soda for only using four ingredients and keeping things natural.  More props for keeping the sugar content low.  And a pat on the back for creating unique flavors.  But at the end of the day, it’s still gotta taste good, and I feel the tonic club-soda flavor is intrusive in an otherwise interesting and enjoyable experience.  Hard-core readers will remember that this was also my issue with DRY Soda’s Vanilla flavor.  I suppose if that’s what you’re looking for, this is right up your alley, but I don’t see myself sipping this as a mid-day refresher.  It has some interesting potential for meal pairings, though, which I will have to explore more.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars – Low sugar, natural, and an interesting flavor choice, but with a club-soda aftertaste.  (Two of them, actually).  If you don’t mind that, this is for you.

-Danithius-

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Do you know how hard it is to take a good picture of a clear liquid?

This baby caught my eye the other day at the grocery store, partly because of it’s proud “Dry” label, and partly because of the vanilla bean flavor.  I’m always down with a good vanilla bean.

Now I’m at work, and it’s time to crack it open for a refreshment break.

It smells like a light cream soda.  So far so good.  But it tastes more like a plain club soda at first, leaving one to think, “wtf, I just paid $1.79 for a bottle of club soda”.  However, if you give it a second, then you find out that both the vanilla flavor and the delicate sweetness are hiding in the aftertaste.  And I do like the warm, lingering vanilla-bean taste, even if it does make a fashionably late entrance.

On Dry Soda Co.’s site, they have cocktail recipes that you can make with their products.  These guys are definitely trying to get recognized as the upper crust of the soda world, going as far as posting recipe pairing suggestions and flavor profiles on each of their drinks, much like fine wines.  Wow, so I get to feel all sophisticated and hip while I’m drinking it?  That’s worth an extra quarter point.  (Unfortunately, our ratings are all rounded down to the nearest half-point).

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 – the low sugar is great, the vanilla is tasty, but something has to be done about that club soda taste.

-Danithius-

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