Thursday, August 14, 2008

Fentimans Sodas

So I am (finally) getting back to taste-testing sodas. I've had to get a fresh supply of many of them, since I either didn't try them on a timely basis, or I tried them and didn't write anything down.

Fentiman's Sodas
I
wrote about their ginger beer awhile back. Suffice to say, we liked it a lot - it was very different from all the others we tried. I found a few more of their sodas at one of my favorite gourmet food stores, so I picked them up. (Pic at right is from their site)
Dandelion Burdock
Unbeknownst to me, despite many trips to the UK, this is a
traditional British soft drink. The Fentiman's website says: "Full strength infusions of Dandelion & Burdock create the unmistakable aroma and distinctive palate of this classic beverage."

We found this one fruity (pear), sweet and herbal, with under notes reminiscent of a good sarsaparilla. It was nice on its own. Apparently there is a drink called a
DB&G which calls for the addition of gin, so we tried that as well - it was, well, interesting (in a good way). A bit of an acquired taste, but we'll be trying it again as soon as I get another bottle.

Victorian Lemonade
I think our bottle might have been bad, based on the descriptions on the Fentiman's site, but maybe not. It was quite sour, with a hint of ginger and then a light touch of sweetness on the finish. Not terribly pleasant to drink on its own, in fact we didn't finish it (and didn't mix with it).


Mandarin and Seville Orange Jigger
This was a lovely soda, with a fresh, true orange flavor balanced with a small amount of sweetness. It seems like it will mix well, and I look forward to experimenting with it soon. They also make a Curiosity Cola that sounds interesting, I'll have to try and find it.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sonja,

I love the Curiosity Cola. I'm not a soda drinker, unless I'm using something fizzy to mix with, but the Curiosity is the only cola I would happily have any time. Give it a go, I think you'd enjoy it.

Cheers!

Anonymous said...

the cola is good as is the d&b.

Personally I think the Ginger beer I'd the weakest of the bunch. You have to try a small Devon (UK) producer called luscombe for the best Ginger beer, it actually tastes like Ginger!

Bianca James said...

Hi Sonja,

It's great to see your blog!

Here's that rose flavored Pakistani cream soda I told you about, called Pakola: http://seifaiden.livejournal.com/241952.html

I want to try it!

Anonymous said...

I'll have to try the mandarin and seville orange variety. I was just in England and tried the Dandelion and Burdock, Curiosity Cola, and Lemonade. The D&B was the only one I could see myself learning to like.