Bubbly Summer Favorites
The heat index here is currently 115 F, and sometimes air conditioning doesn't cut it when I want to cool off from the suffocating humidity outside. Sometimes I need to cool down with something crisp, light, refreshing, and bubblier than iced tea. Introducing my new obsession, gourmet soda. Here is a list of all of my favorite flavors and the ones that I think are better left on the shelf.
My first *artisanal* soda--Belvoir elderflower and rose lemonade. Also, excuse the Christmas tree. Clearly, I have been sampling these sodas for several months. I had to try this soda because
1. the packaging and shape of the bottle is adorable (perfect for a casual vase)
2. Mary Berry says just about every other episode of The Great British Baking Show that elderflower is her favorite flavor. I wanted to know if it lived up to the baking legend's hype.
I was a bit skeptical, as rose flavors can often overpower, crossing the line of floral undertone to Grandma's perfume. This soda did not. It is slightly sweet, a little tart, and a gentle rosiness that cleanses the tongue rather than makes it taste like soap. This is my second favorite of the sodas I have tried
For months, Belvoir had not disappointed, but all good things must come to an end. Hello, cucumber and mint lemonade (and goodbye forever). I was expecting a clean, refreshing drink--cooling mint, crisp cucumber, and bright lemon. Somehow, that is not what I got. There was mint, I suppose, but very much an aftertaste. The real issue was the combination of acidic lemon with cucumber, creating a flavor profile that reminded me of fresh pickles (like the kind from a restaurant that does quick pickling, like on a bahn mi). This was basically carbonated pickle juice with mint that made me think too much about dill. Never again.
I regret spending $2.50 on this...and drinking the whole thing despite disliking it.
Belvoir elderflower lemonade. Amazing. Crisp, refreshing, tart--a flavor that is almost unexplainable. Elderflowers aren't soapy or floral like roses or lavender; they somehow remind me of fresh parchment (I know that makes no sense, sorry). This is a soda that sparkles on the palate. It sounds pretentious, but when you drink it, you realize that this is a fun soda. How can you be serious when your soda is zesty and flower flavored? It makes you feel bubbly. This is the drink that makes feel like Mary Berry: fancy, put-together, and elderflower scented. Living up to its name, this gives you a beautiful view (a belvoir) on life.
Sipp ginger blossom claims to have notes of vanilla, lime, and, obviously, ginger. Honestly, this one was just okay. Not my favorite fancy soda and not even my favorite from Sipp. Despite being named after the ginger flavor, I felt the vanilla came through stronger. A sweet and mellow soda that felt a little one note to me.
Mojo berry is a blend of blackberry, mint, and lime (basically a berry mojito minus alcohol). Unlike my previous Sipp, this one lived up to its flavor promises, taking the best parts of all the listed flavors. The blackberry was sweet and fruity without the bitterness that often accompanies it. The mint was cooling, not fake. And the lime was refreshing. The flavors were well-blended and perfect for sitting on the porch in summer heat. My favorite of the Sipp sodas.
Lemon flower piqued my interest after drinking the Belvoir counterpart. But, this just doesn't compare; the flavors are totally different. Slightly lemony, no tartness or crispness. And the elderflower is a supporting player, not the star. The tarragon does add an interesting taste--licoricey and sweet. A mellow taste for those that want a lemon, slightly flowery and aromatic soda, not a carbonated lemonade.
Belvoir
1. the packaging and shape of the bottle is adorable (perfect for a casual vase)
2. Mary Berry says just about every other episode of The Great British Baking Show that elderflower is her favorite flavor. I wanted to know if it lived up to the baking legend's hype.
I was a bit skeptical, as rose flavors can often overpower, crossing the line of floral undertone to Grandma's perfume. This soda did not. It is slightly sweet, a little tart, and a gentle rosiness that cleanses the tongue rather than makes it taste like soap. This is my second favorite of the sodas I have tried
For months, Belvoir had not disappointed, but all good things must come to an end. Hello, cucumber and mint lemonade (and goodbye forever). I was expecting a clean, refreshing drink--cooling mint, crisp cucumber, and bright lemon. Somehow, that is not what I got. There was mint, I suppose, but very much an aftertaste. The real issue was the combination of acidic lemon with cucumber, creating a flavor profile that reminded me of fresh pickles (like the kind from a restaurant that does quick pickling, like on a bahn mi). This was basically carbonated pickle juice with mint that made me think too much about dill. Never again.
I regret spending $2.50 on this...and drinking the whole thing despite disliking it.
Belvoir elderflower lemonade. Amazing. Crisp, refreshing, tart--a flavor that is almost unexplainable. Elderflowers aren't soapy or floral like roses or lavender; they somehow remind me of fresh parchment (I know that makes no sense, sorry). This is a soda that sparkles on the palate. It sounds pretentious, but when you drink it, you realize that this is a fun soda. How can you be serious when your soda is zesty and flower flavored? It makes you feel bubbly. This is the drink that makes feel like Mary Berry: fancy, put-together, and elderflower scented. Living up to its name, this gives you a beautiful view (a belvoir) on life.
Sipp
Mojo berry is a blend of blackberry, mint, and lime (basically a berry mojito minus alcohol). Unlike my previous Sipp, this one lived up to its flavor promises, taking the best parts of all the listed flavors. The blackberry was sweet and fruity without the bitterness that often accompanies it. The mint was cooling, not fake. And the lime was refreshing. The flavors were well-blended and perfect for sitting on the porch in summer heat. My favorite of the Sipp sodas.
Lemon flower piqued my interest after drinking the Belvoir counterpart. But, this just doesn't compare; the flavors are totally different. Slightly lemony, no tartness or crispness. And the elderflower is a supporting player, not the star. The tarragon does add an interesting taste--licoricey and sweet. A mellow taste for those that want a lemon, slightly flowery and aromatic soda, not a carbonated lemonade.
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