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08/06/2002 Archived Entry: "Summer Soda Rush"

So now I’ve tried Coke and Pepsi with lemon, Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi with lemon, and Coke with Vanilla. I’m going back to plain seltzer.

Still, I can’t help myself. I am always tempted by a new soda, and some old ones. The other day, I tried an orange soda with fresh ginger that I bought in a new store in Park Slope. Bierkraft has the largest array of beers I have ever seen chilled in one place. The refrigerator runs the full, long length of the store – maybe 80 feet. Okay, I exaggerate. The first few refrigerators are devoted to soft drinks and only slightly hard other drinks – like cider. There is also a fine cheese department, and specialty groceries. But the soda and beer is what makes this store unique.

Bierkraft
191 Fifth Avenue (between Berkley & Union)
(718) 230-7600
www.bierkraft.com

There are a couple of sodas that I love that I didn’t see there. Moxie, which originated as a tonic, or cure-all sort of medicinal/energy drink in the early 20th century, is legendary. My father used to talk about it, and say how much he missed it. It was already a rarity when I was growing up in the 1950s. That’s why I was so thrilled when I found out a few years ago that it was still being made.

Moxie is produced by The Monarch Company, 3424 Peachtree Road NE, #1450 Atlanta, GA (404) 262-4040. It is distributed by: Polar Beverage in Massachusetts, (508) 753-4300. I found that the Arlington, Massachusetts website has a short history of Moxie. Click on it if you’re interested in this originally New England soda.

Blenheim Ginger Ale is another peculiar drink for which I have a soft spot. My dear, recently deceased neighbor and friend Marie Kalman brought me a couple of six packs several years ago. She used to travel by car from Cornwall, Connecticut, to her winter home in Captiva. On one trip, she stopped in Hamer, South Carolina specifically to check out the Blenheim plant and to buy some. It is such a powerfully piquant ginger drink that I can’t drink it straight. I don’t know anyone who can. I mix it with a larger measure of plain seltzer and find it refreshing, as well as a good digestive. Ginger is great for settling the stomach. The full-strength, un-diluted soda also makes a great baste for a baked ham.

I recently came across this list of soda websites, online shops where you can buy old-time favorites and regional soda specialties. Maybe you’ll find one of your favorites here.

Pop the Soda Shop
Atlanta-based company that sells 400 different drinks online
www.popsoda.com

Ifs, Ands & Butts
Dallas-based company that specializes in hard-to find sodas in glass bottles – you can browse online, but you must call in orders
www.ifsandsbutts.com

Good Soda
California-based company that offers retro sodas plus other small brands
www.goodsoda.com

Beverages Direct
Chicago-based company that has a selection of unusual sodas
www.beveragesdirect.com