Dry Soda: Juniper Berry
Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 3:25PM Juniper Berry… what is it? The first sentence on the Juniper Berry Wikipedia page states that…
A juniper berry is the female seed cone produced by the various species of junipers.
Well that's fine and dandy like sour candy, but it doesn't tell me what it'll taste like. Let me start over. I'm drinking another concoction of Dry Soda; in fact their Juniper Berry flavored soda. The last Dry Soda I had was lavender flavored, and it confused me. I know to expect a very lightly flavored drink with some bitterness to follow. Let's find out if this Juniper Berry Soda is as predictable as I think it will be.
This drink smells like a flower in a garden. I can’t even imagine the taste, so that means I probably can’t predict the flavor. Time to upend, and serve.
Upon first drink you’re initially hit with a seltzer water flavor, which is a bit off putting. The side of the bottle does say that it has a “pine essence”. While I don’t know what that means in the world of flavor, it could be what I tasted. Afterwards, and you do have to wait a bit, you’re greeted with the most subtle berry flavoring you’ve ever experienced. It’s just enough to take away the bitterness of the previous flavor. They have cane sugar listed as an ingredient, but this has little to no sweetness. I will say that it’s a very crisp drink, and I’m noticing with each sip the berry flavor starts to outweigh the initial seltzer. I have a one big gulp left, and I really think it’s time to ramp it up a bit and CHUG SOME JUNIPER BERRY! Wow, the floral aroma really hits you while chugging. It’s an odd sensation to drink a flower, but this is probably the closest I’ll ever get. Random Fact: According to the Dry Soda website this pairs well with Quail. So you know… the next time you’re enjoying some quail… pull out your Juniper Berry flavored Dry Soda. When I drink Dry Soda I almost feel like my palette isn’t complex enough to fully comprehend it, and then I see them suggest quail as a pairing… and I sigh. Dry Soda Juniper Berry, and Dry Soda as a whole it seems, is not for someone who thinks they love soda. Juniper Berry, much like lavender, is so complex it’s intimidating. I know I was all over the place with this review, but it’s so unique that my verdict will mirror Lavender… and probably every other Dry Soda I try from here on out.
Verdict: Buy a Bottle!
~A
Twist insisted this picture be grainy... something about a skin flaw.
Reader Comments (4)
I just bought a four pack of this and--honestly--I can't taste anything. It doesn't necessarily taste like plain seltzer water, but I don't get any flower, pine, anything; there's only a very (very!) subtle sweetness letting me know that there is indeed SOMETHING in there besides water. It is crisp and nice, but not worth the $5.20 I paid.
Yeah... anything from the Dry Soda company is just a bit too subtle for us too. That's why if possible I'd never buy more than a bottle of anything they make. Will you stumble on something you just can't live without... maybe, but I haven't yet.
I'm amazed at all these people who can't taste anything in it! I find it has a really strong, if complex, taste. Maybe I'm crazy, but I love the stuff, I can't get enough of it! But I'm also a person who likes to water down powerade.
You're very fortunate to be able to do this... I'm kind of jealous. Then again I'm happy I don't have to water down powerade. If you want you could write a review for a Dry Soda and we'll post it. It'd be nice to get one from someone who can appreciate it more than we do.