Mixer / Flavoring - Dry Soda Vanilla Bean
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Dry Soda Vanilla Bean Soda
Dry Soda, Seattle, Washington
Major Ingredients: Natural spring water, Flavorings, Cane Sugar
PROOF: 0
AGE: Not Applicable
TYPE: Mixer or Flavoring
PRICE: $1.50 for 12 oz (355 ml) bottle
Notes: This soda company and it's products were conceived by a woman who was continually frustrated by her lack of options for something to drink while she was pregnant. Many things were either boring or contained too much sugar. Dry Soda (dry as in "not sweet") developed a line of sodas that were meant to have a minimum of sugar and a emphasis on taste. Other flavors include Blood Orange, Cucumber, Juniper, Lavender, Lemon Grass, and Rhubarb .
Appearance: Nice fizz/carbonation to it. Perfectly clear, the company did not feel compelled to color it with some chemicals just for shelf appeal.
First Impression: Whisper of vanilla beans, with a nice very slightly oily nuance of vanilla ester coming from the glass.
Taste: Nicely done vanilla without the sticky overdone sweetness most soda go in for, clean slightly aromatic flavor that is very true to the vanilla beans - you can even tastes the husk/bark that is part and parcel of the vanilla bean. Try finding that from something made in a stainless steel tank somewhere.
Drinks: As usual for this brand it works well in drinks were you want taste and not sugar, stickiness and intrusive flavor. Pairs and plays well in both cocktails and with many different foods.
Final Thoughts: A lovely thinking/conscious persons soda. Low sugar, nice unstated taste and not over done like some many others out there. OK it costs a bit more than a generic soda ( but less than a number of other high end sodas) but if you are using quality spirits it's a waste to use cheap mixer - particularly in a drink that doesn't have a lot else in it (no fruit juices, liquors, etc.). You wouldn't use chlorinated tap water, so why use cloying dulling mixers ? This one brings out the true flavor of vanilla without overdoing it- a rare case of nuance over brute force in a soda.
Bottle: Generic clear glass, 12 oz size .Information s printed directly on the glass to save paper and be environmentally friendly and eminently recyclable. Print in this case is vanilla bean brown.
Website: http://www.drysoda.com
Well laid out and informative pages on cocktails, food pairing, where to buy, and what they do.
