Not sure if everyone out there in cyberland even knows about the joys that are grape sodas. They really are truly the nectar of the gods. Most do not contain caffeine, but are good none-the-less. Many of you realize that I am quite the supporter for Mt. Dew, but Mt. Dew is not my favorite drink ever. That would be grape soft drinks. At the moment I have a six pack of Grape Crush sitting on my desk at work. There will be significantly less than 6 of these bad boys on my desk by the end of the day. Grape crush is not my favorite grape soda ever, but it is up there. Let me take you through a guided tour of my grape soda loves.
Number 1: Grape Nehi - The first grape soda of my life. It was like coming home. After my first Grape Nehi I was hooked on grape sodas from then on. It is a fairly bitey soft drink with a bit of a salty aftertaste. It causes some fairly robust burps within my delicate gastro-intestinal tract. This soft drink was made popular by the teddy bear wielding radio operator, Radar, from the M*A*S*H movie and TV show.
Number 2: Welch's Grape Soda - Welch's is one of the more easily available grape soft drinks on the market. It is available in most regions, so feel free to give it a try. This a bit more bitey than Nehi, but it has a sweetness to it that Nehi's do not. It also has a strong salty aftertaste, and causes a good bit of burping as well. If there are no specialty grape drinks around, it is a good filler. It is good, but not even remotely the best.
Number 3: Grapico - This beverage was produced by the Buffalo Rock Bottling Company in Birmingham, Alabama. It is therefore the grape soda that I grew up with on the mean streets of Center Point. They were mean I tell you, mean. Anyway.... this grape soda was almost pure sugar. The flavor was almost over shadowed by the vast quantities of sugar. No bite to this drink at all. It was extremely smooth with no aftertaste, but the amounts of sugar associated with it made one's teeth hurt. I do not believe it is produced anymore for mass retail, but I think if one wished to order some, they can still get it from Buffalo Rock.
Number 4: Grape Crush - Crush is more known for their orange flavored soft drink than their grape, but their grape is a really good drink. Like I said, I have a 6-pack sitting on my desk just waiting for me to drink it. It is watching me.... taunting me... but its time will come, oh yes, its time will come.... errrm, uh anyway... This is a fairly smooth drink as well. It has a little bit of a bite to it (more of a nibble than anything else) and a slight salty aftertaste. All in all it is a good and serviceable grape drink. I usually buy this drink over my favorite just because it is priced a bit better than my favorite. The price versus quality makes it a better choice than my favorite. The favorite is meant for special occasions.
Number 5: Stewart's Grape Soda - This is by far my favorite grape soda yet. The picture on the 4-pack carrier illustrates it all. It does not have a grape as it's image, it has a grape popsicle. That's right, they are not even fooling themselves by saying it is grape-flavored. This drink is all about being artificially grape flavored and they are proud of it. You have to love that. I wish they sold them in 6-packs, but alas and alack, they only come in 4 packs or a wide mouthed 24 oz.-er. This drink is the perfect blend of smoothness with bite. The bite actually occurs during the slightly salty aftertaste. The aftertaste is actually is the correct amount of saltiness. It makes you want to drink more. That leaving you wanting more feeling is what makes this a special occasion drink only. I will go through the 4-pack in one sitting.
Anyway... you all have had a scary look deep into my soul and found out is grape flavored.
Number 1: Grape Nehi - The first grape soda of my life. It was like coming home. After my first Grape Nehi I was hooked on grape sodas from then on. It is a fairly bitey soft drink with a bit of a salty aftertaste. It causes some fairly robust burps within my delicate gastro-intestinal tract. This soft drink was made popular by the teddy bear wielding radio operator, Radar, from the M*A*S*H movie and TV show.
Number 2: Welch's Grape Soda - Welch's is one of the more easily available grape soft drinks on the market. It is available in most regions, so feel free to give it a try. This a bit more bitey than Nehi, but it has a sweetness to it that Nehi's do not. It also has a strong salty aftertaste, and causes a good bit of burping as well. If there are no specialty grape drinks around, it is a good filler. It is good, but not even remotely the best.
Number 3: Grapico - This beverage was produced by the Buffalo Rock Bottling Company in Birmingham, Alabama. It is therefore the grape soda that I grew up with on the mean streets of Center Point. They were mean I tell you, mean. Anyway.... this grape soda was almost pure sugar. The flavor was almost over shadowed by the vast quantities of sugar. No bite to this drink at all. It was extremely smooth with no aftertaste, but the amounts of sugar associated with it made one's teeth hurt. I do not believe it is produced anymore for mass retail, but I think if one wished to order some, they can still get it from Buffalo Rock.
Number 4: Grape Crush - Crush is more known for their orange flavored soft drink than their grape, but their grape is a really good drink. Like I said, I have a 6-pack sitting on my desk just waiting for me to drink it. It is watching me.... taunting me... but its time will come, oh yes, its time will come.... errrm, uh anyway... This is a fairly smooth drink as well. It has a little bit of a bite to it (more of a nibble than anything else) and a slight salty aftertaste. All in all it is a good and serviceable grape drink. I usually buy this drink over my favorite just because it is priced a bit better than my favorite. The price versus quality makes it a better choice than my favorite. The favorite is meant for special occasions.
Number 5: Stewart's Grape Soda - This is by far my favorite grape soda yet. The picture on the 4-pack carrier illustrates it all. It does not have a grape as it's image, it has a grape popsicle. That's right, they are not even fooling themselves by saying it is grape-flavored. This drink is all about being artificially grape flavored and they are proud of it. You have to love that. I wish they sold them in 6-packs, but alas and alack, they only come in 4 packs or a wide mouthed 24 oz.-er. This drink is the perfect blend of smoothness with bite. The bite actually occurs during the slightly salty aftertaste. The aftertaste is actually is the correct amount of saltiness. It makes you want to drink more. That leaving you wanting more feeling is what makes this a special occasion drink only. I will go through the 4-pack in one sitting.
Anyway... you all have had a scary look deep into my soul and found out is grape flavored.