Welcome to another indie soda pop review featuring Real Soda in Real Bottle’s Looks Like Orange Tastes Like Grape flavor. That’s quite a mouthful. Stick with us to find out if that’s a good thing or not when it comes to this interestingly, somewhat hypnotically-labeled “tricksy” soft drink.
We give this grape soda a 2.5 out of 5 "fizzies."
The flavor is somewhere between grape and orange. I don't know if this goes for all sodas, but in my limited experience they seem to exaggerate the fruit tartness a bit. Like with fruit juice if you just combined grape and orange juice I don't think you'd get the same tartness result as the soda. Sometimes when you sip it, it has more of a grape flavor. Other times it has more of an orange flavor. I've always preferred tart over grape flavoring (as the orange part is the real tart machine here). So, I like the oranginess of this soda (and I actually think holding it in your mouth helps). My least favorite part is that I've never been a big grape flavoring girl. So...
A Science-y Soda
So how do you make grape soda look orange? I have no idea, but the Real Soda company has found a way to make this mind-bending fizz. They’ve also packaged it quite artistically with a focal eyeball on their almost psychedelic, brightly labeled glass bottle. Possibly because of this wacky color and taste mash up, Miss was able to taste both orange and grape during her taste test.
So, Who's Real Soda In Real Bottles?
Real Soda In Real Bottles started with bottle cap-collector Danny Ginsburg. As soda companies turned from glass bottles to cans in the 1970’s, Danny refused to give up his favorite hobby. Instead, he traveled far and wide, filling his school backpack with glass-bottled pop in an effort to grow his collection. People nostalgic for the good old bottled sodas, those looking for something fun or interesting to add to parties and carnivals, and even just supportive groups of friends, helped Danny eventually turn this hobby into a full blown business by 1991.
Taste, Quality & Artistry
I’ve always been a fan of glass-bottled sodas. So, I think the Real Soda in Real Bottles story is a fascinating one. It’s great to know that there are still people out there who are willing to work hard for what really matters to them. In this case it benefits all of us who luckily have easy access to these unique sodas.
Looks Like Orange Tastes Like Grape may not have been Miss M’s 5 out of 5, but I’m sure there are plenty of grape soda lovers out there that would love to experience this fantastical orange-colored, grape-flavored smile maker. You can, thanks to Danny Ginsburg and Real Soda in Real Bottles, and this flavor is just the tip of the iceberg.
- High Mountain Huckleberry – Jackson Hole Soda
- Lemon Lime Rickey – Empire Bottling Works
- Red Raspberry – Filbert’s
- Maple Cream – Squamscot
- Celon’s Mythical Creme Soda – Cripple Creek Brewing
- Dad’s Old Fashioned Root Beer
- Oregon Marionberry – Thomas Kemper
Do You Have An "Old Fashioned" Fave?
Today, the only place I see “collections” of bottle caps on a regular basis is the odds and ends selections at Hobby Lobby for magnet making and the like. Do you know anyone who still collects bottle caps? When I was in my teens we collected Pogs and I remember very briefly collecting stamps with my grandma. Let us know about your favorite sodas and old-timey collectibles. We’d love to hear from you!
Did You Know?
Pogs
Some of our older or younger readers might not be familiar with the term “pogs“. Pogs became popular in the 1990’s. It was a game consisting of small cardboard discs called pogs and larger “slammers” (made of a heavier material, like metal). You could collect all types of designs from different stores, restaurants, and products and then play others to try and win theirs. The art was awesome, and even a poorer kid like me could afford to start a collection.
Apparently, the game as I knew it originated in Hawaii as “milk caps” introduced by Blossom Galbiso to her 5th grade students. It is believed to have roots in the Japanese game of Menko. POG stands for passionfruit, orange, and guava – the fruit drink these caps were manufactured for.