269039 Sat Jan 06 13:42:19 -0800 2001 26 17 What's My Craving? 0 1417764 I really love Gini, the European bitter (quinine) lemon soda. I brought some home w/ me from Paris last week, but it's gone already. Has anyone seen this around anywhere or know of other equally tart sodas? I love drinking soda, but prefer things less sweet... Sat Jan 06 13:42:19 -0800 2001 0 Elaine 1 1417765 Have you tried Bitter Lemon? It used to be Schweppes' but I believe it's now sold under the Canada Dry label. It's available in most NYC supermarkets in one-liter bottles near the tonic water, etc. It is also a lemon-quinine blend, and way too tart for most soda drinkers. Sounds like just what you're looking for. I grew up with it and love it. Sat Jan 06 15:17:19 -0800 2001 1417764 0 Caitlin 2 1417767 As a kid it was my fav drink, and I still like it. And it's quite nice with gin. I think I may have mentioned this before, but there's a new, tart drink called "loco", real lemonade with chile. I got it at Healthy Pleasures on univ place. It's very refreshing and it makes the mouth tingle the way bitter lemon does. Sat Jan 06 17:14:46 -0800 2001 1417765 0 yvonne johnson 3 1418214 Yvonne (in response to your query on an unmentionable thread)- On the suggestions of people here, I tried both the San Pellegrino lemon soda and the Bitter Lemon. San Pellegrino is very tasty and thirst quenching without being sweet, but Bitter Lemon is much more satisfyingly, well, for lack of a better word, Bitter. But some helpful houseguest informed me that quinine has horrible health consequences... is there any truth to this? Fri Mar 16 14:56:49 -0800 2001 1417767 0 Elaine 4 1418216 hi Elaine, glad you found some bitter drinks. i've not tried the gini myself. I tried the San Pel lemonata (thanks to a poster here). i liked it too. re quinine being a health hazard? does your houseguest have a source? quinine was used to successfully treat malaria, and acc to a medical book i have it comes from cinchona, peruvian bark, and was introduced to Europe in the 17cent. i also looked up mcgee, and no mention of quinine being toxic to us. i don't know if there is an artificial equivalent to quinine, but on labels it usually reads simply quinine.. anyway, i hope there's nothing harmful about quinine, bec i like it! Fri Mar 16 15:21:39 -0800 2001 1418214 0 yvonne johnson 5 1418217 I'm afraid my friend wasn't very specific about quinine - just that it causes birth defects (not an immediate concern for me), and that it lingers in your cells...causing....??? The friend in question was the wife of a geneticist, so has a little (only a very little) second hand credibility. Fri Mar 16 15:33:22 -0800 2001 1418216 0 Elaine 6 1418222 The only negative I ever heard about quinine was that it was slightly mind-altering and forbidden to airline pilots for a certain number of hours before flight. Fri Mar 16 20:39:34 -0800 2001 1418217 0 ironmom 7 1418223 are you referring to quinine in drug form or to quantities found in drinks/mixers? if quinine in the latter form is "mind-altering and forbidden to airline pilots" then surely people shouldn't be driving under the influence of tonic water (without the vodka). i've not heard any public health warnings. Fri Mar 16 22:02:25 -0800 2001 1418222 0 yvonne johnson 8 1418224 You know, I think it's a safe bet that all these warnings refer strictly to pharmaceutical quinine, given that people have been drinking tonic and other drinks made with quinine to a couple hundred years, and none of us has heard of or can turn up a reference for anyone suffering medically from, er, recreational quinine consumption. And if it were problematic, one would think it would be labeled as such, in our current health warning-happy climate. While I'm sure that many people have become dizzy and had mind-altering experiences following consumption of gin and tonics, I daresay it wasn't the tonic that was to blame. Fri Mar 16 22:53:03 -0800 2001 1418223 0 Caitlin McGrath 9 1418225 I only ever saw a reference to this once. I think the gist of the article was that after the alcohol contained in a drink like a gin and tonic passes from a person's system, the physical effects of quinine can still be there (affecting the response time and/or judgement?). Can any airline pilots out there confirm if such a restriction has ever existed? Perhaps I should not have used the term "mind-altering" for this. Maybe the reference was erroneous. It was interesting, though. There are many things we consume which we would describe as making us "feel good". In some cases, this is not a euphemism for merely tasting exceptionally good. Many foods naturally contain chemicals which act on the brain in various ways. Chocolate has been extensively studied. Tonic water is a throwback to the last century, when beverages were compounded from various medically active compounds to serve as a health restorative for the general public. Coffee, anyone? Sat Mar 17 07:35:28 -0800 2001 1418224 0 ironmom 4 1418218 I know that it's prescribed for the condition known as "restless legs syndrome". I like the bitter flavor of it in drinks like tonic water, and to the best of my knowledge, taken in doses diluted, as in beverages, won't hurt you. Hoping someone with better info will step forward. But if not, and you remain concerned, you could also ask your pharmacist. pat Fri Mar 16 16:02:54 -0800 2001 1418214 0 pat hammond 2 1417804 I hadn't tried Canada Dry's bit lem till I got some yesterday. It's quite a bit different than S's, tho I don't know if it's just a difference in color. CD's is like cloudy lemonade. It has a nice sharpness to it. Schweppes's (I get it from tea & sympathy when I get the craving) has the greenish, aqaumarine tinge I liked as a kid. And yes, as you say, both have quinine. Sat Jan 13 18:42:00 -0800 2001 1417765 0 yvonne johnson 3 1417805 Schweppes' and Canada Dry are now owned by the same company (Seagram's), and th CD Bitter Lemon tastes to me just as the Schweppes' always did. So it sounds as if the BL formula is different in England (almost all soft drink formulas seem to be different in different countries). Since I don't think you can buy BL under the Schweppes' label anymore here, T&S must be serving imported English BL. Now I have to go there and try it to taste the diff! Sat Jan 13 18:58:16 -0800 2001 1417804 0 Caitlin 4 1417809 yes, it is imported. I buy it in the T and S shop next door to the tea-shop/restaurant. I've never actually eaten in the tea shop. Sat Jan 13 20:24:10 -0800 2001 1417805 0 yvonne johnson 5 1417810 Well, there you go! I guess we grew up on different Schweppes' Bitter Lemons. Definitely curious to try the British version. Sat Jan 13 21:10:28 -0800 2001 1417809 0 Caitlin 6 1417813 My father was so addicted to Shasta Bitter Lemon that he actually went out and bought a zillion cases of the stuff when he heard that cyclamates were being withdrawn from the market. Shasta Bitter Lemon took up half of the garage for years. (Neither Schweppes nor Canada Dry did it for him, I am sorry to say.) Sun Jan 14 12:31:58 -0800 2001 1417810 0 Pepper 7 1417909 try some Pimms Cup with your bitter lemon. We used to get Pimms and Bitter Orange in Bermuda, very thirst quenching. Thu Jan 25 13:13:39 -0800 2001 1417813 0 wb 8 1417913 Is it only the ginger ale or is there a difference in "piquance" between all S vs CD products. CD has been a Coca Cola product for a long time, but I guess this has changed??? I've always preferred Schweppes. Not that I haven't explored the "micobrew" ginger ales, but many of them are a bit too peppery to throw back with gusto. Is there a style difference between these two brands? Cheers, Anne Emry Thu Jan 25 22:48:15 -0800 2001 1417909 0 Anne Emry 9 1418046 i've tasted them both, and they taste and look *the same* (in New York, anyway). They have same list of ingredients, in identical order, and same calorie break down etc. Acc to cans, they are both bottled under auspices of Dr Pepper/Seven Up. I've completely lost track of which big companies own what. Who owns DrP/SU? Trivia: If I feel like ginger ale, I always go for Cnandy Dry, just bec the name suggests a drier/more gingery drink than Schweppes which I associate with tonic, a sweeter drink. Just goes to show how little that amounts to! Thu Feb 15 11:11:04 -0800 2001 1417913 0 yvonne johnson 10 1418047 That's funny, Yvonne--my impression has always been flipped from yours. Although I've never tasted them side by side, I've always felt that Schweppes was drier, Canada Dry sweeter, so I buy Schweppes if I have a choice. Now I'm getting really curious and may do a taste test... Thu Feb 15 11:27:29 -0800 2001 1418046 0 Leslie Brenner 11 1432095 Campari and bitter lemon rules! Mon Aug 29 20:34:58 -0700 2005 1418047 0 Zeppi 10 1418051 Cadbury owns Dr. Pepper/Seven-up-also Snapple Thu Feb 15 15:47:32 -0800 2001 1418046 0 rjka 9 1420862 u r rite!!Canada Dry is the only good 1!! I have tried others, but I always end up going rite back 2 Canada Dry- *~l8r~* Mon Feb 25 17:39:58 -0800 2002 1417913 0 sarah 8 1420622 I love Schweppes Bitter Lemon! We used to be able to buy it at several local places. But the last 2 or 3 years I can not find it anywhere! It is the best drink & now it is not available at grocery stores or the Super Walmarts, K-marts, etc. Where can I find it? By zip code now is 92257, but sometimes it is in Ohio. If anyone knows where it is sold, please tell me. Thank you. Mon Feb 04 01:30:53 -0800 2002 1417909 0 Carol 3 1418305 Can anyone tell me WHERE I can buy or order any brand of bitter lemon in Winnipeg (Canada)? I lived in the Netherlands for a while, and grew accustomed to the Hero Bitter Lemon soft drink (although I like any kind). However, I cannot find any type of bitter lemon soft drink out here. Can anyone help? Mon Apr 09 20:40:09 -0700 2001 1417804 0 pam 4 1418307 The San Pellegrino group from italy makes a bitter lemon and a bitter orange drink. They distribute it in the US, probably canada too. They are named "Limonata" and "Aranciata" respectively. Mon Apr 09 21:58:05 -0700 2001 1418305 0 Jason Perlow 1 1418093 Have you ever tried Limonata, the bitter lemon soda made by San Pellegrino? You can get it at a lot of Italian and gourmet markets. It is wonderful, and has a nice bitter tang to it. Sun Mar 04 00:59:19 -0800 2001 1417764 0 LisaR