628959 Wed Jun 17 21:26:53 -0700 2009 52 23 Ontario (including Toronto) 0 4783343 Looking for beverages that are non-alcoholic that have strong and interesting flavours. Grace's ginger beer is one good example. Available in Ontario is another criteria. Blended bevvies from ingredients would also be helpful. Cheers Wed Jun 17 21:26:53 -0700 2009 80671 Snarf 1 4783357 Mr. Gouda's Ginger Beer is also a strong flavoured drink. Limonata is my favourite widely available lemon flavour soda. Wed Jun 17 21:37:26 -0700 2009 4783343 10947 middydd 2 4783653 Believe it or not, the President's Choice "Jamaican Style Ginger Beer" has more spicy ginger kick than either Grace's or Mr Gouda's ginger beer. It's my fave! Thu Jun 18 04:36:30 -0700 2009 4783357 71837 redearth 3 4787949 Have to try it, thanks. Don't know how I've missed it, I've tried every other Ginger Beer I've ever seen sold. Fri Jun 19 11:29:46 -0700 2009 4783653 10947 middydd 4 4870531 By chance I had my first taste ofl it today. At first it tasted like Diet Sprite or Diet 7-Up (it's not a diet pop though) but then the ginger kicked in and kicked the sweetness out. I thought I was drinking carbonated, mild hot sauce! Ginger beer is one of those things I never got around to but will now try the other ones mentioned here for sure. Sat Jul 18 15:22:34 -0700 2009 4787949 55318 DockPotato 1 4783369 Just remembered another, Bulk Barn sometimes has the GUS (Grown Up Soda) line, the pomegranate and cranberry lime are the ones I find most flavourful. And they're not too sweet. HomeSense has had Agrumi citrus sodas from Italy, they're tasty. Wed Jun 17 21:43:21 -0700 2009 4783343 10947 middydd 1 4783490 Chinotto is kind of like an Italian cola, with a slightly bitter and strong taste. I can't say I'm a fan, but you might be. Not sure of the brand, but I've had a Sarsaparilla drink that can be found in several a Chinese food stores. It's the original flavouring agent for root beer, but the taste was fairly distinct from all root beers I have ever had. (Slightly sour/bitter too.) Pocari Sweat from Japan is not really strong flavoured, but interesting... however, its intention is to replenish electrolytes after exercise. Some people say it tastes differently to them after they just worked out, vs beforehand. Guarana Antarctica is a mellow tasting and mildly sweet, fresh tasting beverage from Brazil. However, it has a side benefit of a stimulant effect; the guarana berry extract is common in energy drinks after the legal caffeine limit is reached. I'd say it tastes closest to a citrus carbonated beverage, but unlike 7up, Sprite or Mountain Dew. Wed Jun 17 23:24:51 -0700 2009 4783343 1084818 iWoo 1 4783501 Bawls (just kidding). Try some of the drinks at Chinese/Korean/Japanese supermarkets. Asparagus juice (smells like asparagus pee, tastes... like asparagus pee with sugar), green pumpkin juice, etc. are things I don't think I could ever enjoy, but they're definitely strong and interestingly flavoured. Then there's a lot of nice teas, interesting sodas, and some really great ones too, including one of my favourite beverages ever: CC Lemon. Wed Jun 17 23:38:25 -0700 2009 4783343 202405 tjr 1 4783603 Irn Bru! Thu Jun 18 03:25:18 -0700 2009 4783343 259720 haggisdragon 2 4783656 Second the Irn Bru! Also, if you ever see Dry Soda, try it! They are truly amazing - not sweet at all, and very interesting flavours... http://www.drysoda.com/ Thu Jun 18 04:38:35 -0700 2009 4783603 71837 redearth 3 4783960 I am trying to remember where I saw Dandelion & Burdock - the one with the natural flavourings. As a one-off try Cream Soda, another trad Brit / Caribbean drink. And it you want a drink with balls, try bubble tea. Thu Jun 18 07:29:13 -0700 2009 4783656 154622 Paulustrious 4 4784101 D&B is available at most grocery stores and any british shops. I love the stuff something fierce. Thu Jun 18 08:08:27 -0700 2009 4783960 173919 elrik 1 4783920 Yes? Hi! We saw the seafood soft drinks at the Asian markets. The Scallop Soda and the Crab Juice. We bet Vashi the toonie to try it but he made the chicken and ran out. Also sometimes you can find the interesting Soda\Juices at the Sugar Mountain. One time they had the Licorice Drink that was very good. Thu Jun 18 07:15:39 -0700 2009 4783343 323331 Indianguy 1 4784051 Jamie Kennedy's lunch place, Gilead (King East, East of Parliament, S Side down a laneway beside Morning Glory) has birch beer and spruce beer. It's pricey at I think $6 per 750ml, but VERY novel stuff. A bit yeasty in taste, and a nice tree - like finish. Not too sweet and comes in a cool bottle. Thu Jun 18 07:57:17 -0700 2009 4783343 19040 shiro miso 2 4791464 I must try that. How does it compare to Boylan's birch beer? I love that stuff, but find it a bit sweet. Sat Jun 20 21:45:02 -0700 2009 4784051 85672 SNACKeR 3 4794475 Hey there... much less sweet than Boylan's. Be VERY CAREFUL opening the bottle though -it's very fizzy stuff!! Enjoy. Hope you like it - wish I remembered the producer's name on the bottle... seemed like a very small outfit... I think from Quebec. Mon Jun 22 08:08:41 -0700 2009 4791464 19040 shiro miso 4 4795886 Thanks for the info. Sounds promising, I'll let you know what I think. Mon Jun 22 14:42:46 -0700 2009 4794475 85672 SNACKeR 4 4839572 Talking about Marco from Quebec? Wed Jul 08 09:25:07 -0700 2009 4794475 11610 BLM 4 4986617 So I finally got a round to trying it, and yes, it was Marco's (http://www.breuvagesmarco.com/) from Quebec. It was very good and much different than any other birch/root beers I have tried. It was lighter in body, extremely fizzy, and had a definite yeasty flavour like real beer does. It was delicious, and I would like to try some of their other products. They list Provincial Fine Foods (3467 Yonge St. ) as a local retailer. I think this beverage would go really well with some gin. Fri Aug 28 13:18:45 -0700 2009 4794475 85672 SNACKeR 4 4994784 Sounds like "Marco Beverages", a small family firm from Montreal area, I believe. Mon Aug 31 21:02:45 -0700 2009 4794475 1106088 quiney 1 4784079 Love Grace's ginger beer. I come from a place where I grew up drinking it and Grace is by far the best! I've seen some interesting pop flavours in West Indian and Sri Lankan grocery stores as well. Thu Jun 18 08:03:06 -0700 2009 4783343 69499 TOchowgal 2 4788836 Also in West Indian Markets you will find 2 soft drinks that do not have 'balls' (sorry) and are pretty damn sweet, however while we are in Jamaica for the winter months we buy them all the time....they seem to be the thing to drink (other than Red Stripe) with Jamaican food....Try "Champagne Soda", tastes like Cream Soda but sweeter and also try "Pineapple" (a violent yellow/lime colour..actually looks like a 'highlighter' colour) not quite as sweet but both soda's compared to North American soft drinks are a major sugar rush! As other people have mentioned try the various brands of Ginger Beer (D&G, Grace, even their regular ginger ale tastes stronger than ours..... Fri Jun 19 17:10:13 -0700 2009 4784079 78717 pearlD 1 4784868 You might try to locate some Jarritos Tamarindo. Try calling Perola's, or El Jacalito, I know they both have Jarritos in other flavours at least. Jarritos is a Mexican pop brand, they have multiple fruit flavours. Tamarindo is simply tamarind soda, tastes a lot like the tamarind candy you may have got with your bill at a Thai restaurant. It is only moderately strong in flavour, but I'd call it interesting and unique. Thu Jun 18 11:24:10 -0700 2009 4783343 242971 maple99 2 4790388 Best Jarritos flavour ever! Highly recommended. Sat Jun 20 12:01:06 -0700 2009 4784868 14629 aser 1 4785494 A soft drink with balls? When I saw this thread title I thought they'd started making Orbitz again. Phew. http://tinyurl.com/yzspmq Thu Jun 18 14:27:55 -0700 2009 4783343 12142 Gary 2 4785507 There's always Ramune, the Japanese soft drink. Alas, it only has one ball in it. And it's a marble at that. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramune Thu Jun 18 14:32:59 -0700 2009 4785494 13644 tbonetak 2 4785535 Suntory Capsela = Orbitz (except more cute). Available in Japan (and maybe here if someone imports it, though I doubt it). Thu Jun 18 14:46:03 -0700 2009 4785494 202405 tjr 2 4795017 Ha ha me too Mon Jun 22 10:52:39 -0700 2009 4785494 34604 sweetie 1 4785590 Thanks for the responses. Many interesting suggestions. Thu Jun 18 15:04:23 -0700 2009 4783343 80671 Snarf 1 4785632 Have you tried the Sumol beverages from Portugal? Not really strong flavoured, but they have some interesting flavours such as pineapple and passionfruit. I buy it at No Frills on Carlaw. If it's Portuguese, you know it has balls. Thu Jun 18 15:20:47 -0700 2009 4783343 41175 foodyDudey 2 4875616 I just remembered Sumol! I saw it at a Portuguese bakery in Ottawa last year. Was an "interesting" drink. Shoppers Drug Mart has some Italian soda in a glass bottle. They are quite good and fruity,also affordable. The 1 liter is on sale for $2 this week, I remember trying grapefruit,blood orange and there are 2 others. PC had a lytchee soda,it is good if you like lychee. If you go to Loblaws the health foods section has a bunch of interesting drinks. I like Knewtsons soda they are made with fruit juice and carbonated-tangering is nice but there are 10 others. Also Blue Sky soda and cola they have a "natural" cola. I used to also buy China Cola,that is sold in health food store and was made from herbs. Mon Jul 20 17:24:57 -0700 2009 4785632 1092138 MiriamOttawa 1 4785707 Soda Pop Central usually have a good variety of sodas. They are in Whitby however their web shows whats available. http://www.sodapopcentral.com/ Thu Jun 18 15:42:34 -0700 2009 4783343 92947 jack_sprat_ca 1 4785730 You might want to try Goya Malta. Most stores stock Goya products in the Hispanic food section. But be warned, Malta is an extremely sweet Molasses-based soda - it's an acquired taste. But it's extremely popular in Mexico and Latin American countries. Thu Jun 18 15:57:56 -0700 2009 4783343 119626 mwliechty 2 4785758 Sorry, what I should have said is that Malta is a barley/hops-based soft drink that tastes like molasses. Thu Jun 18 16:07:56 -0700 2009 4785730 119626 mwliechty 1 4787119 By the topic I thought you were referring to Orbitz. Fri Jun 19 07:38:29 -0700 2009 4783343 282709 Crispier Crouton 2 4787587 Brio - the italian bitter soda. Also there is a new line of italian soda's from President's Choice. Have not tried them, they look similar to Orangina, which is a nice blend of citrus flavour and carbonation. Italian soda's from second cup are another option. You can pick your syrup flavour shot, which they basically add to carbonated water. They have alot of flavour options and you can tell them to add as much syrup as you want. I like their strawberry, peach and vanilla flavours. Fri Jun 19 09:45:17 -0700 2009 4787119 29331 pancake 3 4799123 If you are talking about PC Splendido Frizzante they are not a new product. I love the grapefruit but I don't see it on their website right now - only lemon and orange. The grapefruit is (was?) especially good with tequila and a salt rim, or with gin. But good on its own too. As for Brio, I prefer San Pelligrino Chinotto - slightly less sweet. There are other interesting bitter Italian sodas such as one I picked up once called 'Bitter' - like a non-alcoholic campari. It was too much for me, maybe should have mixed it with something. Tue Jun 23 13:42:10 -0700 2009 4787587 12120 julesrules 4 4873162 I like the lemon one -- it's got the quinine in it so it's bitter, like Schweppes Bitter Lemon (which is dang hard to find around here). Sun Jul 19 23:23:42 -0700 2009 4799123 16363 mogo 3 4799725 So far I've tried the blood orange and the coffee Italian sodas from the new Insider's Report, both are good, the coffee in particular is very refreshing. Tue Jun 23 16:51:50 -0700 2009 4787587 10947 middydd 1 4788808 Tizer, also Lucozade (though the latter is hard to find: you can get Tizer at Loblaw) Fri Jun 19 16:57:39 -0700 2009 4783343 237919 Squeakycheese 2 4788852 Lucky Moose on Dundas has Lucozade, I got some with my TimTams Fri Jun 19 17:25:44 -0700 2009 4788808 119378 kiwiFRUIT 3 4788963 Wow great. Dundas and where? I have only found it in St. Jacob's Market, Kitchener/Waterloo. thanks! Fri Jun 19 18:24:30 -0700 2009 4788852 237919 Squeakycheese 4 4788988 A little east of Spadina, south side of the street. Fri Jun 19 18:33:07 -0700 2009 4788963 139230 Wahooty 2 4790386 You can find lucozade in most Chinese supermarkets. Sat Jun 20 11:59:45 -0700 2009 4788808 14629 aser 1 4791099 I just noticed at the new Leslieville Cheese Market location on Queen west of Spadina they carry a few different root beers from Quebec. The flavours I remember are birch and maple. Though a little pricey at $4.50 for a (500ml ??) bottle, next time I'm in there I'll give one a shot to go with one of their tasty grilled cheese sandwiches. Sat Jun 20 17:56:53 -0700 2009 4783343 10762 num nums 1 4799910 I went to a West Indian take out place and they carried regular Coca Cola bottled in Trinidad. It was made with real cane sugar, bottled in a glass bottle and I can tell you the difference in taste was very noticeable from the corn syrup plastic bottled crap we usually get. Unfortunately the bottle was small and nursing this sweet concoction without gulping it all down took a lot of will power. Tue Jun 23 18:00:14 -0700 2009 4783343 156425 scarberian 1 4800074 Well it seems as though GuS Soda might be up your alley. It's marketed as a "grown-up soda". I just got one at the Bulk Barn but I'm sure you could find them elsewhere. http://drinkgus.com/ Tue Jun 23 18:57:44 -0700 2009 4783343 277862 fluffysouffle 1 4849338 Vernors ginger ale. It's gingery. But not like some that I got in Montana a few years ago that was made in New Jersey. Vernors is definitely available in the Niagara - Hamilton areas, and probably Windsor. Steve Sat Jul 11 12:24:28 -0700 2009 4783343 1092810 cpfan 2 4871922 I've certainly found Vernor's at a number of north Toronto and burbs groceries, but the supply is hit or miss - you might find it one day and not the next. My suggestion is ask your local grocer if they ever stock it. And for a slightly less sharp drink, but still delicious, try mixing Vernors half and half with chocolate milk. Really great! Sun Jul 19 12:40:46 -0700 2009 4849338 1092461 FrankDrakman 1 4873165 You can get concentrated syrups like Ribena (black currant / cassis flavour) at most Chinese groceries. Also, IKEA carries some nice elderflower and lingonberry syrups that you can mix with soda water or whatever you like. Sun Jul 19 23:29:45 -0700 2009 4783343 16363 mogo 2 4874771 You can get Ribena at Loblaws or most anywhere. I just tried the President's Choice's new coffee-flavoured Italian soda. Good, but not great. Still a little too sweet, and almost a rootbeerish flavour. In NYC, I tried a great coffee soda called "Manhattan's Best" or something like that. It was really good and had a pure coffee flavour. Does anyone know of any other coffee sodas out there? Mon Jul 20 13:02:46 -0700 2009 4873165 12420 Fwagra 1 4987240 Kinnie - a bitter orange and herbs soft drink from Malta, somewhat like Chinotto. I remember buying it years ago from a NoFrills in the west end and Malta Bake Shop on Dundas W., but haven't had it in years and am not sure if they still carry it. The Kinnie site does say they distribute to Canada. http://www.kinnie.com/page.asp?n=about-us Fri Aug 28 17:06:19 -0700 2009 4783343 1103056 ghoti 1 5054280 Just found "Dry Soda" at The Big Carrot on the Danforth in the following flavors: kumquat, lavender, rhubarb, lemongrass, and juniper berry. I think they were about $2.39 a bottle. Wed Sep 23 23:40:17 -0700 2009 4783343 277862 fluffysouffle