So I went to an Ethnic Market...(Part One)

So while I was home in Michigan over Christmas break, I happened across an Ethnic Food Store. At least I think I did. This was literally the only picture I could find online of the place, and they have no social media presence or web presence, so it's very possible I was tripping on mushrooms and just robbed a Greek family of all their sodas. But it can't be true because I was there dammit! And it was...ethnicy? I don't really know what ethnicity you have to be in order to fall under the label of ethnic at Novi, Michigan's Ishtar Ethnic Food Store. There was sushi next to the challah, Jesus candles next to the shawarma, and I'm pretty sure I saw a Mexican guy eating vegemite while high-fiving a Somali woman. So I guess ethnic at this place pretty much means - nothing mainstream America. Which means I was in for a treat when I got to the beverage section. What follows is my three part series chronicling the six "ethnic" beverages I found in a land far, far away...from my parents' house. 

#1 - Shahia's Premium Fruit Nectar: Cocktail Flavor

This one comes to us from the ethnic land of Egypt and distributed from the even more ethnic land of Dearborn, Michigan. I tried to look up Shahia's beverage company online, but all I got was results written in Egyptian and a link to join some guy's Linkedin profile. So we're taking a shot in the dark with this one. What caught my eye about this particular soda was the name. Now obviously it's probably meant to taste like fruit cocktail, but all of the other juices by Shahia were given fruit names: strawberry, cherry, etc. This one was simply called cocktail, and not only do names like that make me giggle like a schoolgirl, but I was intrigued by it's cocktailly siren's song. So let's crack it open and drink some cocktail. (bottoms up). What strikes me at first is just how overwhelmingly sweet and thick it is. It's like the leftover juice sludge at the bottom of a can of fruit, but ten times more dense and sweet. This 8oz glass of syrup water has 15 grams of sugar in it! But does it taste like fruit cocktail? No...it taste like guava. Just guava. Not guava and other flavors to bring forth the guise of a fruit cocktail but just guava. And sugar. Lots of sugar...

#2 - Sparkling Vimto: Fruit Flavored Drink

I don't really know what I'm getting myself into with this one. Vimto was freaking everywhere in this store. There were about a hundred different flavors, sizes and even merchandise for this soda. I don't know why it was so popular in an ethnic market, and this can is all in French, so I had to go to the internet for more info. So like most fizzy beverages invented in the 1800s, this was originally made as a health tonic. And much like other crazy sodas I've tried recently, it's traveled around the globe. The soda itself is manufactured in England. This particular can was then sent to Quebec, Canada only to be imported by Cicero, Illinois and finally to the doorstep of Ishtar Ethnic Foods. So many hands have touched my can of Vimto that I may cry. I also may die as this little 12 oz can of mystery has 46 grams of sugar!  After this and the Cocktail drink, I'm going to need to donate my blood to a slurpee machine. Vimto is said to be a carbonated beverage with the juice extract of grapes, raspberries and blackcurrants, along with herbs, spices and uh...acidity regulator. Huh? Alright, enough stalling, let's Vimto! I just smelled it...it's totally Faygo Rock and Rye - quite possibly the tastiest and Michigan exclusiveiest (?) pop on the planet. Vimto - I think I love you. Thanks for the sugar coma. See you next week for more ethnic treats!

Dryk Julmust: Swedish Festive Drink

Well it's the first day of a new year. On the 30th, I turned a year older while managing to stay the exact amount of wiser, and I've spent most of the day taking down Christmas decorations, unpacking treats and reflecting on the new year that's ahead of us all. But somehow I still feel incomplete here inside the Soda Shack. My only beverage review for the holiday season was that terrible Summit Winter Collection, which barely qualifies as a holiday treat. I feel like there's some unfinished business here to drink a true holiday soda even if December has gone and left. And boy oh boy am I in luck! Thanks to my Godmother, I am able to revisit the holidays once more and try...Dryck Julmust: Swedish Festive Drink. Just rolls off the tongue.

So it's time for a quick history lesson that I'm basically stealing from Wikipedia. Julmust is a popular Swedish pop dating back to 1910 where it was created as an alternative to beer. Also making the inventor the least popular guy at in his frat house (I'm assuming). It is the most popular holiday beverage in Sweden and outsells coke by over 50% every year. It's nearly impossible to come across it in the states except for one magical place: IKEA! That's right, the same place you can get a flimsy card table for 11 cents, fresh baked cinnamon rolls, and a the Swedish Chef's autograph (again I'm assuming), also sells this rare carbonated treat. But enough talk - It's time to get my Christmas on.

Appearance:
Dryck Julmust (a phrase I'm too lazy to try and translate) is just screaming with holiday festiveness. From the (possibly offensively Asian stereotype?) smiling Santa Claus to the fresh fallen snow to the red cap - this soda IS Christmas. The bottle also lets me know that this is an aromatized (not a word according to Google) carbonated soft drink. I have a friend that was born without a sense of smell and I think I know EXACTLY what he's getting for Christmas next year. It also contains gluten and carbon dioxide...I hope I'm not allergic to things.

Smell/First Sip:

Well, I crack it open and...it smells like Christmas. I don't know how else to describe it really. It smells like different spices you would find it candy canes, snickerdoodles and elf tears. I have no idea how they made that smell out of ingredients such as "malt from barley" and "hops flavor", but well done Ikea! Okay, let's try this. Hmmm....every once in awhile, I'll come across something that is so unique and different that I have nothing to compare it to. It's very lightly carbonated. Very Sweet. I guess maybe it tastes vaguely like flat Dr. Pepper mixed with a Bud Light Lime? No idea how to describe it. But I like it!

Overall:
I drank some more and realized that I have indeed had something similar to this once before - Pepsi's Holiday Spice. It was out a few years ago for a very limited time, and I enjoyed it back then just as I'm enjoying this Ikea cocktail now. I'm glad I got to wrap up the holidays properly with Sweden's Swan Song to Christmas. I don't think that really makes sense, but it was fun to say it. Happy New Year everyone! Here's to more stomach aches and powdered milkboy drinks in 2014!