The Twelve Days of POPmas Day 12: Christmas Mint Soda

I've spent the last eleven days traversing the globe (via internet) and learning about holiday traditions and weird sodas from all around the world, but today is Christmas and it's nice to be back in the Good old USA to celebrate. Reindeer. Mistletoe. Eggnog. There's nothing better than an American Christmas, and for my last soda, I'm trying out Rocket Fizz's Christmas Mint. This bright green bottle features a confused Santa looking at a gift next to a Christmas tree. And the M in mint looks like some sort of old school Santa cap. Generic soda ingredients, nothing wild. Open it up and it smells oddly familiar, but I can't put my finger on it, It's like a spicy candy cane. (glug glug). Tastes a lot like one of those circular peppermint candies that come individually wrapped except green...and as a soda. It's good. Definitely a Christmas flavor. 4 out of 5 Rudolph noses. 

Merry Christmas to all!

The Twelve Days of POPmas Day 11: Old Jamaica Ginger Beer

Well, I am back home for the holidays once again and attempting to type on my parents' terrible computer. There's a ton to do around the house before we begin the Christmas Eve celebrations, so this will be a quick entry. On a cold, snowy day like this, what better place to escape to than Jamaica!

If you take everything that is great about Christmas, subtract the cold, annoying shoppers, snow and shoveling, and add sunshine, swimming, barbecuing and fruity rum drinks, then you get Christmas in Jamaica. It sounds like a great time, and one of the most celebrated time on the year in the island country, In fact, returning home to Jamaica on the holidays is a running gag for those living abroad because it's almost impossible to book a flight. Everyone returns home. Jamaicans spend the day drinking Red Stripe and Guinness, feasting on jerk chicken, ox tail, goat, and rum fruit cake, and enjoy shopping around at the grand market for hours at a time. A traditional Christmas ends with a large, outdoor family party with drinks, treats and fun. Sounds like my kind of place!

Old Jamaican Ginger beer is another anomaly of origins. I purchased it in Michigan, but it was distributed in Canada, but it was made in Jamaica, but it's only really popular in England? Got that? The only thing that really stands out about this bottle and ingredients is just how massively unhealthy it is! One bottle is 225 calories with 54 grams of sugar and carbohydrates. 54! That's 18% of the suggested value. This might be the record for carbs in a soda. The bottle also claims to be made with firey Jamaican Root Ginger. At the risk of this putting me into a food coma, let's give it a shot. It smells very gingery. Not like a ginger ale, but more like the ginger pieces you get with your sushi. (sips) It's not bad. It's not a ginger ale whatsoever. Definitely a ginger beer. Strong flavor that creeps down your throat as you drink it. If it weren't for the massive amount of carbs, I could see myself enjoying this one more often. OK, I'm off to open some presents!   3.5 out of 5 Rudolph Noses. 

The Twelve Days of POPmas Day 10: Orangina

This has been an exciting year for me in regards to soda/beverages. Not only did I get to enjoy such classic 90s revivals as Crystal Pepsi, Ecto Cooler and Clearly Canadian, but I got to cross a few off my wishlist like Irn Bru, Jack Black Root Beer, and Crispy Fish Balls! That last one is best left forgotten. Speaking of wishlists, another that’s been at the top for a long time is Orangina. While not exactly impossible to find in the states, it is pretty rare, and like Irn Bru is to Scotland, Orangina’s popularity really stems from France. This is also one recommended to me by many of my friends who know of my proclivities to enjoying a rare beverage.

Christmas in France you say?

I’ll be honest, I figured, like Scotland and England, Christmas in France would be pretty similar to the American traditions, especially since so much American culture is French based. And while the typical stuff - reindeer, carols and Christmas lights are all the same, there are some interesting differences. For one thing, the French don’t really do the whole Christmas tree thing. They prefer to dress up traditional nativity scenes. So where do they leave their gifts? Apparently children leave their shoes by the fireplace in hopes that the more doofy, French version of Santa, Pere Noel, leaves fruits, nuts and small toys in their shoes. Whoopty Shit. My parents would have had a hell of a time fitting a Sega Genesis in my size fives! (American problems). There’s also a change of tradition feasts, which in France can include lobster, goose, Foie Gras, oysters and a traditional 13 dessert medley - count me in! Instead of milk and cookies for Santa, the French leave a wine soaked yule log burning overnight in case the Virgin Mary stops by for a nip of port (seriously)! Finally, there’s some crap about finding a bean in your cake and becoming queen for a day or something, but I’ll be honest, I didn't think there’d be so much crap about French Christmas, and I kinda want to try some Orangina, so I’m going to go ahead and wrap this up right now. Joyeux Noel!

As someone who likes to collect some of the more rare or exciting bottles and cans I try, I was bummed to see this one had a tear in the label, and it’s not the popular 8oz bottle that’s shaped like an orange. This is the bigger 16oz version. So if I like this, I’ll definitely be hunting it down again. The history of Orangina reads like a social studies book, so I’ll give you the gist of it. Orangina first met the public when a Spanish doctor started distributing it in Algeria. Over time it became the most popular beverage in French North Africa. Jean-Claude Beton took over in 1947, tweaked the recipe to appeal to more Eurpoean and North American taste buds, and eventually moved the entire production to France in the 1960s. From there, Orangina’s distribution rights was passed around like a slow kid in prison. A total of 14 companies sell and distribute Orangina including Fosters, Dr. Pepper and Mott’s (where mine came from). Despite so many different companies carrying the brand, they all adhere to strict guidelines and the flavor remains the same regardless of origin of production. Orangina is also famous for creating the “shake me!” logo. Finally, like Irn Bru, Orangina ran into some controversy regarding their ads depicting “sexy” anthropomorphic animals in risque situations.

Alright, let’s get to my bottle. The label reminds me to gently shake and says that it is a Sparkling Citrus Beverage with Natural Pulp with 12% Juice and 2% Pulp. The other 86% includes the standard soda ingredients. Alright, I gently shook and opened the bottle to smell a what can best be described as a mimosa. Ok...here we go! Yea it pretty much tastes like a mimosa - champagne and orange juice. There’s some small orange chunks here and the aftertaste is decidedly metallic. It’s pretty good, but not the Earth-shattering experience I was hoping for. Like Irn Bru, I may have set my expectations a little too high for this one. Still glad to have finally tried it though! 3.5 out of 5 Rudolph Noses.

The Twelve Days of POPmas Day 9: Rani Float

Better grab some extra money, because I am heading to the United Arab Emirates, most popular for the city of Dubai, one of the most expensive cities in the world. This brand of juice, Rani, is the Middle East's most popular juice brand, comparable to Mott's or Juicy Juice here in the states.

Christmas in Dubai? The UAE is a predominately Muslim country with on 9% combined celebrating a different faith. However, Christmas is certainly alive and well all over the country. But it's not like some of the other countries that celebrate Christmas because it's a good, festive time, regardless of religious beliefs. For the UAE, Christmas is big business. The major source of income in Dubai and its neighboring cities is tourism. With so many people from so many different walks of life visiting their wealthy country, it only makes sense to turn the barren dessert landscape into a winter wonderland and make a profit off of the tourists rubes at the same time. Come for the world's tallest building and world shaped islands and stay for the curry eggnog and cameldeer. 

This small can wandered into the very back of my fridge and I actually forgot I even had it. Another gem from the Ishtar Market, Rani is very popular in the Middle East and this particular type of juice, the Rani Float, is their signature offering. The brand, also popular in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and others, was originally produced by the Aujan Industries until 2012 when Coke, who likes to keep their hands in EVERYTHING, split the company 50/50 and they became The Aujan Coca-Cola Beverages Company. I'm excited to try this one as it claims to have real fruit pieces in the can. And they aren't kidding about being orange either. Ingredients include: Orange sacs, orange pulp, orange juice, orange flavor and orange coloring. ORANGE SAC! I open up the can and the smell immediately reminds me of a flat Fanta orange soda. I shook it well as instructed so here goes. Wow this little can is packed with those fruit pieces, and it tastes like actual oranges too. The juice itself is sweet with a hint of real fresh squeezed juice. I really would recommend this one. 4/5 out of 5 Rudolph Noses! 

The Twelve Days of POPmas Day 8: Kazouza Pomegranate Sparkling Drink

Lebanese Party Time!!!

Well we've managed to touch down on pretty much every continent, except African and Antarctica, but they didn't return my calls. But what about those mysteries of the middle? Those alchemists of Arabia? Those...well you get the picture. Let's put on our spring break bikinis because we're heading to the party capital of the world, Lebanon?

Surprisingly, I don't know much about Lebanon or the Middle East in general. I know there's always some sort of religious war, and as a result, the country hasn't even had an official census taken since 1932. All Lebanese are depicted as "pretty much Arab". Though 35% of the country practices a form of Catholicism called Maronite, which sounds like a real hoot. What I'm learning though all of these countries I've researched is that pretty much everyone has adapted Christmas in one way or another, and like most Eastern countries we've looked at, most celebrate the fun stuff and not so much the Jesus stuff. However, unlike most countries, the Nativity scene is the decoration of choice, far more popular than the Christmas tree. And they do have a Santa Claus there too; he's named Baba Noel and apparently likes to rock out on his electric guitar or something like that. The Lebanese are also not known to party too hard as their idea of a Christmas bender involves hot almonds and strong coffee...cancel my flight.

Secaucus, Land of the Free

So around September, I revisited the Ishtar Ethnic Market in my home town again and picked up a few random sodas from other countries. This one, a pomegranate pop, comes from the Kazouza company. They were founded in 1941 and used local fruits in the recipes. They are distributed to the Americas via the ethnic capital of the world: Secaucus, New Jersey. This is another flavor I've come across where I have to pause and wonder: have I had this in pop form before? The answer is, I can't remember, and I'm too lazy to find out. Let's try this 9oz glass bottle of pomegranate soda with, you guessed it, not a single ounce of real Lebanese or Secaucus fruit at all. Even though I bought this awhile back, it's still good until 2018. Upon opening it up, it smell very vaguely of cherries. I take two sips and I realize I've almost finished the bottle. There's almost no carbonation even though it's advertised as a sparkling drink. It's OK. Nothing really special. Slightly lime. Slightly cherry. Slightly sticky. It's like eating ribs; it's all sticking to my throat as I swallow it. I expected more from the Cancun of the Middle East. 2.5 out of 5 Rudolph Noses. 

*Editor's note: I did have another one of these, lemon mint, from the first time I went to the Ishtar market. It tasted like toothpaste. Thanks for the memories, Blogger. 

The Twelve Days of POPmas Day 7: Clearly Canadian Wild Cherry

Originally I was planning to pack my bags and head to Lebanon's Soda Country, but an unexpected nostalgic surprise awaited me when I got to my desk this morning. Thanks to my friend Kristin, I was gifted an authentic 2016 bottle of Clearly Freakin' Canadian!!! Much to say about this later, but since we're staying in North American for the day, let's talk Christmas in Canada, eh?

Just here to borrow some milk...and your eye juices.

In most ways, Canada is just like America. Founded by mixing different European cultures and languages, Canadians have their roots based off of borrowed traditions. The only real difference is that our ancestors landed here and said, "this is pretty sweet," but the future Canadian settlers decided it just wasn't cold and Moosey enough and there wasn't a Labatt's in sight, so they kept traveling north until they couldn't feel happiness or their toes. Christmas in Canada is pretty much identical to our Christmas in every way. Except in Newfoundland, where they have a creepy Christmas tradition that, thankfully hasn't made its way south of the border yet. On the days leading up to Christmas, townspeople dress in nightmare-inducing masks and go from house to house making loud noises and generally being a nuisance. The only way they will stop is if the homeowners recognize the ne'er-do-wells at their door. If they guess right, the creep takes off his mask and rewards the confused and frightened families with candy. I am not making any of this up. This is not a horror movie; it's Canada! 

Clearly Canadian! How did this one get away from me? I like to think I have my finger on the pulse of nostalgia, 90s, and soda, but I did not know this classic was back. I'm not even 100% sure I was aware it went away! I did a little research and apparently, due to a lot of dumb Canadian stuff, the business shut their doors for good in 2009. But it was the 90s where Clearly Canadian, and their red-headed stepchild Orbitz reigned supreme. Everyone drank the stuff! It was as popular, if not more so because it appealed to a wider audience, as Ecto Cooler. The Dawson drank it. Jerry Maguire drank it. Even those white people on Friends drank it. It was probably the first sparkling flavored water of its kind and has since birthed many imitators. And then in a silenced hush, it went away. Then, internet celebrities Rhett and Link helped sponsor a crowd funding campaign to bring it back. And it worked! Sort of. It was met with massive delays, price gouging and a lack of stock. The seven people who formed the new Clearly Canadian team were clearly in over their heads. As of December 2016, while the website is still active, Clearly Canadian is pretty much sold out everywhere, even Amazon, and there's no official word on whether or not it will return or, like Ecto Cooler and Crystal Pepsi, if this was just a 90s throwback limited time deal.

Which is why I am so excited to have a bottle in my hand today! I didn't know it went away per se, but now that I know it's back, and rare, I feel like I've won the soda lottery! I contemplated not opening it and saving it as a collector's item, but I couldn't deny my taste buds another 90s bath of goodness. It comes in the familiar glass, teardrop bottle of the 90s and I lucked out that my friend gave me my old favorite flavor, Wild Cherry. I twist open the bottle and the smell alone fills me with memories. I am a dorky fat kid playing video games and listening to Green Day all over again. As opposed to a dorky thirty-something playing video games and listening to Green Day... Let's dive in! The taste is awesome. Sparkling flavored waters of today have NOTHING on the original and best. Freaking Amazing! I am going to savor each sip while fantasizing about being the one Joey chooses over Dawson and Pacey. Five out of Five Rudolph Noses.

The Twelve Days of POPmas Day 6: Lilt

Let's not go too far away from Scotland just yet. Today we are looking at the British soda, Lilt. This is one I have never heard of but popped on on the "you may also like..." section when I ordered Irn Bru. I'm not sure I've had a legitimate British soda yet, so I said what the heck! Also, Spice Girls. 

Let's be honest here, between Scotland and being an American, we've pretty much got Christmas covered in England. It's pretty much the same plus fog and smog. If you've read or seen The Christmas Carol, you get the gist of it. There are; however, two traditions that I think we as Americans should adopt. One is Christmas Crackers. Not the ones you eat, but the ones that are filled with surprises! If you host Christmas, you must supply each guest with a Christmas cracker, called so because it makes a popping noise when you open it. Sounds cool! Also, and this is the greatest thing ever, all pubs are open for a few hours during midday and it's tradition to go down to your local pub, take the kids, pets and hostages and have a few beers before having people over for dinner. I am all about that tradition! I'm sick of there only being gas stations and Chinese food available in the states!

On to the Lilt, which is an actual word that means: "the attractive quality of speech or music that rises and falls in a pleasing pattern." Or, as we would say, "Fred Durst has a sexy lilt to his voice." As I said, I hadn't really heard about this one, and there's a surprising lack of information about it. Lilt is a pineapple and grapefruit soda, which didn't scream Britain to me until I realized the soda originated in Brazil before being bought and produced by the Coca Cola UK company. Lilt has tried many other flavors, but this is the only one to last. It seems to make sense too. Pineapple - tasty. Grapefruit - tasty. Coca Cola - business smart. I feel like this can't go wrong. At only 55P (pence I assume) and 65 calories, let's get Britty with it. It smells of absolutely nothing. Not even a faint hint of anything. Taste? Both flavors are duking it out to establish dominance. It's also a bit sour tasting, and this is a fresh can. At first, it tastes a bit like a Squirt or a Fresca, bit then the pineapple comes dancing by. And it tastes like a real pineapple fruit, not artificial. It's unique, and on a cold and miserable day like today, it makes me think of the beach, so I'm sold. 4 out of 5 Rudolph Noses. 

GIRL POWER!

The Twelve Days of POPmas Day 5: Irn Bru

I'm really excited for this one. There's an ever shrinking list of sodas and beverages I've wanted to try since starting this in 2013, and I get to taste two of them this week! This particular beverage has always popped up as a must try on the internet and books (sometimes I read), and it's the #1 selling soda in Scotland beating out both Coke and Pepsi. 

PENIS

Christmas in Scotland is fairly similar to the American Christmas, except it wasn't always. For 400 years, Christmas was banned from being celebrated in Scotland for some vague religious reasons. It wasn't until 1958, that Christians and Non-Christians alike begin to Deck the Halls like their English neighbors. The only major difference is their cuisines. Scots tend to be a little more adventuresome in their Christmas dishes and besides the traditional turkey, they will indulge in roast goose, pheasant, mince meat pies, clootie dumplings, crannachan and...wait for it...cock-a-leekie soup (snicker snicker). And like many other countries, Christmas Day is followed on the 25th by Boxing Day, where we all have a bully time watching old George Foreman clips on YouTube, or so the tradition goes.

Irn Bru, formerly Iron Brew until 1946, is a popular and controversial drink to say the least. As I said, it's the #1 selling soda in Scotland, and also #3 In the UK behind Coke and Pepsi. Their slogan used to be "Scotland's Other National Drink", as a clever nod to Scotish people loving their whiskey. In more recent years, Irn Bru has also met with some controvery with their risque and almost offensive advertisements. These ads would NEVER fly in the US, but Europe is a little more lenient with their rules. I've added a few examples of some of their more controversial ads at the bottom of this page. The beverage is also known for its caffeine content and the strange addition of 0.002% of ammonium ferric citrate, an iron food additive. This bright orange soda has been compared to kola nut, oranges and primarily bubble gum. Let's try it for myself and see! The smell is

faintly of bubble gum for sure. What of the taste? So excited!!! It's SUPER carbonated, and I can only describe it as having a rusty-irony aftertaste. It's sour. A bit like bubble gum, but a taste that's unique and different. I think this would be like if someone tried Pepsi or Coke for the first time; it's hard to really describe it. It's nice enough. I probably wouldn't seek it out again, but I'm happy to have finally tried it. On a side note, I read that it's perceived as tasting much better out of a glass bottle, so maybe I'll have to try it again out of a bottle to compare. 3.5 out of 5 Rudolph Noses.

Some samples of the controversial Irn Bru ads. 

The Twelve Days of POPmas Day 4: Basil Seed Drink (with Honey)

I should have just dedicated these twelve days to obscure Asian countries that I know nothing about because today we are visiting Taiwan. I am really learning just how uneducated I am when it comes to the Eastern World. I looked this one up on a map and Taiwan is a medium sized island east of China. Their main exports are machinery and electronics, and here is a list (I'm not kidding) of the most noteworthy Taiwanese people: Lien Chan, Chen Chang, Christina Chang, Jeff Chang, Camille Chen, Chang Chen, Cheer Chen, Chin-Feng Chen............Apparently they also export the letter C.

Christmas is Taiwan? Again, not celebrated for its religious reasons, but still enjoyed throughout the country; although the country does not recognize it as a national holiday and is considered a regular work day. Like Australia, it's a warmer time of the year during the Christmas season, and apparently, it has never snowed in Taiwan, like ever. And the strangest aspect of Christmas in Taiwan is that it's celebrated more like a Valentine's Day. If you're in a relationship, it's a date night. If you're single, you go out with friends. No gift giving or caroling - Taiwan keeps it cool and casual on December 25th. But because of an increasing Western influence, there are still plenty of Christmas related sights and sounds around the holidays. 

Does your basil come in dime bags?

This brings us to the Basil Seed Drink with Honey from Thailand. Just looking at the label, I can tell this is going to be a drink with chunks in it like Orbitz or toddler vomit. This comes to us from the Chin Chin brand because of course it does. Ingredients are simply water, basil seed, cane sugar, banana flavor and honey. The addition of banana flavor seems odd. What is my experience with basil? I honestly don't know. I know I've had it in different foods, but I don't know if I could point it out in a lineup of spices. If someone were to ask me if I wanted more basil in my food/drink/car, I would have to reply with a nervous "maybe"? I am certainly curious though as I know these chunky superfood drinks are all the rage now. (cracks open) Ironically, all I can smell is bananas. The first few sips were just watery banana flavored, so I decided to pour it into a glass, and now I wish I hadn't. The basil chinks came flying out and it looks like a salmon sperm bank in a glass. I got some basil chunks and now I can remember the taste of basil, but the problem is that they don't swallow well. Most of them just found homes in the crevices of my mouth while likely impregnating my gums with Taiwanese basil demon seed. No thanks. I'm pouring this down the garbage disposal and contacting a priest. 0.5 out of 4 Rudolph Noses. 

The Twelve Days of POPmas Day 3: Australian Style Hot Ginger Ale

Just got home after a long day, so this will probably be a short one. And a bit of a cheat, but more on that later. It's Australian Style Hot Ginger Ale.

Christmas in Australia! On Diggery Doo. On Wallaby. On Paul Hogan and Gibson. That's the extent of my Australian references. I also refuse to look up the spelling of diggery doo because I bleed American blood dammit! As expected, Christmas traditions are pretty similar in Australia and American except for one major difference - it's summertime! Instead of traditional holiday ham and snowmen, Australians celebrate with BBQs and water balloon fights. Santa wears sandals, and there's apparently a ton of random bush fires because Christmas typically falls on the hottest day of the year down under. This buzzfeed article shows some great comparisons between American and Australian Christmas. Right here

Alright so, not much in the way of funny, but like I said...long day! Let's try some Australian Style Hot Ginger Ale. So why is this one a cheat? Because technically it was made in America by the good folks at Rocket Fizz. But this one has been in my shelf for almost a year, and I have no other creative way of fitting this one in, so what the hell? First of all, what is Australian Style Hot Ginger Ale? The short answer is, no one knows. From what I can gather from the minimal, lazy research, it's a recreation of Australian's popular Bundaberg Ginger Beer. However, there's nothing that I can find about "hot" ginger ale/beer being an Australian drink. I think Rocket Fizz has some stock footage of a kangaroo lying around and decided to pull a fast one on us yanks. Either way, I AM a fan of spicy Ginger Ale. Goose Island makes one that is really, really good and I highly recommend seeking it out. Anywhoo, let's see what we got here...it smells a little like ginger ale, and a little like death. This one is definitely not in date, but there's no backing out now. It's got strong carbonation, decent ginger flavor, and it is indeed hot, after awhile. There's an after burn that comes on about fifteen seconds after swallowing. It's got some real heat! But it also tastes a bit old. This might be better if it were fresh, but we'll never know because I'll likely never buy it again. AMERICA!!!!!!!!!!  1.5 out of 5 Rudolph noses. So tired...I'm not even going to proofread this one. Publish. Post. Sleep.

The Twelve Days of POPmas Day two: White Gourd Drink

Let's kick off day two with some White Gourd Drink from Malaysia.

"Merry Christmas to diversity"

I know I did all of my "find it on a map" material with Indonesia, but...like...I don't think I could find Malaysia on a map either come to think of it. I just looked on a map. It's literally right next to Indonesia. It's like the freakin' Where's Waldo of countries. I know nothing of Malaysian culture. I assume they like chairs. And oxygen. Maybe going to the barber? I'm sure they appreciate photosynthesis. But do they celebrate Christmas? Pretty much in the same way Indonesia does in that only a small percentage of the population celebrates Christmas for the religious reasons, but they all love a good Christmas party, and a good sale. Apparently hanging out at malls is Malaysia's most popular pastime. People of all religions flock to the mall around the holidays for the best deals east of the North Pole. The biggest change from traditional Christmas is that that all of the partying and egg nogging happens on Christmas Eve. On Christmas day, most people are sick of all that holiday bull crap. They take down their decorations ON Christmas day and then go to work. Bah Humbug!


Why do I feel like so many of my beverage tastings begin with, "what the hell's a (insert obscure fruit here)?" But really, what the hell is a white gourd? A gourd is of the pumpkin and yam family isn't it? Well the short answer is, it doesn't exist. White Gourd is another name for the more common winter melon. If you look up white gourd, all you get are references to the very drink I'm about to taste. It apparently has a shelf life of an entire year, and the Chinese throw it in meat dishes like a spaghetti substitute. There's very little info regarding what it tastes like though. It looks like it's up to me

Pictured here: surprising sign

to find out. The can as well has very little information, the only ingredients are: water, cane sugar, white gourd juice, artificial flavor and caramel. I have no idea if this is a soda or juice, so I'm not going to shake it, but let's crack it open and give it a sniff. It smells like pretzels. Is that a good sign or a bad sign? It's certainly a surprising sign. I think I might pour this one into a glass just out of sheer curiosity. It's a ginger ale color, but no carbonation. Alright, let's do this. It has no distinct flavor, but the aftertaste is pure pretzel. If this were marketed as a pretzel juice, I think it would do very well in the states. "Murray, I'm trying to cut down on my carbs. I'll take my pretzels in juice form today. Grab me one of those pizza napkins while you're at it!"
 It's really just a pretzel with sugar. I'd put this one on the list of the most unique I've ever tried. 3 out of 5 Rudolph noses. Tomorrow I think I'll leave Asia for awhile and head Down Under.

The Twelve Days of POPmas Day 1: Soursop Juice Drink

Well it's that time a year again. There's snow on the ground. It's 7 degrees outside. And the jingle bells mix ever so nicely with the sound of holiday shoppers honking their horns. It's Christmas time! And once again, I am revisiting the Twelve Days of POPmas, trying random sodas and juices one a day leading up to Christmas. But this year there's a twist. Each day I'll be trying a beverage from another country and learning what that particular country does to celebrate Christmas. We'll have a few laughs (very few) and maybe even learn something too (doubtful). So let's kick things off with Indonesia's very own Soursop Juice Beverage.

Quick! Find Indonesia on a map! I'm just kidding, no one knows where it is. Probably
like next to Canada or something. But do they celebrate Christmas? Well...sort of. Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world (not Canada?), but 10% of their people are of Christian faith. And the other 90% were so jealous of how awesome Christmas is that they pretty much adopted the holiday as their own. While they are not as in tune with the religious aspects of the holiday, they love the songs, cookies and trees; a traditional Indonesian Christmas tree will consist of plastic, wood, various household items and even chicken feathers. It's not uncommon to turn on the TV and see American holiday specials being played around the clock. So the next time your in Indonesia (probably by Kentucky), be sure to wish them a Salamat Natal!

So I have never heard of a soursop in my life. Luckily the bottle, which came dented, has a whole paragraph of information on it. Let's take a read:

Pictured: The "World Famous" Lake Toba

Soursop is an exotic tropical fruit also known as guanabana or graviola. Fresh soursop is known as a good source of potassium, daily fiber and vitamin C. Our soursops are grown and cultivated at Karo region near the world famous Lake Toba. Its white pulp is soft, smooth, sweet and has a unique aromatic flavor. 


This one has been sitting on my shelf for almost a year, but I'm sure I won't die. It says to shake well, but the bottle is so full that I can't shake it at all, but I'm sure I won't die. Fresh soursop is the main ingredient besides filtered water, so this is the real deal, folks. Let's twist it open and give it a sniff... It's vaguely tropical but mostly tastes like nothing. Taste time...There's soursop pulp in there to make it authentic. I get where the name comes from: it almost tastes like you're drinking spoiled milk at first, but then it suddenly turns into a guava/pineapple concoction. There's a lot of settlement on the bottom, so I don't know if I'm getting the true taste, but it's not bad. It's like a naturally sour yet fresh fruit. I'd call this a home run for my first outing. Thanks Indonesia (probably near Russia)! Four out of Five Rudolph Noses.

White fruit = dirt brown drink?