MAYrathon 2.0 Day 5 - Tamarind Sparkling Drink

Happy Mexican St. Patrick's Day everyone! At the risk of sounding racist - Mexican folks LOVE tamarind. Asians have dog, White people have mayo and cheese sandwiches and Mexicans have spicy foods and tamarind. Spicy Mexican tamarind candy is a favorite treat in school lunches and the tamarind flavor by the Jarritos beverage company is arguably their most popular. But what even is a tamarind? Why is it so popular? Why am I using it as a lame tie-in with Cinco De Mayo even though today's beverage is from Lebanon? Why am I so handsome? MOST of these questions will be answered after today's commercial break:

And we're back. You may remember my Pulitzer prize winning article last December about Christmas in Lebanon where I drank some pomegranate soda from the Kazouza company. Well, I also bought this tamarind soda from the same place and forgot about it for a half year. So why not try it now? So while tamarind is produced mainly in Indian and Asian countries, it is extremely popular in Mexico and is often mixed with salty or spicy flavorings in candy, smoothies or alcoholic beverages. The pod-like plant is known to be very potent and sour on its own and is rarely eaten straight up. Fun fact - it's also one of the secret ingredients in Worcestershire sauce. Not as polarizing as stupid marmite, but it is definitely a fruit that some people love while others simply avoid it at all costs. While I've had the Mexican tamarind candy before, I've never tried Jarritos tamarind soda, Jumex's tamarind nectar or heck, even a tamarind on its own. So what better what to try this elusive fruit that from a carbonated bottle of expired cane sugar and citric acid from Lebanon!

It's a small, nine ounce glass bottle and upon popping the top, there appears to be very little carbonation. It doesn't smell like much of anything, and I obviously have noting to compare it to, so let's just get to the taste. It's alright. Sugary. Syrupy. Sweet. I really should have tried a tamarind first so that I could compare flavors, but it's definitely unlike any other fruit flavored soda I've ever tasted before. If anything, it's a mix between cherry cola and root beer. Not terrible. Well, I'm off to polish off a pallet full of Coronas. Adios!

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. 

So I Went to an Ethnic Market (Five months ago)...(Part Two)...

Ah the old Beverage Shack. A lot of memories here. It's so good that I've kept up not only with good facial hygiene, but also with this blog. Why 2014 has sure had its share of blog-related laughs hasn't it folks? Let's take a look back at my last post dated...January 29th? Hmmm. Well I'm sure I had some sort of explanation for my long absence; what does my last sentence of that post say? "See you next week for more ethnic treats!" Okay think, Matty. You can fix this. Just tell a little fib and go on like nothing ever happened.


Hey everyone! Wow that Daylight Savings Time sure can throw things off am I right? Well a week has gone by and like I promised, we're here to explore more delicious ethnic beverages I recently (I hope they're not expired) purchased at Ishtar Ethnic foods in Novi, Michigan. Without further ado, let's delve into two more foreign fizzy flavors of...uh...fun?

#3 - Kazouza's Lemon Mint Sparking Fruit Drink

Wow what a shelf life!

This light green contraption comes to us all the way from everyone's favorite vacation destination: Zakroun, Lebanon. What really caught my attention here was the flavor. It seems like such an obvious and refreshing combination, but I don't think I've ever had it. I know I've had cocktails and even water muddled with the two ingredients, but never a soda. I was intrigued and honestly, when have the Lebanese ever let anyone down? Have they? I know nothing about politics. Anyway. Looking at the ingredients shows that it's made from cane sugar which is always a bonus and comes packed with Esters of Wood Rosins. Esters...of Wood...Rosins. You know what, I'm not even going to look it up because I am terrified to learn what that could possibly be. Ignorance is bliss Mr. Kazouza. Let's crack this bad boy open and give it a sniff. (sniff) And it smells like toothpaste. EXACTLY like toothpaste. But how does it taste? Thankfully not like toothpaste. It's actually pretty good. I definitely taste the lemon, the mint and the wood rosins. This is a really refreshing summer-type drink. I'd say it's pretty much the Lebanese non-alcoholic version of a mojito. Not bad at all!



#4 - Legendary Uludag Gazoz
Now I know what you're thinking, "Oh my God! Did you really get your hands on THE legendary Uludag Gazoz!?!?" Yes, as unbelievable as it may sound, I have obtained a bottle of the most legendary Turkish orange soda in the history of mankind. It glistens with perfection as my unworthy eyes are drawn to its awesome mountains and vague 1930 dated label. Not to mention the truly epic 4% REAL orange juice in every bottle. And, oh my, such off-the-charts ingredients as "flavoring", "coloring" and "CO2." I truly don't know if I am noble enough to bathe my taste buds in such mythical product. Tis as if Santa Claus himself squeezed out the carbonated soda from Jesus's orange juice machine. Well, I've come this far - I may as well partake in some Gazoz. (puts undeserving lips to heavenly nectar) It's...It's...IT'S...flat Orange Fanta. Legendary my ass.

Well it's good to be back in the shack once again. Tune in next week (I promise this time) where I take a look at what can only be described as a Harry Potter soda ripoff.