Drinks : Sodas

Blogging Stocks reports that Seattle-based Jones Soda, those wacky folks behind such marketing/flavor innovations as Turkey & Gravy Soda and Candy Corn soda are releasing a limited edition suite of Seahawks inspired drinks.

Sez the website:

"IF YOU THINK you're tough enough to play in the NFL, then you'd better step up and have a little taste of what NFL players experience throughout their entire careers.

NFL players have:

• Spent an average of 2 years in the gym.
• Perspired 10,000 gallons of sweat.
• Eaten 2 pounds of grass.
• Tasted 3 pounds of dirt.
• And spread over 5 gallons of sports cream on their muscle aches."


The starting flavor lineup includes Sports Cream, Dirt, Perspiration, Natural Turf, and Sweet victory in player-emblazoned packaging, along with a "Spirit of 12 Flag," all in a presentation box for gifting to that special Seahawks fan in your life. We can only be grateful that they showed sufficient restraint to leave out Sweat Sock, Athletic Supporter, Locker Room Shower Stall and Mike Holmgren's Moustache.

Order yours here at the Jones Soda Store.

Want tastier tailgating? Try recipes from AFC and NFC fans and grab yourself a copy of GameDay Gourmet by Pableaux Johnson.

Thanks to Adrants for pointing us to this Mountain Dew commercial from waaaayyyyyy back yonder. It features a Prohibition-era slogan "Zero Proof Moonshine", and spokes-rube "Billy The Hillbilly".

Great gosh-a-mighty, do times change. (Except when they don't.)

When my colleague, Kat informed me that July 29th was the 25th anniversary of Diet Coke, I thought "Cool, I'll write about how this bubby invasion defined 'liquid' and 'diet' all through my teen years." Then I realized, "Holy crap, I'm so old I was more than halfway through my teens when Diet Coke was even invented!" I have to admit, I was a little depressed. So I went to see 'The Simpsons' and ordered a medium-sized, ice cold half bucket of Diet Coke to buoy my mood and infuse me with some much-need youthful vigor. My friend had a few sips, but otherwise I drank the whole thing by myself.

Needless to say, I was stoked. And floating.

This is why, although I'm typically an earth-first type of eater and drinker with a preference for locally grown produce and stuff labeled 'artisanal' and 'fresh-squeezed,' I have never been able to give up my Diet Coke. Its got that refreshing balance of fake sweet, bubbly goodness that comforts me, paired with a foundation-shaking jolt the size of a small seismic tremor that may or may not cause residual damage.

My diet cola affinity started with Tab. I went to a fancy Manhattan public school where even the teachers judged you based on body type. The de riguer lunch was not salisbury steak but rather, a Tab and an apple. The thing about Tab, though, is that the saccharine taste was so disgusting you could feel the cancer eating right through the carbonation and away at your gut. But you drank it because, of course, to be thin was to sacrifice.

Then, in 1982 came Diet Coke. This was a revolutionary concept -- the soda (that's what we New Yorkers call it) most people besides me actually wanted to drink, but with NO CALORIES! As Coke's genius advertising campaign summed it up, you could drink Diet Coke 'Just for the Taste of It.' And so, 23 years after I gave up dieting for good, I still loves me some Diet Coke. I don't care when Diet Pepsi -- with it's no backbone bubble -- came to pass. I can be promiscuous with regard to my allegiance for Yanks vs. Mets depending which side of my family is present, but I'm utterly loyal to Diet Coke.

Read more about the 25th anniversary of Diet Coke

Find out what they call 'Buffalo Wings' in Buffalo

I drink a lot of Diet Coke.

I consume an unholy quantity of Diet Coke.

All right. All right. My body is comprised of approximately 97.3% Diet Coke (the other 2.7% is pie, aged Gouda, and movie popcorn), and at night, I sleep suspended in an aquarium tank filled to the top with the stuff so that my BDCL (Blood Diet Coke Level) doesn't fall below the necessary levels for me to remain functional as a human being. I drink Diet Coke before coffee in the morning. I could build a large-ish aluminum shed from the empties that build up on my desk. I've been known to tote 2 liter bottles along to parties (along with a nice bottle of Lillet or rye whiskey – I'm not a savage) where I fear there will be none at the bar. I'm not saying this is a sane or healthy way to be, but I also know I'm hardly alone in my obsession.

I can spot a Diet Coke addict from a mile away. There's something in the protective cradling of the can, the timbre of the satisfied sigh upon first sipping from the glass that's arrived at the restaurant table, and the touch-too-emphatic "YES!" when asked if they'd care for a glass. And while we don't tend to speak of it, we do generally watch out for one another's well-being and hydration. For instance, I won't show up in my boss's office for a lengthy meeting without an extra, chilled bottle in hand for her, and my husband (an ardent drinker of regular Pepsi, but he understands) has the forethought to bring home 1.5 liter bottles from the supermarket for me if he notes the supply is low (fewer than 3 liters in the house). My similarly addicted grad school roommate and I had an unspoken agreement that we'd stop at the deli on the way to campus in the morning, no matter how late we were running. She's now 10 years married to the handsome gent who'd sell it to us with a smile each and every school day, so it can't be all bad, right?

Why this public confession? Well, 'cause July 29^th, 2007 marks the 25^th anniversary of Diet Coke's public debut in a gala stage presentation at New York's Radio City Music Hall. Commemorative sleek, silver cans will be available exclusively in Atlanta area stores (what with it being Coke's birthplace and all), and no doubt there will be massive fanfare and media events associated with the occasion. But I'm not going to do anything out of the ordinary at all. I'm just going to stroll to the fridge, pour, sip, savor and smile. Probably more than once.

More about the 25th anniversary of Diet Coke

Do You Call It Pop Or Soda?

Q: A man sits down in a diner and orders a soda. What's getting poured in his glass?

A: Depends on where he's sitting -- regionally-speaking, that is.

My brother-in-law was born and raised in North Carolina, where asking for a "co-cola" will get you a bubbly cola drink -- probably a Pepsi. That same request once netted him a blank stare from a New York City waitress, until my husband translated, "He'd like a soda, please." Had my aunt from Ohio been at the table, she'd have requested a "pop", and my college pal from Boston would have put in her order for a "tonic".

While cola (defined as a beverage or a drink made with caramel, and carbonated water) has enjoyed nationwide popularity since its invention in the 1880s, we certainly haven't reached a consensus on what to call it. Growing up in Northern Kentucky, "soft-drink" would get me a Coke, Pepsi, or the occasional RC Cola, but later caused my East Coast college friends to roll their eyes with an apologetic, "She means soda." Back home, that would have meant I wanted a Sprite or 7UP, but I learned to adapt.

Now in my eleventh year of Brooklyn life, I'll ask for a Diet Coke at a local diner, half the time be asked if Diet Pepsi is OK (yeah, sure -- I need my caffeine either way), and the vast majority of the time will be presented with a cold can, an ice-filled glass and a slice of lemon. Goodness knows what I'd get if I ordered a glass of "dope", like my friend's grandfather in Southern Kentucky, but I just might try to find out.

Add your two cents to the great pop vs soda debate, or just see how your state's lingo stacks up at http://www.popvssoda.com.

Use our comments section below to let us know what they're calling it in your neck of the woods.

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Get Grilling!

Okay - one more grilled bevvy before the sandwich drink I'd teased earlier (seriously -- it's worth the wait). Like so many of my mixology experiments, it was inspired by some fresh produce I had on hand. There was an untouched honeydew melon left over from a bridal shower I'd hosted the weekend before (luckily, they keep well), and I happened to be grilling/smoking a beer can chicken anyhow. It all just came together organically, and the grill's flames added a pleasing touch of caramelized sweetness. I've a feeling I'll be chilling with this fizzy, fruity cooler all summer long.


Grilled Honeydew Sorbet Sparkler


1 honeydew melon
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 tbsp fresh lime juice (approx 2 limes)
2 tbsp vodka
Club soda, prosecco or cava
Lime rind


Split a honeydew melon in half, remove pulp and seeds, and grill face-down on the top rack until insides are softened and the surface is caramelized. Scoop out insides and chill in a bowl in the refrigerator.


Once chilled, use a food processor or immersion blender to combine the sugar, lime juice and vodka into the melon, and liquefy. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and prepare according to the manufacturer's instructions. Then transfer the sorbet into an airtight container and chill into the freezer until uniformly hardened.


Fill a goblet with several scoops of sorbet, and top with club soda, prosecco or cava. Garnish with lime rind twist and serve immediately.


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