NEW YORK, Aug. 7, 2007
Sodas Get Run For Your Money
Natural Drinks Making Presence Felt; Bon Appetit's Andrew Knowlton Suggests Some
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Play CBS Video Video New Sodas Hit Shelves From fermented root beer to exotic fruits, Hannah Storm speaks with Andrew Knowlton from Bon Appetit magazine about a selection of made-for-adult sodas.
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(CBS/The Early Show)
Now there are dozens of all-natural drinks on store shelves, mostly made by smaller companies, in smaller batches, swallowing up a growing share of the market.
The new drinks cater to people who want something fizzy, but are concerned with the artificial colors and corn syrup in many sodas.
All-natural sodas or alternative beverages have grown-up, with more and better flavors to pick from. They're considered more sophisticated, non-alcoholic drinks.
On The Early Show Tuesday, Andrew Knowlton, an editor of Bon Appetit magazine (www.epicurious.com/bonappetit), filled in viewers on the ones he thinks are best.
He chose these drinks for the same reasons he picks food he thinks is good.
"It's really the same thing I look for in food: simple, honest, unadulterated flavors that put ingredients first," Knowlton told CBS News. "Lots of sodas hide behind sugar (corn fructose), and the flavors (lemon, lime, orange, grape) they purport to contain are nothing more than artificial chemicals.
"Sodas, beverages should be refreshing and not overwhelm the palate. I think the boom in the artisanal soda movement echoes the public's growing interest in knowing where, how their foods are sourced: real fruit flavors, not artificial flavorings. Cane sugar, not high fructose corn syrup.
"And, you can't deny the appeal of the retro-packaging and 'mom-and-pop' story line of many of the sodas."
CLASSICS
These are the ones with the flavors you might most recognize, since they're trying to be alternatives to the more commercial versions of these drinks. You may not love the taste of these at first, because they aren't the flavors you think of when you have your favorite cola or ginger ale. These are decidedly different.
Blue Sky
Boylans
Fentimans
Steaz
Blue Sky
Boylan
Gus
Maine Root
Natural Brew (Hansen)
Blue Sky
Boylan
Jones Soda (regular and sugar-free)
Maine Root
Natural Brew (Hansen)
Steaz
FRUIST-BASED SODAS
If you want a fun, fruity-taste-based drink, these are for you! They taste like real fruit, not just sugar.
Fizzy Lizzy: Lone Star Grapefruit, Mount Fuji Apple, Gulf Coast Tangerine, Costa Rican Pineapple
Gus — Star Ruby Grapefruit
Kristall — Pomegranate
RW Knudsen — Black Cherry, Red Raspberry, Mango, Tangerine
"ODD BALLS"
Organic, Green Tea, Diet, Gourmet: These are the more unusual flavors. Here, you'll find even energy drinks with more sophisticated flavors than your traditional ones, and more sophisticated use of ingredients, such as the Jones Blue Bubble Gum flavored drink.
Blue Sky: Organic Lemon-Lime, White Tea Pomegranate Soda
Boylan: Grapefruit Citrus Zing Mash, Ripe Mango Blood Orange Mash, Lemon Peel Ginger Root Mash
Dry: Kumquat, Lavendar, Lemongrass, Rhubarb
Essn: Sparkling Meyer Lemon Juice
Hansens Natural — Dragonfruit, Cranberry Grapefruit, Tangerine Green Tea Soda
Nutrisoda: Immune Tangerine Lime, Radiant Pomegranate Blackberry
Steaz Energy
Steaz (regular and diet): Raspberry, Key-Lime, Diet Black Cherry
Jones: Blue Bubble Gum, Crushed Melon, Green Apple, Berry Lemonade
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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