On Italian Soda

I can't remember the last time I had a Pepsi. Or a Coke. I am strictly a water, wine and coffee drinker.

I don't even like soda that much. Soda in the States is full of, pardon my French, crap. As the story goes, our soda will clean the corrosion off a battery. Imagine what it does for your stomach lining?

And I like my stomach lining, thank you very much! So, I stay far away.

But last week I was perusing the aisle of my local TJ Maxx and found these.

image courtesy of oldworldfoods.com

Agrumi Italian Sodas. Where had they been hiding?

Italian soda is made from all natural flavors and/or syrups and blended with seltzer. They are very effervescent and refreshing! Especially in the summer heat.

Agrumi is an Italian word that refers to all things citrus.

So, it would only be fitting that Agrumi is soda that comes in citrus flavors, like lemon, lime, grapefruit and tangerine.

Of course I had to scoff some up and drink them right away. They are fresh and delish. The lemon was just tangy and tart with just enough bubbles and the tangerine was sweet, but not overly so.

You can buy Agrumi here, here here and here.

Coincidentally, yesterday I stumbled across another brand name at Trader Joe's. Villa Italia comes in blood orange or grapefruit and costs only $2.99 a bottle! These are made with carbonated mineral water from Italy.

traderjoesfan.com

And last but not least, Cost Plus has their own line of Italian Soda. Imported right from Italy in the classic citrus flavors, lemon and blood orange and a special flavor..pomegranate! At only $1.99 a bottle these are a steal. Sign me up!

courtesy of Cost Plus World Market

So, I can no longer say that I am not a soda drinker. I am however, an Italian Soda drinker. And with natural flavors and antioxidants in the pomegranate variety, I can also say they are a healthy alternative to the ubiquitous caramel color, preservative laden ~~Diet Crap~~, oops, ahem, I mean, Diet Coke that Americans love to guzzle.

Which flavor is your favorite?

Merisi
August 6th, 2008
Lucky you, so many good sources for Italian Sodas! Reading names like TJMAXX and Trader Joe’s I get outright homesick.
I cannot complain about good soda here in Vienna, their obiquitousness is almost legendary! My favorite is Lemon Soda, served with a slice of lemon and real lemon juice, albeit no sugar. Wonderfully refreshing! A little bit of sweetness accompanies the equally excellent rasperry sodas here, a favorite of mine when I was a little girl. Should you ever travel to Austria, look at the soda aisle at supermarkets, they have an incredible selection, organic varieties among them, everything from elderberry flower to guava flavor.
Do you know the French Orangina soda? Easily available in the Washington DC area, and produced in the US (no lemon in the US variety, the true French is made with lemon, orange and tangerine juice – probably the reason why it tastes a bit more citrussy this side of the Atlantic).
Here http://www.naturellementpulpeuse.fr/ the link to the French website. According to Wikipedia, “Orangina started life as Naranjina, presented at the 1936 Marseille Trade Fair by its Spanish inventor, chemist Dr. Trigo. Léon Beton bought the concept and produced it in colonial Algeria, moving production to France in 1962 after Algeria won its independence.” (I had no idea that this simple beverage has such an interesting history!)
Cheers!

joanne at frutto della passione
August 6th, 2008
Is it bad that my thoughts went straight to all the different cocktails you can make with these?

anne
August 6th, 2008
I rarely drink Pepsi or Coke..it really doesn;t agree with me..but those Sodas look great, especially the Pomegrante. Ilove them.

Angie
August 6th, 2008
I love Orangina as well and drink every time I’m in France! My most recent fave here in the states is IZZE, made right here in Boulder, Colorado. Their grapefruit flavor is wowie woo tasty. They are 70% pure fruit juice, sparkling water, no refined sugars, no caffeine, no preservatives and no artifical color or flavors. You should check it out!! http://www.izze.com/#products

My Mélange
August 6th, 2008
Merisi~ I too miss Trader Joe’s. The nearest is about 40 minutes from my home, needless to say with these gas prices..I don’t go often. I look forward to soda in Vienna. And yes, Love the Orangina!!
Joanne~ Hmm. I am starting to see a pattern here Not a problem, as long as you share!!
Anne~ Ah, two peas in a pod we are
Angie~ Love Orangina!! I have seen IZZE, but haven’t tried it. I will have to experiment now

melissa @ the inspired room
August 6th, 2008
I won’t touch diet pop. And I rarely have a Coke (but I must admit to enjoying one now and then, just to corrode my stomach lining). But I do love Italian sodas. Strawberry, lemon lime, just about any flavor. YUMMY!
TJ Maxx, huh? Better check those out!
Happy day,
Melissa

Cherrye at My Bella Vita
August 7th, 2008
I’m with you, Robin. I don’t drink that crap, either. Every now and then I will sip a sprite, but very rarely.
These Italian Sodas are good… Ahhh, World Market … (tear!)

My Mélange
August 7th, 2008
Melissa~ I remember as a young girl with an upset tummy, Mom would give us coke syrup…that stuff was goooood!! You can pretty much find anything at TJ Maxx
Cherrye~ Bet they taste much better, drinking them with that Italian view Yeah. World Market. Love them.

Lisa
August 14th, 2008
Odd, I live in Italy and have never seen any of these beverages in stores, cafes, or shops. Maybe they’re just for foreign markets. In Italy I tend to see lots of regular (crappy) soda.

Italia Mama
August 16th, 2008
When I can’t get Orangina or Aranciata (the Italian version) I love Target’s Archer Farm’s bottle of Blood Orange Italian Soda. Yummy.
Italiamama