Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Drink your Thanksgiving dinner

I had this conversation a couple times with my parent's next door neighbors. Last year for Thanksgiving, besides having the traditional feast with all the yummy trimmings, they also bought the Thanksgiving soda sampler known as the "holiday pack." The actual drinking of the aforementioned sodas was sparked by a lot of alcohol and a dare (as did a eat-5-solid-sticks-of-butter-in-10-minutes dare from this past Halloween strangely enough...)

SEATTLE - For beverage connoisseurs tired of turkey-and-gravy or green-beans-and-casserole flavored sodas, there’s a new choice being offered this year by specialty U.S. soda maker Jones Soda Co.: salmon.

Jones Soda, the Seattle company that scored a hit during the last two holiday seasons with its turkey and gravy-flavored sodas, said it is offering the orange-hued fish-flavored drink this year in a nod to the Pacific Northwest’s salmon catch.

“When you smell it, it’s got that smoked salmon aroma,” said Peter van Stolk, chief executive of Jones Soda.

The artificially flavored salmon soda will be offered as part of a $13 “regional holiday pack” that also includes other unusual sodas such as turkey & gravy, corn on the cob, broccoli casserole and pecan pie.

While those five bottles will be offered locally, Jones Soda is also selling its similarly-priced “holiday pack” of turkey and gravy, wild herb stuffing, brussels sprout, cranberry and pumpkin pie sodas across the country.

Van Stolk, who built his Seattle-based soda company by selling traditional sodas as well as exotic flavors such as green apple, bubblegum and crushed melon, said that “the most important thing (about Jones Soda) is that we can laugh at ourselves.”

Asked whether he liked his new salmon soda, van Stolk said: “I cannot finish a bottle, I just can’t.”


Mmmm. I can't help but get that distinctive vomit taste in my mouth just thinking about salmon flavored soda. According to the story the aroma of the sodas is remarkably similar to the real thing. The flavor however left a little something to be desired.

I'm predicting a repeat of history this Thanksgiving. I'll keep you posted with the latest.