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My mother was a soda fanatic; apart from the occasional bottle of tonic water or bitter lemon (in the summer, G&Ts were the rule, not the exception), carbonated beverages weren't allowed in our house. This meant, of course, that they became the forbidden fruit, something that my sisters and I craved with a single-minded intensity that was somewhat frightening. As we got older, however, we outgrew carbonated beverages and, once I learned about high fructose corn syrup, most sodas were scrubbed from my list permanently.Even so, I sometimes get the desire for a cool, refreshing carbonated beverage. While the emergence of organic sodas has been great, they don't have very wide distribution and I sometimes find myself gasping at the cost. After all, when I'm paying two bucks for a soda, it's officially moved from being a refreshment into being a delicacy. Luckily, my neighborhood, which is largely Hispanic, offers a wide selection of reasonably-priced Latin American sodas, many of which are surprisingly free of artificial ingredients. Of these, my favorite is the Jarritos line.
Jarritos is a Mexican soft drink company that was established in 1950. Its sodas come in a variety of fruit flavors, including tamarind, lime, pineapple, strawberry, watermelon, and mandarin. They are sweetened with sugar, not high fructose corn syrup, and often use natural flavorings. While I don't advocate drinking them every day, Jarritos come in handy when the soda bug overcomes my healthier tendencies, and their low price (under $0.75 for a 16-ounce bottle) makes me feel a little better about my weakness. Also, to be honest, they make the perfect counterpoint to a spicy taco or a bowl of salsa and chips!
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7-10-2008 @3:39PM RobynT said... I always debate over whether to order these when I see them at Mexican restaurants. The flavors really appeal to me... they're different. How's the tamarind though? Is it a little sour?
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7-10-2008 @4:17PM totoro said... Plus you can get Mexico-bottled Coca-Cola in those markets sometimes, which is made with cane sugar, not HFCS.
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7-10-2008 @4:28PM Bruce Watson said... Robyn-
You should definitely give them a shot! As far as the tamarind soda is concerned, I'd categorize it as tangy and sweet, with a slightly peppery taste. Basically, if you've ever had tamarind juice or tamarind sauce at an Indian restaurant, you know the flavor. I'm not the biggest fan, but it can be a little more refreshing than some of the more sugary flavors.
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7-10-2008 @4:40PM boss sauce said... My pick is the toronja (grapefruit)! It's a different world of artificial colorings and flavorings, and I like it!
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7-10-2008 @5:11PM Bernie B said... Similar but different, it's nearly impossible to find Pancake Syrup that doesn't contain HFCS. I don't care for pure Maple (nor its price for that matter).
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7-10-2008 @5:29PM johnb said... another drink you'll find at restaurants is sidral mundet. a delicious carbonated apple cider beverage. so refreshing!
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7-10-2008 @5:52PM texasannie said... Those Mexican sodas make excellent mixers for sweeter liquors like rum. Pineapple and mandarin were especially big hits at our last party.
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7-10-2008 @6:25PM lauren said... the tamarind is good, but naranja is king.
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7-10-2008 @7:34PM RJ said... Thanks for posting this!! Brings me back to when I was a little kid and my uncle let us drink the Jarritos that he sold in his store in Mexico. I love the Mandarin!!!
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7-12-2008 @12:14PM TheGrammarTroll said... "and, once I learned about high fructose corn syrup..."
What? That's it's a sugar? Oh noes!!!
Here, have a tinfoil hat!
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8-01-2008 @6:01PM L Weiss-S said... Mexican sodas are the best. I don't know if they have this one in New York yet, but Sangria Señoral is a Sangria(the Spanish drink) flavored soda and it is amazing! I absolutely love it.
Sidral mundet is also very good, it has a very crisp, tart apple flavor.
This is one of the things I love about Mexico, the drinks, and not just the processed ones. You can buy fresh squeezed juices just about everywhere, with unique mixes that work well like alfalfa-melon. YUM!
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