by Eddie Morin | June 26, 2018 5:02 am
Ahh, Grape Soda. It is one of the flavors that everyone has a special memory about. Maybe you had your first grape soda while visiting your grandpa’s farm for the summer. Or maybe you shared a grape soda with your forbidden lover? Perhaps you had a friend in high school that wrote music under the pseudonym “Grape Soda.” Either way, it is something that surely has a special place in your heart. It is unavoidable. Because of this important factor, one must choose their grape soda carefully. You don’t want to be the schmuck trying to relive the past by guzzling down Welch’s Grape do you? Surely, not. That is why my choice is NuGrape.
NuGrape was first invented in 1906 but not bottled until 1921. What were they doing for 15 years? The rights to produce it changed hands a few times, from one soda mogul to another. The history is quite unremarkable. What this soda lacks in historical pizzazz, it makes up for in flavor. Before we get to that, I need to discuss the bottle and its vibe.
Utterly unremarkable. That is how I would describe the bottle. Clear bottle, yellow label, a star, a slogan. What I do find funny about the packaging is the slogan, “A Flavor You Can’t Forget.” Wow, that must have taken many nights of intense brainstorming to come up with that one. Great job, guys. I do quite like the name, however. NuGrape. Or as I like to think of it – NüGrapé. An exotic beverage that was the product of a Swedish chemist and an Italian night club dancer. Together their passion oozed forth and this grape soda was the shed skin of the snake called Rapture. Sometimes it is important to put some of your own essence into your beverages.
Onto the flavor! The flavor is crisp and full. It is not a waning taste that leaves before it rushes past your tongue. It first tingles the lips, embraces the inner cheeks, and dazzles the esophagus. With every sip, I am transported back to the swimming pool in the 1950’s, heavily laden with Americana and The Sandlot. I wasn’t even there! This isn’t my past! Who am I? Where am I? Oh ho ho, NuGrape. You jezebel! Tricked once again, and with every sip the grip on my own sanity weakens. Away!
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