Finally, Soda That’s Not Too Sweet

Published on Thursday, August 30, 2007, by Lessley Anderson / Edit Post

We never drink soda—it’s always too sugary. Then we tasted Dry Soda: It’s subtle rather than syrupy, and the designer flavors include rhubarb, lavender, lemongrass, and—our personal favorite—kumquat. Upscale eateries like Restaurant Gary Danko have begun offering it for people who don’t feel like drinking but want something other than a Coke to pair with their fancy dinner.

Dry Soda, $25 for a 12-pack

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  • Wonderful selection at least on paper. I haven't tried it yet but will grab some over the weekend. $2-3 a bottle is not bad if it's really good. The soda we grew up drinking is horrible and we pay $1 for that now. Anyway, so many alternatives coming out and excited to give this one a try.

  • RE: Dry sugar content

    One site online said 16 grams of sugar. This drink also has fewer calories than GUS. Also the sugar is supposed to be "real sugar" instead of HFCS, so my worries about the engineered corn junk are unfounded.

  • Fishsticks,

    Is sugar (or evaporated cane juice) listed as the first, second, or third ingredient? I think they list ingredients in order of amount. It won't tell you how much is in there, but you'll get some idea of the proportions.

    Let's just hope at those prices there's no high fructose corn syrup!

  • Does anyone know how many grams of sugar Dry actually has? The website is suspiciously silent, unless I couldn't find it. My guess is that it's still got a lot of sugar in it.

  • Umm, vanillagorilla, $2-$3 a bottle works out to $25 (or more) for a 12-pack.

    I've tried the rhubarb flavor of Dry, and I gotta say, it's not very good (and doesn't really taste like rhubarb). Go for a different one.

  • I imagine a good chunk of the $25 is shipping. I think I pay something like $2-$3 a bottle when I buy it pre-chilled at the grocery store.

  • I'm with you greekone, GUS is tee-rific.

    I also like Izze. Plus if you are in a bind with no cute juice sodas in the fridge, you can make a bit of a fizzy juice yourself. I give them to my kids, and they love 'em. So do the adults if you make them less sweet. And you can mix them with vodka. Just take pure cranberry/blueberry or whatever you like (the stuff that's $7 per quart--it's good for...+READ

    I'm with you greekone, GUS is tee-rific.

    I also like Izze. Plus if you are in a bind with no cute juice sodas in the fridge, you can make a bit of a fizzy juice yourself. I give them to my kids, and they love 'em. So do the adults if you make them less sweet. And you can mix them with vodka. Just take pure cranberry/blueberry or whatever you like (the stuff that's $7 per quart--it's good for you too) and mix with mineral water to taste. Carbonated water would be better if you have access to it. Maybe club soda???

    There are so many options that people in my area haven't even heard of. Izze is sold all over, but when I serve it in my house, people act like Elvis just walked in. "Holy Crap!!! This is AMAZING!!!"-COLLAPSE

  • I'm with Joe Bloe- $50 for a case of soda?
    I'll keep enjoying my limonata- a squeeze of a lime or lemon, a couple of tablespoons of simple syrup, club soda, ice.
    Now that I think of it, if I infuse that simple syrup with lemongrass and sell it for $49 a case, maybe I'll make a fortune?!?

  • bitters and soda with lime

  • I like Navarro Vineyards grape juice. Complex flavor and not too sweet.

  • Try plain soda with about one-half teaspoon Campari. Or for absolutely no booze, same amount of a sugarless, fruit-only, organic syrup. We use R. W. Knudsen (available at WFM-- careful, it's very concentrated). Use just enough to tint the drink. maybe a squeeze of lime. Anything else is for children.

    When i'm out and driving, i get soda with cranberry. All bars have siphons of this. Just watch...+READ

    Try plain soda with about one-half teaspoon Campari. Or for absolutely no booze, same amount of a sugarless, fruit-only, organic syrup. We use R. W. Knudsen (available at WFM-- careful, it's very concentrated). Use just enough to tint the drink. maybe a squeeze of lime. Anything else is for children.

    When i'm out and driving, i get soda with cranberry. All bars have siphons of this. Just watch the cran-- it's sweet.-COLLAPSE

  • I paid $6 for dry soda at a wannabe upscale place in Calistoga.. complete rip off. The flavor while somewhat interesting... was completely overwhelemed by flavorful dishes.

  • How about GUS or "grown up sodas"?

    http://drinkgus.com/

    Was looking for something different while in Fox & Obel (Chicago) the other day and this was a pleasant surprise. We had the dry lime and cranberry and it was excellent. Next time I will be adding Vodka. :)

  • $25 for a 12-pack? 50 bucks a case. Wow.

    I think I'll stick with one of my homemade sodas: half ounce of Tom Collins mix (or pick any mixer/concentrate you want), and add 12 ounces of seltzer.

    That'll run me about 20 cents...