Who Likes Grape Soda?
Mm, soda can sweat.
I'm not a big fan of soda. Sort of. By that I mean don't drink it regularly and I'm not addicted to any one kind. (This is where some of my coworkers might point out that I'm the only one in our office drinking the free bottles of Mountain Dew Throwback sitting in a giant box on the floor, but...it's right there! And it's free! I wouldn't actually buy Mountain Dew. I think.)
But there's something about grape soda that I really like, thus causing me to buy a can during my recent visit to Di Fara. Does it taste like grape? Hell no—it tastes like artificially flavored grape candy. In turn, grape candy reminds me of being a kid, in particular going to summer camp and eating whatever candy they provided me with. Why this triggers a comforting feeling I don't know, considering that I rarely drank grape soda growing up and I didn't particularly enjoy summer camp, but for some reason I get a kick of "carefree childhood" and "warm, lazy summer" in every fizzy high fructose corn syrup-laden sip, the combination of which makes me feel notably happier than any other soda would.
Does anyone else particularly like grape soda?
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78 Comments:
I too, like grape soda. It reminds me of road trips. My husband refuses to touch the stuff.
Cincinnati Nomerati at 7:26PM on 08/20/09
I used to when I was a kid, but now knowing all these artificial colorings in this can of gassy beverage, I prefer seltzer water now or on really bad days, diet soda.
gargupie at 7:26PM on 08/20/09
Grape soda is my favorite thing ever. It's the only soda I will ever drink besides seltzer. I know this sounds a little too dainty, but I think it's fascinating they don't make a diet version. Like, not enough people drink it? Or is the type of grape soda drinker not likely to drink diet? Anyway, I'm obsessed with it. I don't allow myself to drink it too often, so when I do, it's Christmas. When I was little, we used to all head over to the pizza place around the corner from school, and I would always order it, and all the other kids thought I was weird. Whatever. Coke is boring compared to crazy purple fizzy candy!
Kerry Saretsky at 7:32PM on 08/20/09
There is something very comforting about grape soda. It reminds me of the smell of spray paint (in a good way). I love it!
Beanalicious1 at 7:33PM on 08/20/09
@Kerry Saretsky, I was just lamenting the lack of diet grape soda to said grape soda boycottng husband the other day at the store. He just shuddered and gave me an odd look.
Cincinnati Nomerati at 7:37PM on 08/20/09
There's someone else out there!? I'm so excited. I once tried the only diet grape soda I could find, and it was white grape and absolutely disgusting. I was SO disappointed. I was writing a grape article for Serious Eats, and I noticed that Welch's doesn't even apparently own Welch's grape soda anymore--like it's some leper step child they sold away. Devastating. Does anyone remember the strawberry and pineapple versions of Welch's soda? Not close to the grape, but interesting to mix it up with.
Kerry Saretsky at 7:39PM on 08/20/09
Kroger has a generic diet grape soda that I enjoy.
runnereater at 7:43PM on 08/20/09
I love this stuff. Something so satisfying in an artificial way that an oreo or a twinkie is. I try to limit myself to one or two in a year. I also don't mind saying that some of the enjoyment is derived simply from burping grape soda burps for a few hours after.
wotstaters at 7:45PM on 08/20/09
grape soda is wonderful. the only soda that even comes close is root beer.
orange cream is good too. mostly though I'm a beer jrinker (read jrunk).
twoshoes at 7:48PM on 08/20/09
Grape soda, or indeed anything calling itself 'grape flavoured' will always be associated in my mind with the taste of the vitamin tablets I was made to take as a kid.
FP
foolishpoolish at 7:50PM on 08/20/09
I can't believe I haven't had soda in 10 years, yet I have had diet Faygo grape:
http://sodafinder.com/products/faygo-grape-diet
As a little, little kid I loved orange, grape, birch beer, and root beer sodas. Now, even though part of me wants to like things like jelly beans and fruity sodas because of the nostalgia factor, my palate just doesn't like them anymore, diet or regular--too sweet.
HeartofGlass at 7:54PM on 08/20/09
I like the white grape soda too. and orange soda. silly vices
machellebelle at 8:07PM on 08/20/09
Grape soda--no. But orange soda--yes! There is nothing as refreshing as an ice code Fanta, especially when on a sweltering day in Mexico, or Central or South America. In fact that's just about the only time I get them---on trips out of the US--and it is a very comforting reminder of home (and yet, I never drink it here---go figure!) And especially drinking it out of the glass bottles they still have down there...but I digress :)
jinx35 at 8:19PM on 08/20/09
I know it's not really soda, but the new version of Snapple Grapeade is incredible. No HFCS, so it's not too sweet. It's second best only to their new version of Orangeade.
beth1 at 8:20PM on 08/20/09
I'm not much of a soda drinker either, but I love grape. The cheaper the better! Like Chris Rock said, "Sugar. Water. Purple."
8ptstars at 8:22PM on 08/20/09
Whoops, that was Dave Chappelle.
8ptstars at 8:24PM on 08/20/09
I don't drink sodas but definitely remember the wonderful taste of grape soda. I LOVED it as a child. And like @jinx35, I loved orange soda - jinx, try Stewart's Orange and Cream Soda in a bottle! Even now, I will drink a Stewart's Diet Orange and Cream Soda if I can find it. And root beer? @twoshoes, I agree. Still remember root beer floats in frosty mugs at A&W Root Beer Stands (whoops, showing my age!).
old_desert_rat at 8:25PM on 08/20/09
Mission soda is the way to go...Does anyone know if theyre even still around? Mission grape ,pineapple and orange , kept cool in the candy store's cooler, with the filthiest water imaginable(well, almost), you reached in yourself and fished out your favorite flavor..Great when you're 8.
L.A. Pizza Maven at 8:26PM on 08/20/09
gosh, i used to love grape nehi as a kid so much as a kid that i always felt a special kinship with radar o'reilly. i probably haven't had one in several decades but that doesn't mean i wouldn't enjoy one. in fact, i just finished eating an edy's grape frozen fruit pop.
cybercita at 8:42PM on 08/20/09
I love grape soda! My two favorite brands are Vess and Crush. I also like to melt a couple of popsicles of the same flavor with the Kool-Aid (yes, I still drink it on a regular basis) that I'm making. It seems to work particularly well with grape and cherry flavors.
Gregg at 8:43PM on 08/20/09
Not so much. It reminds me of Dimetapp. But I do love saying, "Grape-ity Grape!"
yayfood at 9:09PM on 08/20/09
I remember grape soda from being a kid--my mom always used to pick me up from practice with a grape soda and a Reese's NutRageous bar. Not the healthiest time in my life, but certainly a tasty one.
I've posted a great recipe for healthy "coolers" on my blog--they're a great alternative to soda, but just as tasty! And, happily, they lack that sugary, tooth-achey after effect that you get with sodas.
http://kittskittchen.blogspot.com/2009/06/healthier-than-soda-grapefruit-coolers.html
kittskittchen at 9:11PM on 08/20/09
I love grape soda because it reminds me of Dimeatapp! I love almost all fruit sodas except orange. My favorites currently are peach, pineapple, and cranberry but grape will always hold a special place in my heart.
elisaday at 9:25PM on 08/20/09
Grape soda was my go to when I was pregnant with each of my 4 kids and couldn't stand the smell or taste of coffee for the first few months. Grape soda in the morning, grape soda floats in the afternoon, and grape soda slushies in the p.m.(took the place of wine with dinner).
donnie at 9:30PM on 08/20/09
SO DELICIOUS. Tastes like summer! Though I find nowadays I reach my grape-soda threshold much more quickly than I used to...
posephus at 9:40PM on 08/20/09
I adore grape soda. That wonderful faux-grape chemical taste is awesome. For that matter, i love all manner of fruit flavored sodas not common in the US. Strawberry, grape, and most of all, apple. Apple is commonly available in spain under the "kas" brand. It tastes like a soda version of a green jolly rancher. So delicious.
Mmmmm... Kas Manzana.
I'm told it's also common in Mexico.
Sharkky9 at 9:42PM on 08/20/09
If you are a grape soda fan, you must try Boylan's Grape Soda! It's so delicious- still has that artificial grape candy flavor, but somehow more intense and less cloyingly sweet than the regular stuff.
ngarklav at 9:55PM on 08/20/09
I love grape soda, not as much as cream soda but definitely a favorite since I was a kid.
My brother and I used to ride our bikes to the local beach everyday in the summer... Mom and Dad would give us money for lunch which my brother (the responsible one) would get, and I would promptly blow on grape soda and a zero bar, and for dessert... A giant sweet tart!
Damn, how did my parents ever get any rest with that much sugar in me?!
Pavlov at 9:55PM on 08/20/09
I'm willing to bet that I love grape soda more than anyone else on the internets.
worldcupfever at 9:57PM on 08/20/09
mmmmm... grape drink
foodinmouth at 10:01PM on 08/20/09
Boylan's Grape is certainly the best. I also like the Welch's the Fanta, and the Publix (generic supermarket). The thing about the grape soda is the grape flavoring, like Popsicles, bubble gum, Kool-aid, Pixie Stix, etc.
I have seen diet grape soda. Winn-Dixie makes it and I think Diet -Rite does also.
Shayrose at 10:02PM on 08/20/09
I'm a DR PEPPER guy. I'll drink a Grape soda if that is the only choice. I like them ok but I would drink Orange or Strawberry first. I think when I was a kid I drank more than a few Nehi Grape.
mrbadideasdotcom at 10:31PM on 08/20/09
My father gave me a healthy love of all "flavor sodas", as he called them. If you like Grape try Pineapple, Strawberry, or Blue (I never know what the blue flavor is supposed to taste like.)
These are the unsung heroes of the soda world, the secret sweet flavors that most are too scared to sip, but that sing in your mouth like sugary sweet sip-able popsicles!
KateRuby at 11:29PM on 08/20/09
Grape soda is awesome, in a way that is totally unrelated to grapes. The flavor always seems vaguely powdery to me, probably because I remember it from those equally awesome Lik-m-aid candies. The best, though, is when you can mix the purple drank with the lemon drank and get something that is altogether more than the sum of its parts. It's very near exactly that idee fixe of hipster nostalgia, Purplesaurus Rex.
Hannekin at 1:04AM on 08/21/09
In the early seventies, before Aspen blew up as a major resort, we had a summer home there. One season, we had the living room carpeted - off-white shag carpeting (IT WAS THE SEVENTIES!). Pricey stuff, too.
I had been out riding my bike, and when I got home, I pulled a can of Shasta grape soda out of the fridge, and went to see how the carpet installation was going.
My hiking boots' laces had loosened, and I tripped over them just as I walked into the newly-carpeted living room. They had almost finished putting it down.
Grape soda.
I really can't say anything else.
Womandingo at 1:27AM on 08/21/09
I drank it as a kid. I also poured it in my sister's ear (yes I know that was bad) so she could hear it bubble.
I prefer orange soda if I were to drink soda. Stewart's makes some great orange soda. Also Frank's black cherry. I don't drink soda so much anymore. Summer of 1990 I gave it up and became a sweet tea junkie and I don't want to be cured.
JerzeeTomato at 1:50AM on 08/21/09
I wouldn't drink it now, but this was my absolute favorite when I was a kiddy.
heavenlyhousewife at 2:15AM on 08/21/09
Love grape soda. Grape and orange (fanta) were the sodas of my childhood, but only on special occasions such as picnics. Root beer we got at A&W drive in or occasionally at the store to make root beer floats (and we made root beer occasionally as well) Sarsaparilla occasionally, and birch beer, which was my absolute favorite - made from the bark of yellow birch. (and ginger ale when I was sick). Never a cola. No caffeine for children.
The grape and orange soda reminded me of soda fountain drinks - the large rounded rectangular percolating containers of grape and orange that hung above the counter and that drinks were pulled from.
Grape soda in particular also reminds me of a drink that apparently is available again - fizzies - little tart tablets that you dissolved in water like an alka seltzer. They were sort of distinctively vile, but I loved them.
lemonfair at 6:23AM on 08/21/09
I used to love this stuff when I was a kid. Mostly because it's purple and purple is my favorite color.
Erin at 8:10AM on 08/21/09
@Womandingo--Best.story.ever. What did they DO to you afterward--were you banned from grape soda for life? Did they have to tie-dye the carpet so the purple looked intentional?
HeartofGlass at 8:59AM on 08/21/09
I've always enjoyed grape soda, but I think the reason for that is that I drink it very, very infrequently. I probably haven't had a can in 5 or 6 years. And now I have a slight craving for it....
toad3000 at 9:21AM on 08/21/09
My hubby LOVES Grapico...I didn't see anyone else mention it here. It's a Southeast thing. Personally, I hate anything "grape" flavored. Yuck. But thanks for reminding me...heading to ATL this weekend and must remember to bring back a 12 pk.
arm1970 at 9:31AM on 08/21/09
I'm not a hug soda fan, so I am not a grape soda drinker, but when I was a child I loved the fountain grape drink that pizzerias in New York sold. Does anybody remember that and the fruit punch? The grape drink and fruit punch were pour from a dispenser with a transparent tank on top of it, and the liquid appeared to circulate in the tank. Why don't pizzerias still have it? A couple of good slices and a waxy cup of grape drink would make me feel 9 years old again.
pauljcummins at 9:40AM on 08/21/09
Mmmm! I rarely drink it but grape soda is awsome. So are orange soda and strawberry soda- all "Crush" brand.
Kerosena at 10:02AM on 08/21/09
I've said it before on this blog, and I'll say it again: Purple Passion (1970s version): BEST SODA CAN EVER. It tasted good, too.
http://flickr.com/photos/smokey2006/506816302/
hmcnally at 10:11AM on 08/21/09
It is the only soda I drink. Even the Safeway and other stores cheap version is quite delicious.
Montana Eats at 10:18AM on 08/21/09
I feel the same way with grape soda that I do with orange-the store brand usually taste pretty good. They're not very refreshing though so I need some water to chase it.
thurstondie at 10:52AM on 08/21/09
Good stuff, though it always makes me think of those chewable purple Tylenol tabs I took as a child.
@hmcnally: isn't there an alcoholic version of Purple Passion now? I swear I had a friend in college who loved that stuff
MixedByHand at 11:17AM on 08/21/09
This reminds me of Dave Chapelle's routine where he talks about the cultural difference between grape juice and grape drink.
I usually hate flavoured sodas (they scream "99 Cent Store 3 Liter Bottle"), but grape soda is delicious.
oh_no_eric at 11:17AM on 08/21/09
I love grape soda more than life itself! One of the major selling points for my last apartment on the Upper West Side was that the local market sold diet grape soda, which was my white whale living downtown. I haven't seen it in a couple years and would appreciate any tips!
JungMan at 11:30AM on 08/21/09
Yes! My name is Jess and I am a lover of grape soda. While I am with you and don't drink a lot of soda, when I do I like to enjoy a fruit flavored soda. I especially love grape but I also like strawberry or black cherry flavored sodas. Orange sodas can be hit or miss but I really love Cactus Cooler, orange/pineapple soda, which is something I drank during my youth in southern California.
jessward at 12:03PM on 08/21/09
I like to mix Grape Slurpees with cheap sparkling wine on a hot day. It's really quite refreshing---tho a sugar rush nonetheless.
I dont' drink pop often but if I need a treat, grape sodas an option.
Reminds me of being a kid and having Grape Bubblelicous gum...
hungrychristel at 12:05PM on 08/21/09
I really love that artificial grape taste because it used to be the flavor of childrens' Tylenol that my parents favored.. it tasted good *and* got rid of my headaches!
nibblepig at 12:44PM on 08/21/09
I love grape soda! I'm particularly fascinated with the fact that its foam has a blue tint, while the liquid is purple...just one of its many intriguing qualities
davidyy at 12:45PM on 08/21/09
I don't drink grape soda often but I do get a craving for it. I hope they never come out with a diet grape soda, because I don't want to accidentally drink a saccharine-grape soda. That would make me a sad panda.
Cassaendra at 1:25PM on 08/21/09
if it's in the cooler behind the counter, i pick grape soda.
z911empire at 1:41PM on 08/21/09
I love grape soda! I used to always get it when we ate at a local pizza joint where I grew up. It was such a treat, no one else carried it.
SaucyTomato at 1:49PM on 08/21/09
I never drink pop (yes, I'm from the Midwest) but LORDY LORDY do I love grape soda. Orange and strawberry, too. It has a refreshment level comparable to Fresca. Welch's for life!
Wayward Daughter at 2:28PM on 08/21/09
@oh_no_eric: "Purple Drink" was the very first thing I thought of when I saw this thread!!
I was a big orange Crush girl as a kid and grape soda was really just my sugary backup if they were all out of the good stuff.
Grape Drink Stand-Up
Vanderbecca at 3:39PM on 08/21/09
oh man welchs grape soda in a can.. it actually contains grape juice, so, there's that. yum.
seikel at 4:37PM on 08/21/09
I do! But I have to be honest, I haven't had it since I was a kid. Wow, that's a long time ago. I think I need to buy myself a can.
blisseau at 10:50PM on 08/21/09
OH DAYUM!, that's right.... GRAPICO! Love that stuff, another great Buffalo Rock product.
Pavlov at 11:53AM on 08/22/09
@pauljcummins...Why DON'T they have it anymore? That sh*t was DELICIOUS!!!! Oh man, now I have a horrible craving that I don't think I can ever fulfill
KateRuby at 10:42AM on 08/23/09
Love it! This also gives me the freedom to admit I love Tahitian Treat
aharste at 12:52PM on 08/24/09
y'know, i DO like grape soda. i just never ever drink it. grape kool aid too - there's something about it! i like artifical flavor with a bit of tartness, have yet to find a grape soda like that. any suggestions? i'm also a fan of schweppes grape ginger ale...and concord grape juice...but again, they are not regular parts of my life.
heavymetalpizzaparty at 3:06PM on 08/24/09
Does anyone remember Nugrape or XXX Root Beer?
dparrish1950 at 4:51PM on 08/24/09
Anyone remember Delaware Punch? It was such a treat, but now I remember it being really acidic.
FeedingFive at 5:43PM on 08/25/09
Grape soda reminds me of my "down on the farm" childhood. My grandpa would take me to town every Saturday night and buy me one. Hard to find now.
slipped2 at 8:26AM on 08/26/09
The only thing that made my 3 hour wait at the US embassy in London bearable was the fact that they sold Welches Grape Soda at their refreshment counter. Yum!
mrbill1234 at 8:36AM on 08/26/09
AHH the essence of my childhood! Seeing that photo reminded me of drinking grape soda at sleep away camp in peconic dunes, while eating a grape ice pop during snack time--sandals in the dirty sand, sitting on a log, grit from the ground clinging to the condensation on the bottom of that cold purple can of Welches. You nailed it on the head...I am not a soda gal these days. When I get the urge I prefer a limonata or a trader joes grapefruit soda, but I still LOVE a grape soda now and then. Boylan's does a nice version of grape soda (even diet when your feeling sugared out) and if you live in the burbs, Fuddruckers has it on tap.
Kamala at 11:47PM on 08/26/09
I wish I had more access to Fresca from Mexico. While it is also part of the Coca Cola family, the recipe is completely different as it is sooooooo not a diet drink. Mexican Fresca has an addictive, fresh grapefruit flavor that blows our homegrown version and Squirt right out of the water.
oh_no_eric at 12:27PM on 08/27/09
There was a rock service station on the road from Wichita Falls to Greenville, Texas when we were kids. They had one of those big boxes full of almost frozen water in which were suspended glass bottles of Grape and Orange Nehi sodas and Coca Colas. These were the best things ever when you were driving the 1955 Chevy with no AC in the summer to see Grandmother. They also had a nifty cage with squirrels in it and of course.
ocarol at 7:01PM on 08/27/09
The best part of grape soda is the strange blue foam it produces when you pour it over ice....
cakelove08 at 9:37PM on 08/27/09
Love love LOVE grape soda! Transports me instantly back to my grandparents house where it was always stocked in their fridge (still is). There's something about the artifical grape taste, the fizz, the pretty purple can that makes my mouth water. It's a, oh semi-annual treat for me but each time I have it, I fully appreciate all it has to offer. :-)
leeber at 10:48AM on 08/29/09
I like all sorts of soda. I guess I rarely drink grape because typically I'm looking for "cold caffeine" and less sugar. But, if we are at a cookout or other event where tubs of sodas are iced down and I find a grape, I'll go for it.
Now, if you want to find most of the grape soda lovers in the world, head to South America, especially Brazil. Fanta orange and grape are big sellers there - if you need a break from the guarana ...
DAFOXFL at 11:52AM on 08/29/09
Love, love, love fruit sodas. I've weaned myself off non-diet soda after 39 years, now I'm a Coke Zero drinker.
But when I want a treat? I reach for a Welch's.
And if they still made Strawberry soda, I'd reach for that too.
RIP Welch's Strawberry. You are much missed.
missbhavens at 12:45PM on 08/29/09
Love the grape Crush pop, but it's the only one I'll drink.
jo_jo_ba at 10:17PM on 08/29/09
I stopped drinking soda about 20 years ago.
But I miss Fanta. Grape Fanta. Fanta Uva. Very cold, with two straws, straight from the glass bottle.
So I've had Boylan's once. It's nice, but too grown up. Not sweet enough.
Carioca at 12:44PM on 08/31/09