SodaVie Mojito

SodaVie is the result of the combined efforts of Sean Henry and Benjamin Topel of Get Real Food and was released to the local Kansas City market in 2010. Benjamin was looking to brew some classic sodas and found a few formulas which were refined with Sean's input. Made in the kitchen of Big City Dogs, these sodas are brewed in small, hand-crafted batches. Just like traditional sodas, the carbonation is a byproduct of fermentation and so is very similar to producing beer. 

In my opinion, one of the great draws of this brand is the old-style bottling, with beautiful indigo glass. Aside from an old stand-by flavor of ginger beer, the offerings from these two sound more like cooking ingredients than sodas. Other flavors I have yet to try are citrus chili, thai basil clove, strawberry lavender, pineapple cilantro, and strawberry mint, blueberry tarragon, as well as seasonal flavors honey apple and spiced apple.

Now, truth be told I have had this bottle stashed in the back of my fridge for a year because I had hoped to try an honest to goodness mojito first for a comparison. Alas, I'm not much of a drinker, hence why I have never tasted one, and so still have not tried one but felt the need to move on and get this thing out of there. So the fact that it is now a year past the "drink by" date on the bottle and the fact that the carbonation is a natural byproduct of it's fermentation would explain why it burst out with a force greater than any champagne bottle I've ever seen. But what a show it was! It also released a lovely aroma in the kitchen. The smell was like lime and mixed with a hint of yeast. A peek inside the dark blue glass bottle also showed a couple of whole mint leaves floating about. It actually tastes as though it was a hand-mixed drink from a bartender. It has robust weight to it, but the flavor is mild and finishes cleanly. I can honestly say I've never had anything like it. It would pair wonderfully with a nice fat pork or chicken burrito, which is fitting since the mojito is originally a latin american beverage. Cheers for now and if you are in the Kansas City area look for one of the very few niche locations to pick one of these bottles up.