Boylan Cane Cola

Boylan Bottling Company was founded by William Boylan in 1891 and oddly enough their first offering was a birch beer soda. Boylan uses cane sugar in all their varieties. I have always appreciated their vintage styling but am not a fan of all their flavors.

This posting relates to one of my favorites from Boylan, their Cane Cola. It has a sugary cola scent and is one of the sweetest tasting colas I can remember drinking in a long time. The cola flavor isn't as deep as Coca-Cola, and yet it still seems like just the right balance. There is a very tiny metallic after-taste but most would probably not notice that unless they really took their time savoring it. The sweetness of the cane sugar and level of acidity are very close to the taste of Royal Crown Cola. I can tell you that there is something about the finish of this drink that isn't easy to pinpoint and yet strangely makes me think of smoke-filled flea markets and I have no idea why. I should note that most cola's obtain their caffeine from the kola nut, which is a natural source of caffeine, but strangely the label on this cola makes mention that the caffeine is from coffee. It makes me wonder if this affects the flavor in any way. Either way, if it was possible to make this soda zero calorie without sacrificing an iota of it's flavor I'd probably be drinking more of it. If I'm ever able to locate their Diet Cane Cola I'll just have to put that to the test.

Boylan Orange

See my earlier post for some historical notes on the Boylan Bottling Company.

This libation from Boylan is their orange. I realize there are a great many Boylan fans out there, but this is merely a so-so soda for me. Keep in mind that these antique orange sodas are not the chemically made orange sodas of today's Sunkist-like brands. The aroma is that of an orange cream soda, but I found the taste to be a little more like orange peel than orange. It's still an acceptable thirst quencher, but I'll keep working my way through the Boylan line-up.

Boylan Sparkling Lemonade

I've reviewed several flavors from Boylan in the past and come across this sparkling lemonade to try. There's a nice lemon juice smell from this one. It's tart enough to make the backs of my cheeks suddenly seize and water my mouth. This would be great on a hot summer day as its basically a carbonated lemonade. If you like tart or sour flavors this would be for you. Two thumbs up. 

Boylan Sparkling Cider

I've reviewed some other flavors from Boylan in the past, the first being back in 2010. They've proved to have some decent options and I've seen their bottles pop up in some specialty restaurants from time to time. 

I'd actually expected a crisp apple aroma from this bottle since it has that clear amber color that evokes fresh apple juice. Instead, the scent is much more like the kind of fresh pressed cider pulp you might get from a refreshment stand at an autumn fair, a touch woody. Once I taste it, I find it's bringing me somewhere in the middle. More crisp like an apple juice but still hints of an October cider press. The tiny bubbles of carbonation and a touch of sweetness, rather than sour, provide a nice little lift at the end of each sip. 

Boylan Shirley Temple

Legend has it that the child star of the 1930's was with her parents and annoyed at not being able to drink the same adult beverages they had, so the staff whipped up this drink to please her. Of course a classic Shirley Temple is a non-alcoholic drink that includes ginger ale with a splash of grenadine and lime. But there have been many adaptations, Some folks will just mix grenadine and sprite or 7-up and call it the same thing. Some recipes include lemon juice rather than lime, some are served with maraschino cherries and others aren't.

This particular soda does have an air of cherry to it. This soda may be the closest thing to that original description I've ever had. It does indeed taste of a light ginger taste and has a smooth grenadine essence. The finish is also just a touch sour. Traditional grenadine syrup was made from pomegranate, but some used in bars may also use cherries or be artificially flavored. Overall, not a bad soda. If they hadn't used cane sugar and instead used high-fructose corn syrup it would probably be too sugary. This edges right on that line. 

Jolt Red Eye

Jolt began in 1985, when C.J. Rapp invented the highly caffeinated Jolt Cola. This occurred during a period of soft drink development focused on fewer calories or less sugar. In college he noted that many students created their own blends of drinks trying to stay awake to study. He created Jolt with 72mg of caffeine per serving, which was the most allowed by the FDA. Jolt was the first beverage to feature functional marketing, the idea that certain ingredients were included for a purpose. They also utilized beer distributors, when other soft drinks were distributing through other means. These innovations lead the way for the revolution seen in the beverage industry today. However, with stiff competition from other energy drinks they filed for bankruptcy in 2009. Today, Jolt has been remade into an energy drink rather than being marketed as a soda. It currently falls under the umbrella of Boylan Bottling Works.

I only recently found this bottle at a gas station, it was clearly created before the marketing revamp as the ingredients do not list taurine, guarana or other typical ingredients from energy drinks. In addition, the label still reads Wet Beverages. It has been many years since I had a Jolt Cola and I have never tasted Jolt Red Eye. It has the aroma of a red cream soda but I also notice tiny bits floating in it. The drink carries only a light level of carbonation and the flavor is similar to a red cream soda but smoother. It does not have an acidic bite nor much of an after taste. Perhaps its decline was due to those seeking a bolder flavor or should I say, more "extreme." I find it pretty pleasant but it will take several more minutes to judge it's caffeine feed to my blood stream. Drink if you are a code monkey, cramming for exams, or in need of more pep and don't like the sometimes odd flavors of other energy drinks.