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Black Cherry Soda (1 Viewer)

Josh Steinberg

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Though I’ve mostly left my soda days behind me, every now and then a craving strikes. Now is such a time. And while colas were often my go-to, when it comes to fruit flavored soda, in my book, there’s nothing better than a black cherry soda, served very cold.

Of the brands readily available at many supermarkets, Dr. Brown’s is a standard, all around good choice. Good, strong cherry flavor, sweet but not overly so, and not that it should matter (but sometimes does anyway), a pleasing dark red color. It holds carbonation but isn’t too carbonated.

The knock you could give it is that it has a slight mass produced flavor to it. Not grossly artificial, but maybe leans slightly to the ordinary. That’s probably the corn syrup sweetener talking. You don’t taste it and think “I’ve never had anything like that.” You taste it and it tastes like what you expect and what it is. But that can be a positive too. It comes in cans and larger plastic bottles which can be great for entertaining, but unfulfilling if you’re looking for the experience of drinking out of a glass bottle.

But for brands that can be harder to find but are still more or less easily accessible, Stewart’s Black Cherry Soda has been my golf standard. It has a wonderfully rich cherry flavor, the sugar adds sweetness without any artificial notes from corn syrup, and it has a beautiful fizz that’s always sufficient and never overwhelming.

In the spirit of this, and because I needed to clear a threshold to get to free shipping, I have ordered a black cherry sampler package from an online beverage store. I’ll be getting 12 individual glass bottles of things normally sold in larger packs, some regional or otherwise hard to find. I look forward to sampling the bunch to see if any can unseat Stewart’s for me.

And I’ll try to let you all know as I go.

Please feel free to share your favorite Black Cherry Sodas!
 

jcroy

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Cherry Coke is the closest to a "real" cherry taste, regardless of how it was achieved. (Probably completely artificially).

The store brand cherry sodas seem to be highly variable. None of the local varieties live up to the taste of cherry coke.
 

sidburyjr

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If you're in the south, there's nothing like Cheerwine. I'm not sure that it tastes like cherry soda should taste but I like it. Unfortunately with my bad A1C I've limited myself to maybe one sugary soft drink per week. Coke Zero is what I'm mostly using now.
 

JohnRice

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I'm with you Josh. I rarely drink soda, but Iike a fruit soda now and then. I sometimes get some Izze soda. They call it sparkling fruit juice. They don't have a black cherry, but they have a blackberry I like.
 

RobertR

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When I want soda, I mix a powdered drink mix (with sugar, no HFCS) with seltzer water. Great fruit flavor.
 

Mysto

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In the Michigan Area - Faygo still makes a Rock & Rye. It's a black cherry and creme soda mix that I crave about once every year or so. Impossible to get down here.
 

Todd Erwin

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I miss Frank's Black Cherry Soda from when I Iived in the Philly area back in the mid '70s to mid '80s. Local company based out of Allentown, but they sold the brand back in 1990 and it all but disappeared.
 

Scott Merryfield

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In the Michigan Area - Faygo still makes a Rock & Rye. It's a black cherry and creme soda mix that I crave about once every year or so. Impossible to get down here.
I loved Faygo Rock & Rye when I was growing up. It's been many years since I had one -- in fact, I cut soda (or "pop", as we call it here in Michigan) out completely over 20 years ago.
 

Malcolm R

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For those diabetic or just watching their sugar intake, there's Zevia Black Cherry:

https://www.zevia.com/products/soda/black-cherry

upload_2019-11-12_13-4-2.png
 

Josh Steinberg

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Cherry Coke is the closest to a "real" cherry taste, regardless of how it was achieved. (Probably completely artificially).

I love me a cherry coke, but I’d consider that to be a cherry-flavored cola, and not a cherry soda.

I sometimes get some Izze soda. They call it sparkling fruit juice.

I do too, but it’s good stuff - I like the Apple flavor.

I miss Frank's Black Cherry Soda from when I Iived in the Philly area back in the mid '70s to mid '80s.

I have vague memories of that from
visiting my grandfather in PA in the 80s! Wow, blast from the past.

I’m hoping that Cheerwine and Faygo wind up in my sampler pack, which I think has been delivered now.

For those diabetic or just watching their sugar intake, there's Zevia Black Cherry:

I’ll look out for it! I’ve gone from being “no diet soda ever” to “if you’re in the mood for something and it’s there, go for it”
 

Pete York

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My grandmother used to have this brand when we went over to her house, White Rock. Superb black cherry and also had an excellent cream soda. Might have been strictly a NY thing?
 

Johnny Angell

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My grandmother used to have this brand when we went over to her house, White Rock. Superb black cherry and also had an excellent cream soda. Might have been strictly a NY thing?
White Rock, is that the one with a fairy kneeling on a rock over a pool of water? We had that brand in San Diego when I was growing up.
 

Rodney

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I don't think I ever tried a White Rock Black Cherry. I'll look for it at the grocery store and see if it is available around me.
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I'm partial to Boylan's Black Cherry. I'd be surprised if you haven't tried it, @Josh Steinberg.

black-cherry-3-416x295.jpg

Let us know how your tasting goes. I'll assume you will be using Stewart's as the baseline.
 

Josh Steinberg

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I’ve had Boylan’s but can’t remember what I’ve thought of it. I think I liked it.

My sample pack arrived but I’ve just had a busier than expected week. I can’t wait to get started. I practically hear the case calling my name... “Josh, it’s your friend Liquid Sugar... come play with us... forever and ever...”
 

Josh Steinberg

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It’s their Creamy Red Birch Beer that got me into this mess just now! And damn that stuff is great. Basically tastes like a cross between root beer and creme.
 

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