500 Flavours of Soda
This is sweet. The story of Galco’s Soda Pop Stop, Los Angeles.
I think I’ll skip the Sweet Blossom Rose Petal Soda and the Plantation Style Mint Julep, and the Cucumber Soda doesn’t really appeal beyond its curiosity. Though I am quite tempted by Bundaberg’s Ginger Beer. If you’re intrigued, visit Galco’s online store.
Via Coudal.
And they do a kosher line too…
http://www.sodapopstop.com/products/browse.cfm?link=25
Cool, they’ve got Dr. Brown’s Cel-Ray. Think it sounds weird? Try it with a reuben. You will be enlightened. S. J. Perelman was a fan, and when it came to corned beef, Perelman was all business.
I’m kinda sorry I never stumbled upon this place when I lived in LA–thanks for the video.
I’ve been there a couple of times. I’m a root beer nut and they have a huge selection you can’t find anywhere else. They carry Green River, which a friend of mine from the Midwest really liked. I’ve tried the Extra-hot Ginger Soda. It does have a kick, but it’s very tolerable if you like horseradish or chile peppers.
Bundaberg Ginger Beer (and the Lemon and Lime) is available in the UK, I buy it regularly from the local Waitrose, and I’ve seen it in a few deli’s and sandwich shops in East London. It is my soft drink of choice.
Alvin,
Ah, thanks. I may have to investigate. My current vice is Fever-Tree’s Ginger Beer.
http://imbibemagazine.blogspot.com/2009/06/drink-of-week-fever-tree-ginger-beer.html
Wasn’t sassafras banned because it causes cancer?
Newbie,
It’s still available, but the extract has to be safrole-free:
“Safrole, and sassafras not certified as safrole-free, have been banned in the United States as food additives or flavouring agents by the FDA since 1976 due to safrole’s designation as a carcinogen. Sassafras leaves do not contain sufficient amounts of safrole to be covered by the FDA ban.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safrole
And I just discovered this:
“Safrole is commonly used by clandestine laboratories to synthesize various hallucinogenic drugs such as MDA (3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine), MDMA (Ecstasy), and MDEA (Love). For this reason, the sale of safrole and sassafras oil is monitored by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sassafras_albidum
Ah, it does my heart good to know that Australian products like Bundaberg Ginger Beer are being tasted over the world.
Now if we could only do the same for this fine icecream:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv-2Z1qrrHs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Pq8TFptKR4
Dammit, I wanted to try “Jeff’s New York Coffee Egg Cream Soda”.
http://www.sodapopstop.com/products/detail.cfm?link=83
Besides Galco’s, Bundaberg Ginger Beer is available at Beverages & More outlets here in SoCal. It is most excellent.
In fact, this post reminded me that I still have one left in the fridge. Yum.