Her Royal Highness's Choice of Soda

Did you know that many royal families officially endorse products.  There's great debate on this subject, because many people assume that the royal family involved actually produces most products they endorse and profit from it.  So that's basically these families using the status that the state gives them as a promotional tool to make them money.  I frankly don't really care that much about that.  What I always wonder is how these particular royals actually feel about the product.  Does the Queen of Finland actually eat the chocolates she endorses, does the princess in Sweden actually eat the cakes named for her?  Most importantly, does the Queen of England actually drink this soda pop?

While shopping at our local grocery store the other day (in Greece strangely enough), Allison and I came across Britvic soda.  According to the can this drink is made "by appointment to H M Queen Elizabeth II".  So if I ever pay a visit to Buckingham Palace (like that's ever going to happen), is this the soda I get to drink?

It's a good thing I sampled a few of these because the flavour is fairly surprising.  The Bitter Lemon, is actually fairly bitter.  I enjoyed this a lot, even though it only offered a small 150 ml taste.  It's nice to occasionally drink something that isn't super sweet and sticky.

The Ginger Ale on the other hand is, as it says, spicy, not hot but spicy.  I'm not a big fan of spicy drinks, so I didn't really care for it as much as the lemon.  I'm not sure if Ginger Ale was originally spicy when it was invented, so I'm not sure if this is more authentic or not.  If any member of the British royal family is reading this, please let me know if you actually drink this stuff.

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How You Know You're In Chocolate Heaven

If you ever needed proof that Belgium really is the chocolate capital of the world, I have it for you here.  Above is a photograph of a Cote D'Or Dessert 58 bar (that's a high quality treat) and a can of Canada Dry Ginger Ale.  Both purchased from the same store, and both tasted fantastic.  Now here's the amazing part:

The Canada Dry cost 85 cents, a slightly more expensive price for a drink, but not extreme.  The Cote D'or cost 69 cents, a very low price for such a high quality bar.  I have never in my life seen a fine, high quality, chocolate bar go for less than a can of Ginger Ale.  Belgium has their priorities in order I tell you.

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Home Made Ginger Ale

Boing Boing editor Mark Frauenfelder has posted what looks like an actual simple recipe to make your own ginger ale at home. This is one of my favorite pops and this recipe looks easy enough that I think I may give it a try.

Click here to read the recipe.

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