2019 is already looking like a great year for soda, which is also great news for our Soda Blog! With Orange Vanilla Coke taking root after a strong March Madness marketing blitz, and Mountain Dew looking to get crazy again this summer, I’m thinking there’s one more fizzy wildcard out there that could put us over the top. Sprite has taken it upon themselves to heed the call to action, and have somewhat quietly released a new flavor on the market at the beginning of spring. While I was out buying greeting cards for my ever-growing extended family, I came across something new and rather peculiar at my local Rite Aid…
Sprite Lymonade <right click, add to MS Word dictionary> is taking the famous lemon-lime soda and adding something new…uhh, more lemon, I guess? Adding 1% lemon juice to the time-tested Sprite formula certainly isn’t their boldest experiment, but not everything has to be a full frontal SODA BLASTING SHAKE UP IN YOUR FACE! In the end, all that matters is that it just has to taste good. Sprite and I have a weird history, probably a history that many people like me (God help us) can also relate to. As a kid, I always wanted soda, but for whatever reason caffeine was regarded as the enemy of the household by my parents. Sprite, however, was always granted near babysitter status as the 41 grams of sugar absolutely had no effect on my soft, squishy, developing brain. After drinking so much Sprite as a kid, I seldom drink the stuff after reaching the appropriate age when I could make my own soft drink decisions.
The quiet arrival of Lymonade was one that took me by surprise. I couldn’t wait around or develop some crazy experiment to mix it with engine coolant in an attempt to mimic a family member’s cure all tonic from the 1850’s. A simple, basic taste test will do America’s Favorite Soda Blog(tm) just fine. Original recipe Sprite is known for its extra carbonation, to the point of being uncomfortable to some drinkers. I’m not sure about how Lymonade would scientifically compare, but the addition of lemon juice smooths out the taste, obviously giving the citrus a more prominent place in the flavor profile. Lymonade goes down smooth, and is far less intrusive than I imagined it would be.
Hmm, as I sip it even gives false notes of other citrus fruits. There’s no way that grapefruit flavor is involved, but I’m convinced that’s what I tasted after about half way through the bottle. It’s probably a weird self-inflicted mind trick thanks to similarity in the labels, but Lymonade definitely reminds me of another soda from my childhood…
Citra, if you don’t remember, was on the soft drink market for about 7 minutes at the end of the 20th century. The “Fresca for the cool kids” idea marketed with X-Games style snowboarders and MTV Reality Show product placement was a consumerist metaphor for late 90’s America. Lymonade tastes the way Citra SHOULD have tasted. It’s a comparison that’s all in my head, but deep down, I know Coca-Cola did this to try and trick me. –sigh- I wish we could have one soda blog post where corporate espionage and mind control weren’t involved…but that’s what happens when you’re already through the looking glass.
Verdict: Sprite Lymonade is a refreshing twist on the tired lemon-lime soda market, and it’s a unique flavor that could get me back in the good graces of the caffeine-free wing of the Coca-Cola Empire. With a smoother than expected taste, any soda drinking occasion will be suitable for this one. A nice big bag of pretzels, a bottle of this stuff and I could waste many a Saturday pigging out on the couch with this combo. Drink it by itself, have it with a snack, or I could just pour it in a wine glass to feel like a millionaire.
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