Vanilla Honey Tea

         I wanna start out by apologizing  for taking such a long break from blogging but hey ya gotta remember I'm in high school AND college. So I wanted to bring it back with something nice and simple. A local favorite. Here in Phoenix we have a thing called Food Truck Friday down town, and this week my dad decided to take a trip on down to try out some of the food that my fellow bloggers have been raving about. While he was ordering his food from LunchaLibre he discovered they are famous for their vanilla and honey teas so he, being the amazing father he is, ordered one to go for me. When I finally got my hands on it it was warm but still delicious. It was a very mellow tea but it had a lot of complex undertones that really brought out the vanilla flavor, and while I'm not a huge honey fan, it was perfectly understated so you just get a hint of it, just enough to lightly sweeten it. I will definitely be getting this tea again (hopefully fresh and iced this time) and I will be trying all of their other teas in the near future. I would give this tea 80 bottle caps. It was delicious and it would be absolutely perfect on a hot Arizona summer day but not so much on a chiller winter day. If you get the chance to go out and try this tea I highly suggest doing so. Here is a link to their website and a clander to find out where they are going to be http://www.lunchalibreaz.com/index.html

Sorry I didn't get a picture of the tea this time but here is the food truck its self

A sea breeze

A sea breeze

Chai Tea Latte

     Hello my lovely readers! I have a bit of news I would like to share with you; most of you do not know that I happen to be a swimmer and an MMA fighter. Because of this I have been trying to reduce my soda intake in order to get back in shape for my up and coming swim season. I know. I know. I can hear you now " But you're the soda jerk how could you do this? What will ever happen to your amazing blog?" Well fear not! I will not be leaving you I will just be focusing on Teas, Coffees, Juices, and Smoothies more with the occasional soda thrown in. Now relax and stop crying so I can get on to reviewing the wonderful and homemade drink that you see above.

      So in support of my new soda reduction my wonderful father made Chai Tea Latte's for breakfast, and let me tell you  for something that he made without a recipe and just kinda threw together out of things he found in out pantry this drink is pretty good. Considering this morning was right around 100 degrees I was really expecting this drink to be to heavy for the weather but surprisingly enough this was perfect for the hot weather. It tasted kinda like a glass of horchata with out the heaviness and the rice. It had a great flavor and it was super cinnamonemeny (yes I'm aware that this is not a word). 

      I give this drink 79 bottle caps and defiantly plan on having my dad make it again! If you want to try it for you self here is the recipe:

Dime Store Soda Jerk's: Honey and Cinnamon Chai Tea Latte (Yields: 12 servings)

12 tea bags (black)                            

6 tsps cinnamon

6 cups water

12 tbsps vanilla

1 1/2 cups brown sugar (packed)

1/2 cup honey

1.) Boil tea bags in a pot until a strong tea has been formed

2.) Remove tea bags and stir in cinnamon until dissolved.

3.) remove from head and refrigerate while making the milk part.

4.) In same pan heat milk until near boiling and whisk in brown sugar and honey until sugar and honey are melted and a uniform liquid is formed.

5.) Pour milk mixture into a glass container 

6.) Pour tea back in to pan and then pour in to glass container as well (this is to get as much of the milk and honey mixture as possible)

7.) Stir. Pour over ice and enjoy!

Sandia agua

      So last night was my dad's birthday so for his birthday we decided to go out and try this new taco place we had been hearing about. When we got there the small dining room was packed with people and the wonderful smell of cooking meat and spices. The menu was very small but one thing in particular stood out to me. At the very bottom of the menu after all of the other drink options was the words "fresh fruit drinks $1.75" which of course stood out to me and I decided to test it out and just hoped that it was good. The only flavor they had left was watermelon which sounded promising and I was not disappointed!

      This drink went perfectly with the slightly dry tacos. You could just tell that this drink was freshly made and just slightly sweetened. It really was just like drinking a big slice of watermelon, perfect for the hot summer nights here in Arizona.

      If you are ever able to hit up Tacos Atoyca I urge you to get this drink along with some of there fabulos street tacos and quesadillas. Anyone that likes watermelon and highly freshing drinks should give this one a go. Also if you happen to be on a diet this is a perfect way to have a nice flavorful drink with out a bunch of calories and sugar. I give this drink 90 bottle caps and I am already planning on going back this weekend to try out some of their other flavors! 

You're Welcome

~Soda Jerk 

Pickle kiwi grape phosphate

So I was sitting at the bar when I commented to my soda jerk that Mac Alpine's is going to make me look soft because I can't seem to find anything on their menu that is bad. This set him on a mission.
He began by making me a pickle flavored soda which I liked (70 bottle caps) so he then made it a phosphate , which actually made it a LOT better (80 bottle caps) and since that again failed he added kiwi when made it slightly better (82 bottle caps) and finally he added grape to the mix which ultimately made it disgusting (30 bottle caps)

The Brady Bunch

I'm back at my favorite dime store and got another amazing drink called the Brady Bunch. It is cookie dough ice cream and butter scotch soda.

Sonic's Chocolate Dr. Pepper

      You're probably looking at this post and wondering why the heck I posted about Sonic, a place that is so common that almost every small town in America has one. Well that is exactly the point; one of my readers suggested that I should review a few drinks that are easier for most people to find and whats more common than sonic? 

      So I went over to Sonic this afternoon with a few other people and ordered my self a chocolate root beer. Well they messed up my order and gave me a Chocolate Dr. Pepper instead so I figured this would be a good opportunity to write a blog about something brand new to me.     It tastes like someone accidentally  poured a  Yoo-hoo in to a can of Dr. Pepper. And while I love Yoo-hoo and I love Dr. Pepper I don't love them together. The two flavors just didn't blend like I had hoped they would, it wasn't horrible but it wasn't very good. I don't think I would suggest this drink to anyone but I wouldn't discourage it either. But I do know that I wouldn't get it again unless it was on special or I was confidently given it again. 

      Over all I give this soda a rating of 39 bottle caps. If you're feeling adventurous go ahead and get one for fun just to see if you like it. If you do decide to take the risk let me know what you think about it!

You're Welcome,

~Soda Jerk

Rocket Burger and Subs

Yin Yang: The Tale of Two Drinks

      The final drink I got at d'lush was called the Yin Yang. I decided upon this drink because my "soda jerk" told me that the Yin Yang with a shot of espresso what her favorite drink on the menu. So me being me I decied to trust her suggestion and went with the Yin Yang and added a shot of espresso to it. With the shot of espresso the drink was... okay. It tasted like  a black and white from Starbucks but not as good. The espresso was a little  overpowering and it took over the drink. The chocolates where lost and over all it just wasn't very good. I finished drinking it because I had paid $5 for it but it just didn't do it for me. No one in my family liked it either, not even my coffee crazed step mom. With the coffee added to this drink it gets 40 bottle caps.

      Now here is the second part of this tale. I went back in to d'lush to get a refill on my Strawberry Kiwi Tea when my "Soda jerk" asked my how I liked it, when I told her I wasn't a fan she suggested I try it with out the coffee. So I gave her the benifit of the doubt and ordered a second one this time without the coffee. Let me tell you these are not the same drink! This time I could taste the diffrent layers of dark and light chocolate and the steamed milk kept the drink from getting to thick. The coffee free Yin Yang tasted like a frozen hot chocolate from serendipity 3. It was creamy and delicious. I would give this drink 72 bottle caps; I would go in and get this drink again but I would have to be in the mood for it. Out of all three drinks I got at D'lush this is probably my least favorite, but that is saying a lot considering how much I enjoyed this drink. If you happen to go in to D'lush and decide to try this drink let me know what you think in the comments section I love to here from you.

You're Welcome,

~Soda Jerk

      

Lemon Jello Shot

      Okay so I told you all about my adventures in Califorina but what I didn't tell you was that for the first time I was given special treatment because I was a blogger, and I'm not gonna lie it felt pretty dang awesome! I went in to D'lush for the second time to get a refill on my Strawberry green tea red bull and while I was waiting to get my drink my "Soda Jerk" offered to but me a special drink that wasn't even on their menu yet. Of course I accepted and so she ran out of the store to the convient store to specially buy me jello for this drink. She then came back and precided to add lemonade, ice and two jello cups (red and orange) to a blender and blended it all up. After giving her the worlds biggest tip I took a sip of this drink and fell in love with it!

       This drink is absolutely perfect! Its sour from the lemonade sweet from the jello and all around refreshing! Plus the jello gives the drink a nice texture that is almost like boba but with out that slimyness that boba has. In one swallow you will have the chewiness from the jello, the chill and slight crunch of the ice slush, and the refreshing liquid of the lemonade. This is a paridse of tastes and textures. I would with out a doubt give this drink 89 bottle caps it is the perfect drink to have during the summer time but not at all during the cold winter months. If you go to d'lush get one of these I promise you will not regret it. If you do please send me your oppions of this drink and even send in your own pictures of you enjoying the drink.

You're Welcome,

~Soda Jerk

Sun tea

If you have ever lived in the Sun Belt you know how hot it gets during the summer. You also know how nice it is to sit by the pool with a cold drink in your hand. Now some of you who have read my blog in the past might think that my drink of choice would be some strange thing that none of you have ever heard of before, but actually I love sun tea. Plain and simple old fashioned sun tea.

For those of you who might not know what sun tea is it is a tea made by using heat from the sun to steap the tea. Using the sun to steap the tea give the drink a nice mellow flavor, allows you more controll over how strong the tea gets, and it brings out a special flavor in the tea that you don't get by boiling the water on the stove. It is a very simple drink to make because all you need is water, tea bags of any flavor, and a glass container. There are people out there who will warn you about the dangers of sun tea and how it can lead to harmful bacteria to growing in the tea (for more information follow this Link) I have been making sun tea for years and I have never had a problem with it before.

Like I said before sun tea is a very mellow drink that is extreamly refreshing. sun tea has a very diffrent flavor to it than traditional iced tea. That almost bitter taste that is found in most teas is taken out by using this steaping process and it is naturally sweeter. Anyone who enjoys sweet tea or iced tea will love this drink. I give it 80 bottle caps because I love this drink and make it almost every few days during the summer as a healthier and cheaper alternitive to sodas.

You're Welcome

~Soda Jerk

P.S,

Just in case any of you where wondering here is the sun tea recipe I use.

http://tipnut.com/making-sun-tea/

Strawberry Kiwi tea

        So I've already told you about my trip to California and how I stumbled upon D'Lush but I never got to post the drinks I got there so I figured it was about time I did that. So here ya go.
        So the first thing I ordered was a red bull, with strawberry green tea, and icecream. When I went in I asked my "soda jerk" what the best thing on the menu was and this was what she suggested and I agree this sounded like a gross combination to me. But trust me, this is delicious. My dad who hates energy drinks loved this more than anyone else. It is something that I would drink in the summer hanging out by the pool relaxing. It get a fruity fruity flavor from the strawberries, it gets a little zing from the red bull and the green tea smooths it all out. Also I forgot to mention the best part! Refills are $1.00 if you bring your cup back for this drink.
       I would highly recommend this to anyone who needs a little bit of energy but hates the taste of coffee and energy drinks. Over this drink gets 85bottle caps. It was really good and I am already planing on going back next time I'm in california. If you happen to be In California and decide to visit this place leave me a comment and let me know what you think of it.

You're welcome,
Soda Jerk

Mac Alpine's soda fountain

My Soda Jerk

So last week I found this retro dime store soda shop in down town Phoenix and instantly fell In love with it. This place is everything that you would expect from a 1950's soda shop. They make your sodas from scratch right in front of you and the soda jerks are so kinda (anyone else find the irony in That?) but besides the service the drinks here are amazing and I will be posting my drink recomidations very soon so stay tuned boys and girls!

You're welcome,

~Soda Jerk

Sprecfier Strawberry Soda

    Have you ever drank something that tasted exactly like it was supposted to? You how when you drink a fruit soda it always has an artifical quality to it? How it just doesn't taste like the fruit they say it is going to taste like? Well I promise you this soda is 100% diffrent than anyother soda you have ever tried.

      As soon as you open this soda you just smell strawberries. This soda smells like real fresh strawberries that you go out in to the field to pick in the summer time, and wow this soda really does taste like strawberries! I was blown away by how delicious this soda was! Everyone in my family agrees that this is the most realistic fruit soda that they had ever tried. The soda is nice and smooth with just a little bit of carbonation to really enhance the flavor. I loved this soda and highly recommend this to anyone who likes strawberries as much as I do. I promise you won't regret trying this and if you do feel free to tell me about it in the comments section of this blog!

      I didn't pick this soda out because I thought it would be just another run of the mill strawberry soda but luckily my dad, who loves fruit soda, picked this up while we where at one of my favorite soda stores Rocket Fizz. I am sure glad he picked this up though this is now one of my favorite sodas to drink on a hot summers afternoon while sitting by the pool. 

      Over all I would have to give this soda the honor of being the first to enter the prestigious ranks of the 90's section of the rating scale with a 95. My whole family plans on getting this soda again and my dad has been telling his coworkers about how great it was. I can't tell you readers enough to go and try this soda!

You're Welcome

~ Soda Jerk

Happy Easter to all!

Looks like the "Easter Bunny" is trying to support the blog!

D'lush deluxe beverage joint

Hey guys if you ever find your self at Hollywood and Highland in Cali you need to check this place out.
The drinks here are amazing and are fairly priced for a higher end drink place around $6 a drink and for tea and coffee drinks refills are $1 all day with your cup.
You literally watch them blend the fresh fruit, ice, juices, and your other ingredients right in front of you. And the customer service is amazing. My "soda jerk" Kelsey was super nice and did a really good job of taking care of me. And she even made me a special drink that's not even on the menu yet.
I highly recommend going here. If you're anywhere in the area. I promise you won't regret it. And if you happen to get a red headed girl named Kelsey make sure to tell her Dimestoresodajerk says "hi"

You're Welcome,

~Soda Jerk

The Pin Trader Sundae

      Alright so ice cream isn't technically a drink but hey it tasted really good and came in a glass so that's close enough for me! I got this at Disney's Soda Fountain and Studio Store located in Hollywood California. This is the pin traders sundae; it comes with vanilla ice cream, delicious hot fudge, marshmallow fluff, whip cream, sprinkles, and a cherry to top it all off. 

      The hot fudge was so good I can hardly begin to describe its magnificence. It is the fudge that every other fudge strives to be. It was so thick and chocolaty that everyone in my family was literally fighting over it. The ice cream was just regular Dryers ice cream so there was nothing special about it . On the other hand the marshmallow fluff had my sister licking the outside of the glass in order to get all of it. 

      Over all I would give this 59 bottle caps. It was good the fudge was awesome but the only reason that I would spend the money on it again would be to get the special edition pin that comes with it, which was the best part of the sundae. Stop in and get one if your in the mood for a mediocre sundae with amazing fudge and let me know what you think!

You're Welcome,

~Soda Jerk

DisneyLand showing a love for soda

      I'm naming this the official dimestoresodajerk pin. So If your in Disneyland pick one up to show off your love.


Youre Welcome

~Soda Jerk

Pineapple whip float

      Alright guys so this week I Ditched school and took a vacation to California with my family and one of our stops was Disneyland. While I was there I stopped by the little pineapple stand out side of the tiki room and discovered this yummy treat. It's pineapple soft serve in pineapple juice..
If you like pineapple you will love this. It tastes like a pineapple had an orgasm in your mouth. The ice cream is the perfect balance of the creamy vanilla flavor and the acid of the pineapple. And then its the straight pineapple juice that adds the little extra bit of refreshment you need on a hot day at Disney.Everyone in my family really enjoyed this drink and we all agreed that we would get another one the next day.
I would have to give this a 77 on the rating scale. It was really good and we all liked it but in all honesty the ice cream would have been better on its own with our the pineapple juice and I just couldn't get over the fact that they would have been better separately. Over all I would suggest this to all you readers who love pineapple.

You're Welcome,

~Soda Jerk

Amazing food and drinks at the farmers market!

      While on vacation a couple of years ago my dad and I found this place in down town Los Angles and if you're anything like me you will love the fresh made organic drinks that are being served up everywhere you turn. Every vendor has something new and  different for you to try and all of the vendors have a grade A health rating. There is food and drinks from almost any country you can name and they are all uniquely diffrent. No matter what your taste is I can promise you that will find something that you like.

       This is truly a place that only a select few and the locals know about but don't let that intimidate you. All of the vendor here are extremely kind and helpful to those who might not know the ropes quite yet. I would highly suggest this place to anyone heading to LA. I give this place

Something seems off to me...

We all know how much I love to play pretend so play along with me. I'm on the board walk in the morning trying to find breakfast before my sisters cheer competition and come a crossed a little funnel cake and coffee shop. Order my meal and decide to get a mango lemonade when suddenly I see this. Not Sure if I want brown lemonade:p

You're Welcome
~Soda Jerk

Taylor's Tonics Gingerbread House sparkler

      Take a trip with me readers, its Christmas time, there's a thick layer of snow outside your window and your grandma is in the kitchen making gingerbread cookies. The smell wafts through the house and sends you floating through the air to the kitchen like a character in one of those old cartoons. For many of you this is probably similar to your favorite childhood memories and if you are looking to recapture that childhood memory through the taste of a soda this is NOT the soda for you. I repeat, DO NOT DRINK THIS SODA. Never in my life have I ever tasted something as revolting as this soda. The taste of this is so strong and overpowering that it gave me a horrible headache. There is just to much happening in this soda for it to be enjoyable. It does taste like a piece of gingerbread which is the goal of the soda damn it is just to much, I don't think I can say that enough.

      I despise this soda. There is no way you could get me to drink this ever again without throwing huge sums of money at me or paying for my college tuition. I couldn't stand to take more than four sips of this and even that left me with a headache and an up set stomach. This is a soda that I would suggest giving to your evil swim coach or your horrible history teacher as a gift, you only want to give this soda to people  you don't like. And even then it might be a little extreme! All though they might enjoy the bottle I know I did! Heck its the whole reason I bought it, and trust me I learned my lesson about not judging a book by its cover!

      While I think this goes with out saying my overall rating of this soda is 1 bottle cap. The soda was horrible and, according to my dad who also tried the soda, the best part of the soda was my face when I first tried it. I'm warning you, don't try this. Just take my word for it. I took one for the team here and this is your warning unless you like being sick just don't do it.

You're Welcome.

~Soda Jerk

The Rating Scale.

      Alright readers help me out with something real quick will ya? Pretend that your looking for a review of something, say a video game, and you go to look at what it was rated and it says a 4/5 which gets you excited that it got a decent rating but then you realize that EVERY game has a 4/5 rating because the person running the site thinks all of the games are "good". Well yeah they might be good but is one of those games a little better than the others? You'll never know unless you buy the game which leaves you just as clueless as you where before the review only now your down half and hour and are more frustrated.

      I'm sure you're wondering what this has to do with soda right? Well I have had this exact situation happen to me more than once and it is one of my biggest issues when it comes to review blogs. So in order to avoid this on my blog I have come up with a 1-100 bottle cap rating system. Its very simple and it makes ranking and understanding the ranks much easier for you and me. 

      

The Scale:

0-20 bottle caps: This means that the drink is absolutely horrible and I couldn't even bring my self to finish it because it was so bad. If a drink gets this rating it means that I had to throw it away after a few sips and had to get another soda just to get the taste out of my mouth. This would be a 1 on a 1 out of 5 scale

21-40 bottle caps: This means that the drink was just plain bad. I finished the soda but I didn't enjoy it. I wouldn't get this soda ever again and wouldn't suggest it to anyone I liked. This would be a 2 on a 1 out of 5 scale.

41-60 bottle caps: This means that the drink was alright. It didn't blow me away but it didn't disgust me either. This soda wouldn't be my first choice of drink but I would drink it if it was the only option or I was really really in the mood for whatever the flavor is. I might suggest this drink to someone if I knew that they where into that type of flavor or drink. This would be a 3 on a 1 out of 5 scale.

61-80 bottle caps: This means that the drink is good. It made its impression on me and I thoroughly liked it. I would most likely get another one of these sodas in the future and i would suggest this soda to my friends, family, and yes even you the reader. This would be a 4 on a 1 out of 5 scale.

81-100 bottle caps: This means that this drink blew me away! If a soda gets this rating it means that I died a little bit on the inside when I finished the drink and wanted to go back and get another one. This is the soda I would call you about at 3am. This would be a 5 on a 5 out of 5 scale.

      Lets play another game real quick alright? Lets say I get there sodas, Sodas A, B, and C. All of these sodas where good so they would fit in the 61-80 bottle cap range, but soda B was better than A and A was better than C. In a case like this The ratings would be soda B is 80, soda A is 75 and soda C is 63. Which means that the sodas will get an initial rating over all and then they will get a rating in there individual category. If you don't get it now you will in time. Trust me.

You're Welcome

~Soda Jerk 

Brain Wash soda

   

      Don't you just love the feeling of getting punched it the mouth! Yeah none of us do, unless it comes from a drink. Brain Wash definitely gives you a pleasant shock when you drink it. It has a so sour its sweet taste to it and it reminds me of a red smartie. The flavor of it is so wonderfully strong that if you planned on eating something with it I would only suggest drinking it with something that also has a strong flavor as well. 

      While I did enjoy this drink quite a bit I wouldn't say I was blown away by it and i don't think I would get it again simply because it wasn't everything I thought it would be. And it left me feeling jittery for hours after I drank it even though it is not an energy drink. Also I didn't like the fact that it turned my lips and skin a bright red color but the bottle does say "Better red than dead". The best part of this soda was the bottle which is covered in "subliminal messages" about how there soda will, "Get rid of all the garbage they've been dumping in your mind" and any soda that says it can get rid of all the stuff I crammed in my head for finals is worth a shot!

      My over all rating of this soda is a respectable 55. The soda is good but I don't think I would get it again unless it was my only option. Unfortunately I can't say that this soda has brain washed me in to becoming  a fan.

You're Welcome.

~ Soda Jerk

Welcome to your local Dime Store, I will be your Soda Jerk.

Have you ever had a drink that was so unbelievably awful that you where convinced that whoever makes it is only doing it as a cruel joke on the unsuspecting public and after you take that initial sip you realize that the guy next to you is laughing his ass off because he knew just how awful the drink was and he was just waiting there for some poor sap like you to come along and try to drink the damn thing? Or have you had a drink so freaking amazing that at 3:00am you had to get on the phone with everyone that you knew just to tell them that they have to go out right then to get it? Well if you haven't I have, and because of that experience I decided I would become the unofficial tour guide for the confusing world of soda. I will try anything and everything, from the normal and plain, to the gross out sodas, to the "who the hell came up with this?!" sodas.

I'm going to keep my ratings very simple for those of you who might have a difficult time following the more complex stuff. I'm gonna give you a description of the taste and texture of the drink, what I thought of it, why I chose the soda, and finally the over all rating of the soda. Nice and simple.

 Your welcome.

~The Soda Jerk