B is for Black Cherry Soda

We all have weaknesses and mine is for black cherry soda. Even after I've given up most other sodas, I'll still happily crack a bottle of black cherry whenever the opportunity arises. I have standards, though--it has to be in a glass bottle and preferably from a regional manufacturer. Even flavored water has a taste of place.

Years ago my dad and I created a ratings system for these sodas. It wasn't confined to black cherry--we'd also buy bottles of Nehi Peach, Moxie, KaPow!, and others--but if black cherry was available and we hadn't tried it before, that was the first choice. The empty bottles lined the shelves in the laundry room like trophies. The tops of the cabinets were lined with old beer cans, mementos of my dad's previous tasting adventures. A few still had beer in them for reasons that were always unclear to me. Beer doesn't get better with age, dad. Especially if that beer is from the late 1960s.

The ratings were taped to the inside of the pantry door. It was a check, check minus or plus system. Some got a double plus. None were terrible but some were definitely superior. One of the best was on tap at The Pyramid Ale House in Seattle. Fresh, rich and delicious.

One year we bought the Jones Soda Thanksgiving pack. Filled with sodas tasting of green beans, mashed potatoes, and turkey gravy, it was disgusting and fascinating all at once. Turkey was just as disgusting as it sounded, though, the corn was oddly delicious. 

The ratings system is still on, even though I've moved away. I've also branched out to other things, keeping lists of beers, whiskeys, bourbons, and tequilas with my fiance. We don't keep the bottles and cans like my dad, but the legacy of lists lives on.