TO MEET · 06/26/2013
Sampling Dry Soda
Thanks to Dry Soda, you can abandon the thought that soda is some toxic beverage that’ll ruin your health. Made with only four ingredients (purified carbonated water, pure cane sugar, natural extract and phosphoric acid as a natural preservative), the seven flavor options are simply refreshing. Garth Purkett, Digital Marketing Manager, gave us the rundown on the company’s background and how we should be drinking our Dry Soda.
It all began when founder Sharelle Klaus was pregnant and discovered an absence of good beverages to pair with her food while out at dinner—she wanted something that wouldn’t overpower the taste of her food, and would be good for her. This longing brought her into the kitchen, where she began experimenting with beverage-making. After much time and taste testing, she crafted what had been missing from the fine restaurants and grocery stores. The soda is “dry” in the same way that wine is described—crisp, slightly sweet and refreshing.
If you ever take a trip to Seattle, you can pop into the Dry Soda headquarters for a tasting. They’ll pour you a champagne flute of each of their flavors, explaining exactly what it is that you’re tasting and what’s best to pair it with. Just as a teaser, here’s what we learned:
Blood Orange: start by smelling it—it’s light and fresh, as if you may have just picked one right off the tree. It’s a flavor that pairs well with Greek foods or light summer meals.
Juniper Berry: it’s their most subtle flavor, and one specifically associated with the Pacific Northwest. It’s a bit pine-y and enhances the flavor of gin in a G&T.
Wild Lime: obviously, mix this one with tequila. Drinking it alone is perfectly fine too!
Rhubarb: some people think it tastes like Sweet Tarts (and we have to agree). According to Garth, it pairs will “all of the best stuff,” meaning comfort foods like mac and cheese.
If there’s a food in particular you’re pining for, or alcohol you’re trying to use to whip up a cocktail, Dry even has a handy app! With food, you can select whatever you’re eating and it’ll tell you which soda is best to wash it down with. There’s also a mix feature—14 different recipes are featured for each soda, crafted by a variety of mixologists. Basically, the app will make you look like a food and drink pairing pro.
Note: we can already tell you that the cucumber soda pairs perfectly with any breakfast sandwich from Homegrown, one of Garth’s favorite spots in the city.
Garth is wearing the Beckett in Matte Black
Photos by Collin Hughes