Sustainable Fizzy Soda Drinks (some better brands!)
Many soda drinks on sale (as well as being in plastic bottles) are made with artificial sweeteners and flavourings, and don’t even taste nice). Although water is the drink of choice, if you fancy a fizzy pop, here are some better brands.
Check medication before consuming rhubarb or grapefruit (avoid hibiscus and caffeine for pregnancy/nursing). Also read about organic and fair trade colas.
Most sodas are sold in glass bottles or aluminium cans (easily recycled, which saves up to 95% on making new aluminium, which then does not have to be mined). You could even set up a community aluminium can and foil recycling scheme, and raise money for community projects, by selling the cans back to industry.
Before recycling, pop ring-pulls back over holes (and pinch or flatten top) to stop wildlife getting trapped. Give cans a quick rinse beforehand to remove sugary scents (nutmeg in cola and spiced apple is toxic also to birds, wildlife and pets).
Steep Soda Co (a natural brand from Manchester)
Steep Soda Co is a natural brand of fizzy pop. These drinks are made with fruits from small family farms, both in the UK and on the Mediterranean coast, to support fellow artisans and keep ‘soda miles low’. The range includes:
- Lime & cucumber (lime juice and zest, with cucumber and mint). Tastes like a no-alcohol mojito.
- Ginger Beer (made with Chinese root ginger and lemon)
- Lemonade (also in a pink hibiscus lemonade – a tangy flower that tastes a bit like cranberry or pomegranate).
- Caffeine-free cola (with fresh limes and organic essential oils of coriander, lavender and nutmeg. The brand says this flavour tastes like old-fashioned childhood cola cubes. also in a sugar-free version (sweetened with stevia).
There is also a range of seasonal sodas:
- Rhubarb (blended with lemon)
- Spiced apple (a mix of seasonal local apples, with cinnamon sticks, cloves and ground nutmeg). You can enjoy this warmed for winter nights.
- Orange and blood orange (from the finest Sicilian fruits)
Dalston’s Sodas (bold flavours with fruits)
Dalston’s Soda Co was founded by a chef who did not like sugary soft drinks, so started experimenting in a kitchen in an East London nightclub. Each can is just 50 calories.
Everything is sustainably-sourced (elderflowers hand-picked from a farm in Ross-on-Wye). Pineapples are sourced from sustainable farms in Costa Rica. Flavours include:
- Peach
- Elderflower
- Rhubarb
- Lemon
- Ginger Beer
- Pineapple
- Cherry
No added sugar or sweeteners, nothing artificial, nothing you can’t pronounce. Unless you can’t pronounce Rhubarb, but that’s really on your parents.
Karma Drinks (fair trade and organic, sold everywhere)
Karma Drinks sell organic sodas in glass bottles or cans, sweetened with natural cane sugar. Flavours include:
- Cherry soda
- Gingerella Ale
- Lemonade (and raspberry lemonade)
- Orangeade
- Tropikool!
Quenched Drinks Sodas (not too sweet!)
Quenched Drinks offers three lovely sodas, made with natural ingredients and not too sweet. Choose from:
- Blackcurrant soda
- Orange soda
- Lime soda
Rapscallion Soda (unique flavours from Scotland)
Rapscallion Soda is a Scottish artisan soda brand, which offers seasonal drink options, so you never now what you’re going to get. The unique flavours include:
- Blueberry
- Apple pie
- Cranachan (raspberry cream)
Nuisance Drinks (botanical foraged ingredients)
Nuisance Drinks offers botanical drinks made with foraged ingredients. Handmade in small batches, choose from:
- Nettle & elderflower
- Rhubarb & ginger
- Pink grapefruit & basil
- Bramble & rosemary
- Mint, cucumber & chilli
A portion of profits are given to a charity that helps pollination. If you forage for wild food, leave some for wildlife and never remove ‘baby alligators’ on nettles, as these are ladybirds not ready to fly off. Read more on ethical foraging.
