Most sodas in plastic bottles have refined sugar/sweeteners and are owned by Coca-Cola, Pepsi (owned by the world’s biggest user of palm oil) and Red Bull (which funds spinal injury tests on rats (having their backs crushed, then forced to climb stairs with their arms – some even have their heads cut off). A reason to support humane medical research.
natural tasty sodas from East London
Square Root is an East London soda brand, founded by two university friends (a biologist and a chemist) to create grownup flavours of popular sodas but all made locally with natural ingredients. Orders are sent in glass bottles in cardboard packaging, with free delivery over £25 and a speedy service on regular subscription orders.
This company is so obsessed with fruit that it measures their staff in lemons (the tallest member is 32.2 lemon tall!) The company is careful to source most fruit locally (it has a rhubarb from the Yorkshire triangle, strawberries from the same place as Wimbledon and also takes care to carefully source fruit not possible to grow in England – say from a known Sicilian farmer for its lemons).
You can also get discounts on regular orders by building up ‘pop points’ or refer a friend to earn £5 off your next order. If subscribing online, you can just order a box of your favourite flavour, or try the pick ‘n’ mix selection. The range (also in cans) sold includes:
Lemonade is a traditional drink popular in Victorian London, made with simple mix of lemons, carbonated water and sugar. Also as raspberry lemonade.
Lime & Lemongrass features fresh Persian limes and fragrance lemongrass, with British beet sugar.
Citrus Crush is an Italian-style blend of blood orange & pink grapefruit soda.
Ginger Beer features natural spicy flavours from four dark & light sugars blended with fresh squeezed lemon juice. With less sugar than most brands, store cans on their heads for best flavour.
Cola is more like the kind of traditional cola enjoyed in Victorian times, this one is made with raw cane sugar, organic essential oils plus fresh-squeezed lemon and lime juice.
Iced tea lemonade is a natural pick-me-up with 10 times more tea than the major brand. All it contains is tea, lemon, sugar and carbonated water. Sold in a ring-pull bottle.
Square Root mojito is a no-alcohol version of the popular rum Cuban drink, this one’s made with sundried limes, fresh lime sugar, kaffir lime leaf and raw cane sugar, along with a fresh mint cold syrup. Also in raspberry and passionfruit versions.
Nogroni is a popular spicy orange cocktail from Italy. This no-alcohol one (serve with an orange slice) features features sharp fruity flavours, made with steam-distilled fresh fruits (orange, blackcurrant, raspberry & grapefruit) alongside balsamic vinegar and quinine (not for pregnancy).
bubbly botanical sodas from Northumberland
Fentimans (Northumberland) makes botanically-brewed drinks in glass bottles or cans. Often sold in pubs, most contains a little ginger. The company also sells tonic waters (including a low-calorie version). Flavours include:
- Elderflower rose tonic
- Sparkling elderflower
- Victorian & raspberry lemonade
- Ginger beer & pink ginger
- Curiosity & cherry cola
- Dandelion & burdock
- Lemon shandy
sustainable sparkling sodas from Scotland
Rapscallion Soda (Scotland) is a unique team that make lovely sodas like dry lime, burnt lemon and ginga ninja. There’s even one based on the local dish of cranachan (raspberries and ‘cream’). Nearly all soft drinks are made with cheap commercial shortcut ingredients, but this company uses raw quality fruit and are naturally low in calories, due to the natural sweetness of the fruit. They are also sweetened naturally with a little raw cane sugar. Each year, they offer seasonal sodas (these change by availability due to the weather – it’s Scotland!) The seasonal flavours include rhubarb, blueberry, strawberry and cranachan (raspberries).
‘sodas with soul’ in pretty cans
We always hear about corporate business and big brands being unethical, but they’re boring! The whole point about local and artisan is that things are original and fun and quirky. Dalstons make ‘sodas with soul’ in pretty cans. Made with real fruit and ‘nothing weird’. Flavours include:
- Cherry
- Elderflower
- Rhubarb
- Lemon
- Peach
- Ginger beer
Campaigners want a deposit return scheme (similar to Germany) as soda bottles are among the most littered items, and break into microplastics and wash out to sea. England has around 41 items of litter per kilometre, with Coca-Cola, Red Bull and Lucozade bottles the common culprits for drinks. It’s thought the latter is due to runners throwing away bottles when finished. The company is not that ambitious, with commitment being ‘100% sustainable plastic bottles’ by 2030′.
a natural tasty cola (with good karma!)
Karma Drinks is a brand of cola that uses organic ingredients, and uses profits to help people in Sierra Leone to earn a living income. The cola uses easy-to-recognise ingredients like lemon and vanilla and stevia/sucrolose (for sugar-free). The company also offers raspberry ‘razza’ lemonade and orangeade.
2 billion cans of cola are consumed each day around the world. But the West African communities who discovered cola nuts, don’t make a penny. So Matt, Simon and Chris got to work on creating a social enterprise that lets people enjoy a can of cola, but also helped communities in Africa.