POP OF THE DAY: Jones Cream Soda

Category: Cream Soda
Ratings (out of 5)
Taste: 3
Fizziness Factor: 3
Bottle/Can Design: 4
Availability: 4

Okay, so it took me a while to get over the All-Soda Thanksgiving Dinner, but now, 'tis the season for redemption. People the world over are gearing up to celebrate the birth of Jesus, Rocky Balboa is back in a cinema near you, Miss USA got a Get Out of Underage Drinking Free card, and I've let Jones Soda back into my life despite the fact that I still tremble a little when I think about turkey soda.

Unlike that abomination against carbonation, Jones Cream Soda tastes like something clearly definable: cotton candy dribbled with vanilla extract. Is that good or bad? It was good for the first six ounces or so, but after that the sweetness became overwhelming. I did like the fact that the photos on the bottles were taken by Starbucks employees. Mine had a simple black-and-white portrait of a baby, which I'm taking as a harbinger of the rebirth of my love for soda. (Total Score 14/20)

Suggested Food Pairings: A hot dog and fries

POP OF THE DAY: Virgil's Cream Soda

Category: Cream Soda
Ratings (out of 5)
Taste: 2
Fizziness Factor: 3
Bottle/Can Design: 4
Availability: 2

Tasting Notes: Like a 36-year-old man meeting his 18-year-old girlfriend's parents for the first time, the Virgil's Cream Soda bottle says all the right things: "microbrewed with real vanilla beans," "made naturally for the cream soda conoisseur," and a list of ingredients that are "unbleached," and "purified." But the bottle also features a picture of that man in all his faux-gentle creepiness: black-eyed, bearded, and wearing a camoflage jacket, he serves a tray of what appears to be Bud Light to two kids seated on top of a mountain. I guess this is supposed to tie in with the devastatingly catchy slogan, "Using Natural Ingredients, We Brew a Cream Soda So Pure, So Rich and Creamy, You'll Swear It's Made in Heaven," but in retrospect I should have know that something was askew with Virgil's.

My first whiff of it, though, was awesome. It smelled like rich molasses and vanilla, and the first sip had a creamy, caramelly taste that actually made me say, "Wow," out loud. As I progressed through the bottle, however, the richness faded and was replaced by an overpowering, almost fruity sweetness that I finally recognized as the taste of sugarcane—too sweet even for me, a guy who considers "sugar shots" a viable part of the restaurant experience. My advice to Virgil? Change that slogan to "Using Natural Ingredients And a Dash of Red Food Coloring Left Over From Valentine's Day, We've Made The First Soda for Hummingbirds." (Total Score 11/20)

Suggested Food Pairings: Barbecued beef brisket, Altoids