Tropicana Coco Quench

I've tried a few coconut juice products in tetra brik, and I think that Tropicana Coco Quench is one of the better-tasting brands in the market.  I didn't find any lingering taste of preservatives, although I understand that the product uses sodium bisulfate.  I don't know what process was used to keep the juice in aseptic conditions; I wonder about it, because pasteurization and filtration sometimes affect the taste of the juice.  I found a one-liter pack in 7-11, and it cost around P80.  The product was brought to market by Pespi-Cola Philippines, and given their massive marketing reach, I am sure this product will be available all over the world, and that the only restraint on production will be the volume of available coconuts to break open!

Vita Coco

This new product was introduced to me by Becca, and is a coconut water in a tetra brik.  Technology nowadays is simply amazing, and beverage preservation techniques are also in abundance.  I understand that coconut water has a very short shelf life--if you will note, coconut water beverages packed in PET bottles like Lipa are always kept in 3-4 degrees centigrade, and even then, the shelf life is only a few days tops.  I think that there must be some method of screening out the bacteria that starts the fermentation process, and that Vita Coco has been able to do so, by either pasteurization or filtration.  As with the canned brands, however, the taste of the coconut water is not nearly the same as fresh buko juice--I still rank near-frozen bottled buko juice as the best tasting commercially available one.  The canned and the tetra brik brands, however, make buko juice available anywhere, anytime.  It's a trade-off, I guess.

Zagu

The milk tea craze that has exploded in Metro Manila probably started off with the pearl shake drinks in the late nineties.  I remember buying some raw sago and flavor powder with the intent on making the drinks at home, but the length of boiling time for the sago made the endeavor a total waste of time and LPG!  When it was obvious that the lesser known brands of pearl shake stores would fold up, it was also apparent that the only survivor of the pearl shake rivals would be Zagu, which, up to today, still generates a lot of sales despite the mushrooming of up and coming tea stores like Bubbly Tea, Infinitea and Serenitea.  When we visited Cash & Carry Supermarket, Monique and the Callars got their favorite Zagu drinks at around P50 each, which was much cheaper than the drinks at the newly established tea stores.  I'm not much of a fan though, as these drinks carry a lot of sugar and I just can't seem to shake off the excess pounds!  The kids, however, just love it.

Dr Pepper

Dr Pepper.  It's not a fruit drink, it's not root-beer, it's not cola.  It's something like cola but not quite.  I can't explain the taste of this carbonated drink.  I like it though.  You just have to try it yourself!  This brand of soda pop has been around since 1885, and both Pepsi-Cola and Coca-Cola have taken turns manufacturing this (I think the company is now connected with the manufacturers of Snapple Juice).  The company says it's a pepper based carbonated drink but seriously, I don't sense any pepper...try it and go figure out what it tastes like!

Roots Ginger Brew

Last week was a milestone of sorts for Bloom, and in order to celebrate the occasion, I popped in a 7-11 shop to pick-up a drink.  I found Roots, which is an Ozzie-inspired version of ginger brew (locally referred to as salabat).  I usually take salabat hot (this is particularly soothing when one has a bad case of sore throat), but this version is served cold and is also carbonated.  Tastes just like salabat!  It may not be as refreshing as other sodas, but for me, it's not bad at all!

Buko ni Fruitas

Buko ni Frutas is practically in all major malls aound the metro.  Established sometime in 2005, the stall serves fresh fruit shakes, buko salad, and my favorite--plain buko juice!  One large glass is sold for P45 and whenever I pass the stall, I won't fail to buy some--quite refreshing, and healthy for the kidneys!

Lipa

It seems to me that the buko juice craze is everywhere... Or is it just because I look for buko juice that I have that impression?  I was in Makati earlier today, and I came across an old favorite, Lipa brand of buko juice.  This is one of the first bottled brands that I came across, and I like it because it has no preservatives, and the taste of the juice is very natural, with no added sweeteners.  Shelf life, however, is limited to 3-4 days, and I understand that Lipa is constantly chilled to 4 degrees centigrade (lots of ice and refrigerated delivery trucks involved, I would suppose) in order to keep the juice fresh.  Retails at P45 for a bottle of 500 ml.  Very refreshing on a warm day!

La Natural

Buko (young coconut) juice is one drink that I am absolutely crazy about.  Every chance I get, I don't hesitate to buy some for immediate consumption.  Aside from the wonderful taste, the supposed health benefits are plenty--the lauric acid in the juice is supposed to invigorate body cells, and the kidney-cleansing properties of the juice have been thoroughly researched.  I walked into a convenience store last night and found that a local company has started marketing a canned version of the product under the brand name La Natural, which is under the umbrella of the AgriNurture group.  Up till now, buko juice has been sold retail in plastic bottles requiring a constant temperature of 3-4 degrees centigrade (otherwise the juice turns into coconut vinegar).  The canning technology sure has some upsides, as the juice stays fresh for a longer shelf life.  At P31 per can, this to me represents a good alternative to sodas, soft drinks and other artificial juices. The taste isn't exactly the same as that coming straight from the coconut, and I would assume that the some preservatives have been added to maintain freshness.  Nevertheless, it's the availability I'm after--this does wonders, and for me is a better alternative to sports drinks and energy concoctions (taurine drinks).

Martini Asti Spumante

We found an old bottle of Martini Asti Spumante at the main house, and we had the pleasure of finishing the nicely-chilled bottle with Kong, Gwammy, Anita and Tony.  I've always liked this sweet tasting sparkling wine; brings back so much memories of youth--one of the first sparkling wines that we would drink on a regular basis!

Louie's Buko

Went around SM Manila with Becca over the weekend, and we spent some time looking at the winter clothes for Ryan on the basement floor.  I came across Louie's Buko and being the buko (young coconut) freak that I am, I just had to buy the biggest glass they had (P45).  That was absolutely fantastic--they chill the buko juice to near freezing levels, and the taste is quite refreshing!  No sugar added, just plain buko juice with a minimal amount of buko meat.  I got the buko juice craving during our younger days, vacationing in Dumaguete, where buko is so abundant and easily available.  I've been a fan every since--summertime, here we come!

The Balvenie

Vicky and I enjoy good Scotch Whisky.  The best one that I have tried is the Balvenie, a hand-crafted single malt whisky that smells so vanilla-like and tastes heavenly!  This drink was introduced to me by my friend Irving, and while I have tried to look for it in local wineshops, I haven't seen this locally; probably available by order though.  Whether you take a sip or swig, the scent and the taste lingers for around 20 seconds--oh yes, this one drives me crazy!  Love it!

Arizona Green Tea

Vicky brought home a refreshing bottle of Arizona green tea brewed in New York.  This is a pretty interesting product; I understand that this is the top-selling bottled green tea in the United States and is endorsed by Arnold Palmer, the golfing legend himself.  Now I imagined Arizona to be the setting for many a cowboy western tale, but interestingly enough, the bottle packaging is very oriental, Japanese to be exact!  Yes, fittingly so, as green tea is essentially a Japanese concoction!  This green tea is made with ginseng and honey (Sue Bee, nothing less!) but contains only 5 calories.  Light on the palate, thirst quenching--try it!

Tazo Tea

Popped into a Starbucks Cafe last night for a short meeting with a friend and since I wouldn't be able to sleep if I had taken coffee, I opted to try the Brambleberry flavor of Tazo Tea.  I understand that Tazo is an affiliate of the Starbucks group, and I found the packaging of their fruit juice-infused herbal teas very appealing.  The drink tasted more like juice than tea, and the blackberry flavor was quite refreshing.  I read the label and found that the tea was blended with cinnamon, ginger and a few other herbs and flavors, but my tastes buds told me that the drink was berry flavored, and I did not detect a hint of any of the other ingredients mentioned on the bottle.  At P85 per bottle, the drink was higher priced than most other tea or juice brands, but still within the normal spend of P100 for a cup of Starbucks coffee.

Choco-Vim & Vitamilk

I have been trying to convince Monique that long time ago, Magnolia had a chocolate flavored drink that was slightly different from Chocolait, and that was the much-loved Choco-Vim.  If I remember correctly the drink was soya-based, and I remember that some chocolate flavoring would settle at the bottom portion, and one had to shake the bottle to get the mixture back to its chocolatey color.  We would dip our hands into the water-filled chillers to extract a bottle of this (it was something like 10 centavos in the late sixties).  Yesterday, by some sheer stroke of luck, Monique and I found ourselves lounging around a 7-11 store and she pulled out a bottle of chocolate-flavored Vitamilk, which is imported from Thailand.  She bought it, proceeded to shake the bottle (the chocolate flavoring also settles, exactly like Choco-Vim), opened it and offered me some, and whoa!  Memories of my favorite childhood drink came flooding back to me!  Vitamilk is almost the same, but I distinctly remember that Choco-Vim was better tasting.  Apparently, Vitamilk is widely distributed nowadays, and she says this is available in school and in most groceries and supermarkets.  Inexpensive at P23 a bottle, and healthy too!  Calling the marketing boys at Magnolia--can you guys get Choco-Vim back?

Zesto Dalandan

Had the opportunity to drink Zesto Dalandan soda in Cebu, and I just got reminded how wonderfully refreshing the dalandan fruit is.  While I have tried the soda before, it tasted much better on the road, after a hot day of rush-rush travel.  I like it much better than calamansi, which is on the sour side, or orange, the delicious and flavorful varieties of which are a rarity.  The canned soda is pretty much true to the natural flavor of the fruit; I understand from my friends that Zesto actually uses dalandan fruit juice in the formula of the drink, and that they purchase orchard produce in bulk and in advance to support the production thereof.  The soda brings back memories of childhood summers when relatives would gather and we would enjoy the fruit drink to ease the inconveniences of the sweltering heat.  I'd choose it over the colas, any day, any time!