This is kind of an unorthodox blog food and beverage review. Also, for future reference, product reviews (this is technically also a product review) will go under the heading "Gadgets and Gizmos Aplenty" in reference to my original favorite Disney princess....Ariel.
I was in Burbank a while back, and ran into Rocket Fizz for a look, only to find a piece of Disney fan treasure staring at me....O-Zell Soda.
To simplify things, here is the link to the site: http://www.o-zell.com
Their site does a lovely job at detailing the Disney origins of the brand, so I won't even attempt to replicate it. To make a long story short, the brand was originally created by Walt's father Elias, and has recently been revitalized in the Silver Lake, CA area, its proceeds going to help restore Walt Disney's Birthplace Home in Chicago, Illinois.
So, since I was so anxious to actually try O-Zell Soda (It wasn't quite in my budget when they had a booth at the last D23 Expo), I thought I'd share my thoughts with you all, so you know what you're getting into...
In short....GET SOME!
Alright, now that I've calmed down...I'll go through each flavor.
Root Beer
The root beer float flavor is a little non-traditional, there are a few hints of a licorice-y taste in there, most likely due to its being more natural than most mainstream root beers of late. We all found it, however to be a mild flavor. I wouldn't drink it to quench your thirst, I'd do so to enjoy it's flavor, slowly.
Vanilla Dream
I have to confess here, I'm a cream soda girl. It's my particular favorite, although I save it for special occasions. So I might be a tad biased, but this truly was a Vanilla Dream. It was smooth and perfectly flavored. I wouldn't call it an all out cream soda, hence it not being called "cream soda". I would, if I could, buy this by the case!
Pineapple Whip
This is the first of two that are particular flavors I wouldn't call sodas, per se. Certainly, the pineapple is meant to be a call back...call forward? Sideways....? to the Dole Whips available at the Disney parks (a favorite of my goddaughter's). Now, it's not really my cup of tea, but it was certainly interesting, just rich enough in pineapple flavor. Like I said, not really a soda. I didn't taste any real carbonation, but there is an essence of the "whip" part of it in there. As my goddaughter, Naomi, would say, "it's like drinking a Dole Whip!"
Cherry Jubilee
Other than Vanilla Dream, this was by far my favorite. It isn't a cherry cola, which I kind of thought it would be...for some reason....but it's just a fabulous cherry treat. Just a delight to partake.
These are, in my opinion, non-traditional drinks, not just simple novelty sodas. i highly recommend them if you want to add a little pizzaz to your party or gathering, even though they are hard to get your hands on. Again, you can go to their website to get the information, but I found O-Zell soda, in all four flavors at Rocket Fizz, http://rocketfizz.com.
While doing research for this post, I noticed O-Zell now has coffee as well. I, personally, am not a coffee drinker, but my mother LOVES Grand Marceline Company Coffee, which also has Disney roots. So, if I get enough feedback in the comments of this post, I'll snag some O-Zell Coffee and we'll do a comparison. If it's anywhere near as good as these sodas are, it should be fabulous.
So...that's it for now.....except another Frolic from Fred soon and then a post I've been ruminating on for awhile....it's half a product review and half a rant.
Have a great week, everyone! And Just Keep Swimming!
