When the "bubbly" is fruit juices ...

[Gifted Gourmet]

article from San Francisco Gate

It's getting to be that time of year when festivities break out all over and corks start popping. And that includes a lot of plastic "corks" from sparkling apple juice or cider... the panel liked three of the eight, and thought two others were OK. The other three had off, sour or "weird" flavors... the eventual winner, Martinelli's Gold Medal ($2.99 for 25.4 ounces in many stores).

For a number of years, I served sparkling fruit juices to my guests who were either under-age or non-imbibers ... and everyone was satisfied ... always used crystal for this purpose ... stunning presentation made everyone feel that they were drinking "the real stuff."

This year, I looked at the usual Martinelli's Apple and noticed that Ocean Spray has a Cranberry Sparkler, as does Knudsen who makes Sparkling Pear, Cherry, etc. At any rate, the pear and cranberry were "hits" with Thanksgiving dinner and I would serve them again in a minute ... very pleased.

Do you buy these drinks for holidays?

Which do you enjoy most?

ever try these by Izze?

Gavioli fruit sparklers?

[loiosh]

Navarro's non-alcoholic varietal grape juices are strong-flavoured and delicious...a far cry from the usual Welch's. They can be a bit hard to find in the shops, but are a special and festive drink in their own right. Not sparkling, but I thought I'd mention it.

[KatieLoeb]

Le Mousseux is my favorite sparkling cider, hands down. It's delicious and very dry, almost akin to an apple Champagne. No added sugar and no alcohol. Best I've ever tried and makes Martinelli's taste like Gerber's apple juice for babies.

Those Navarro non-alcoholic juices are fabulous. I've recommended them many times. They're great for expectant moms because they actually taste like wine but are completely non-alcoholic, so mom-to-be doesn't have to feel left out of toasts at the dinner table or special events.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Thank you both, loiosh and Katie, for your links! and yes, I am most definitely going to place my order tonight! Both of these are considerably more appealing (no pun) than just the Martinelli's and/or Ocean Spray ...

Does anyone else indulge in sparkling fruit juices, holiday or no??

[Della]

We had Martinelli's sparkling apple and sparkling apple/cranberry and sparkling apple/grape - all three were good (for sparking juice!)

[bloviatrix]

This year at Kosherfest Kedem, which is known for their sweet and thick Concord Grape and Malaga Wines exhibited two new grape juices - Sparkling Merlot and Sparkling Chardonnay. I didn't particularly like the Chardonnay, I found it too sweet. But the Merlot was quite nice. It was on the dry side and the bubbles added a lovely touch. I actually would consider keeping the Spakling Merlot on hand for non-wine drinkers.

[KatieLoeb]

Thank you both, loiosh and Katie, for your links! and yes, I am most definitely going to place my order tonight! Both of these are considerably more appealing (no pun) than just the Martinelli's and/or Ocean Spray ...

Does anyone else indulge in sparkling fruit juices, holiday or no?? 

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Melissa:

Let me know what you thought of the Mousseux once you've tried it. I just think it's awesome stuff. Definitely tastes like it's meant for grownups. Not too sweet. I buy some every time I visit the Sugarloaf Craft Fair, which comes around my way twice annually. La Provencale Cellars, the producer of Le Mousseux, always has a booth set up with their products at the craft show.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Let me know what you thought of the Mousseux once you've tried it.  I just think it's awesome stuff.  Definitely tates like it's meant for grownups. 

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Which is precisely what I plan to report back upon, Katie ... I think that this sounds more like something one can offer without apology .. and with complete confidence ... have ordered a couple of bottles from the website for Chanukkah ...

and I very much appreciate this information, Bloviatrix .. will begin to look into buying a bottle of the Merlot and Chardonnay as well .. also for guests on Chanukkah ...

the Merlot was quite nice. It was on the dry side and the bubbles added a lovely touch. I actually would consider keeping the Sparkling Merlot on hand for non-wine drinkers.

Many thanks for these "tips"!

Worse luck: Kedem sparkling Merlot and Chardonnay not online ..yet!

[bloviatrix]

GG, your taste buds may differ, but I wouldn't go out of my way to search out the Chardonnay.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Le Mousseux is my favorite sparkling cider, hands down.  It's delicious and very dry, almost akin to an apple Champagne.  No added sugar and no alcohol.  Best I've ever tried and makes Martinelli's taste like Gerber's apple juice for babies.

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The four bottles arrived this afternoon and we had one with our dinner tonight .. you were so right, Katie, about the quality of the sparkling cider: very much an adult refined experience! It was only faintly sweet and very bright with sharply defined bubbles. I will most definitely skip using Martinelli's in the future and opt instead for this drink! Thanks for the link to it!

La Provencale Cellars

[KatieLoeb]

Le Mousseux is my favorite sparkling cider, hands down.  It's delicious and very dry, almost akin to an apple Champagne.  No added sugar and no alcohol.  Best I've ever tried and makes Martinelli's taste like Gerber's apple juice for babies.

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The four bottles arrived this afternoon and we had one with our dinner tonight .. you were so right, Katie, about the quality of the sparkling cider: very much an adult refined experience! It was only faintly sweet and very bright with sharply defined bubbles. I will most definitely skip using Martinelli's in the future and opt instead for this drink! Thanks for the link to it!

La Provencale Cellars

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So glad you enjoyed it. I'd thought that you would. It's just so much more, elegant than the other sparkling ciders I've tried. It really is the closest thing to an Apple Champagne that I could imagine. It's a little more expensive than Martinelli's, but worlds better. The up side is it's a lot cheaper than Champagne!

I still have one bottle left that I'm hoarding in my fridge.

[akwa]

do you consider infusion based sodas made with the isi soda sifon

[KatieLoeb]

do you consider infusion based sodas made with the isi soda sifon

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That is a brilliant suggestion!

[MarketStEl]

The four bottles arrived this afternoon and we had one with our dinner tonight .. you were so right, Katie, about the quality of the sparkling cider: very much an adult refined experience! It was only faintly sweet and very bright with sharply defined bubbles. I will most definitely skip using Martinelli's in the future and opt instead for this drink! Thanks for the link to it!

La Provencale Cellars

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So glad you enjoyed it. I'd thought that you would. It's just so much more, elegant than the other sparkling ciders I've tried. It really is the closest thing to an Apple Champagne that I could imagine. It's a little more expensive than Martinelli's, but worlds better. The up side is it's a lot cheaper than Champagne!

I still have one bottle left that I'm hoarding in my fridge.

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Is this available at retail anywhere in the Philadelphia area? Or must I order directly from the manufacturer?

--Sandy, no longer a total teetotaler but still interested in keeping his alcohol consumption modest

[Gifted Gourmet]

Is this available at retail anywhere in the Philadelphia area?  Or must I order directly from the manufacturer?

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I am sure Katie would know the answer to this for Philadelphia .. when I ordered my 4 bottle case online, they responded promptly and I am extremely pleased with the result! I think it would be nice as a part of one's Christmas meal or, even, for New Year's. Try the online site or wait until you hear from Katie ...

[menton1]

There is just nothing in this world in this category as good as Lorina French soda. These are sparkling lemonades in about 6 different flavors. Not only does it taste great, but the bottles are gorgeous! You can decorate your kitchen with the empties.

I know it's widely available in the NY Metro, but I'm not sure about the rest of the country...

http://www.lorina.com/Site/eng/Corporate/

[Gifted Gourmet]

I loved the Lorina cocktail ideas!

[MarketStEl]

There is just nothing in this world in this category as good as Lorina French soda.  These are sparkling lemonades in about 6 different flavors.  Not only does it taste great, but the bottles are gorgeous!  You can decorate your kitchen with the empties. 

I know it's widely available in the NY Metro, but I'm not sure about the rest of the country...

http://www.lorina.com/Site/eng/Corporate/

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DiBruno Brothers in Philadelphia carries the lemonade, and maybe some of the other flavors too.

The corporate Web site has a map showing the countries where their products are sold. Clicking on the bottle sitting on top of the United States produces a similar map with a bottle over every state where you can find their products. (There are three bottles on California--does that mean they consider it three states?) Unfortunately, it's hard to determine which four states are represented by the bottles sitting astride the Northeast Corridor.

Distribution must depend on either independent distributors or individual retailers. You can get Lorinda in Nebraska and Arkansas, according to the map (presumably Omaha and Little Rock, but knowing how college towns are, it may be Lincoln and Fayetteville), but not in the other states of the Central Plains, where (at least in Kansas City and St. Louis) there are presumably customers willing to try this line.

I'm not sure whether or not to take this description from the "Products" section as an insult or not:

"Lorina Sparkling Lemonade Pink

"It was conceived especially for the American market, which appreciates turbid drinks."

Oh, and a word to the mapmaker: You show the US headquarters for the company as being in Miami, but your arrow points to the bottle over Georgia.

[KatieLoeb]

The four bottles arrived this afternoon and we had one with our dinner tonight .. you were so right, Katie, about the quality of the sparkling cider: very much an adult refined experience! It was only faintly sweet and very bright with sharply defined bubbles. I will most definitely skip using Martinelli's in the future and opt instead for this drink! Thanks for the link to it!

La Provencale Cellars

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So glad you enjoyed it. I'd thought that you would. It's just so much more, elegant than the other sparkling ciders I've tried. It really is the closest thing to an Apple Champagne that I could imagine. It's a little more expensive than Martinelli's, but worlds better. The up side is it's a lot cheaper than Champagne!

I still have one bottle left that I'm hoarding in my fridge.

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Is this available at retail anywhere in the Philadelphia area? Or must I order directly from the manufacturer?

--Sandy, no longer a total teetotaler but still interested in keeping his alcohol consumption modest

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Sandy:

I have purchased this at the Sugarloaf Craft Fair in Fort Washington when they come around every March and October. I've never seen it at retail in PA, but maybe we need to convince Lisa1349 to buy it for DiBruno's.

I'm certain La Provencale Cellars could give you a better idea of whether anyone carries it in the Philly area. If they have any wholesale clients in the city I'm certain they be happy to tell you. The places I'd think would be appropriate would be places like DiBruno's, Assouline & Ting, Chef's Markup, I mean Market, etc. I've never seen it in any of those places, but then again, I've never looked for it.

It's definitely worth trying. It's darned tasty stuff. Pricier than Martinelli's, but cheaper than good Champagne. I'm thinking up fun cocktail ideas with it! Maybe some Applejack or Calvados and a bit of muddled Cranberry compote topped with the sparkling cider? Or a splash of Pomegranate juice instead of cranberry? It all has potential.