Dara reports on Chef Joan Ida’s sojourn in the land of the Highland Grill, the challenge of cooking with a fussy child, tickets for Outstanding in the Field are intriguing and also $180, City Pages checks out the Green Fairy at Town Talk, and Surly on KARE11 via MNBeer.
Becca Dilley / Heavy Table
110 years old and manufactured about three hours away from the Twin Cities in Spring Grove, the Spring Grove Soda Pop brand has a history that should catch the eye of any Minnesotan curious about locally made food. An excerpt from Soil, Timber, & A Spring — The Story of Spring Grove, Minnesota on the soda’s website tells the story in brief:
Spring Grove Pop has been refreshing palates in this city, and the surrounding area, for nearly 100 years. The Spring Grove Bottling Works is the city’s oldest business, and one dear to the hearts of many Spring Grove residents, some of whom can still remember dashing off to the Bottling Works to buy three bottles for a dime to take along on their school picnics.
A simple sniff of an open bottle indicates that this stuff is more potent than your typical beverage. Halfway between a lemon and a pine tree, the Lemon Sour packs an olfactory punch.
Mildly carbonated, the soda itself is bracing but not abrasive. There’s a distinctly natural lemon flavor (as opposed to 7-Up and other mass market lemon-esque sodas) and a bit of a sour afterbite — not as extreme as Schweppes Bitter Lemon, for example, but convincing nonetheless. This would handily cut through the greasy and / or sweet and / or carbon-charred miasma of your typical backyard cookout food.
The stuff is available sporadically throughout the state and the Twin Cities; Surdyk’s had it recently.
Vodka, it turns out, brings out the soda’s sweetness and lemon zip, making for a tremendously refreshing summer beverage.
Minnesota Knockout Drop
Mix two shots Spring Grove Lemon Sour with one shot vodka over ice in a glass.
[17 Comments]
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What disappoints me about this soda is that it contains both cane sugar AND high fructose corn syrup. No matter what side of the corn syrup debate you are on, I think the combination makes for much too sweet of a beverage. Perhaps they might consider a soda with just cane sugar?
I didn’t find it to be overwhelmingly sweet. That said, I noticed the cane sugar + HFCS and also found it to be strange — from a marketing perspective, if nothing else, they’d be smart to dump the corn syrup and trumpet their renewed dedication to old-school soda.
I consider myself a local food guy (although more in terms of ingredients than manufacturing, generally), and I’ve never even heard of this stuff. thanks for the tip. I hope to try some soon, maybe with some Shaker vodka.
I’ve not really liked any of the flavors we have gotten from Spring Grove. They are all just sort of boring. I wanted to like them so much because they were local, but they just aren’t up to par with other good soda makers.
Good find. I’ll look out for it. Haven’t seen Scweppes Bitter Lemon in a long time. If you ever see bitter lemon make sure you post it!
Bitter Lemon was what I used to drink after mowing the lawn on humid, 90-degree Wisconsin summer afternoons. That stuff had an epic bite to it. Too epic for the majority of soda consumers, alas.
My fella’s family cultivated Spring Grove from a wee spot on the map to a, well, little bit bigger spot on the map, and whenever we visit the farm there is always an entire cupboard of it for the family to devour! Try the lemon soda with some whiskey (love the knockdrop recipe as well) and the strawberry with a scoop of French vanilla ice cream. Ahhh, the memories. Thanks for this post Jim, warmed my heart!
Lee and Dave43 – I’ve picked it up at Midtown global market from grass roots gourmet
http://www.midtownglobalmarket.....eries/6758
Another must try is Ting. A Jamaican grapefruit soda. After reading this I called up a Jamaican market off of lake st. I used to get it at but sadly the shipping costs are too high for them to get it. If anyone has another source let us know. Also try Antartica Guarana. It is a Brazilian soda that tastes of cherries and uses real sugar. It doesn’t have the sour taste in the sodas we are discussing but stands on it’s own. Brazillian connection in MTKA carries it.
Ooh, I haven’t had Guarana in ages! I need to pick some up. Also curious about Spring Grove, but agree they’d be wise to dump the HFCS.
Guarana is also served at Fogo de Chao downtown – I always get one!
Somehow this has turned into a discussion of my favorite sodas — I’m a huge Ting fan. Last I checked, they served it at Marla’s Caribbean, which — if memory serves — is next door to a shop that I think may sell it. If nothing else, I bet Marla can hook you up with a supplier. Nothing goes with blackened what-have-you like Ting.
Guarana’s at ‘Delicious’- Brazilian Cafe in Minnetonka, off Excelsior.
Scheppes Bitter Lemon is now available at Cub Foods, Inver Grove Heights, MN. It MAY be available at other Cub Foods in the area. August 12, 2009
Man, that is good news. Thanks for the update.
Just to set the record straight. The high fructose corn syrup that is on the label of the Spring Grove Soda is because it is in the syrup flavoring that is used. The amount is very minute but because it is high fructose corn syrup it has to be on the label. The main sweetener is pure cane sugar.
I live clear up im northern wisconsin, and I enjoy the spring grove lemon sour with canadian club every saturday night. Nothing compares in my opinion. When I am passing thru town in my semi truck, I get it by the case. Nice people too.