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Liquid Thanksgiving | TribLIVE.com
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Liquid Thanksgiving

Gwen Arbuckle

Thanksgiving dinner takes some chefs days to create, but Jones Soda Co., hopes to put an end to that.

The Seattle-based pop maker created a holiday five-pack of soda bliss featuring festive flavors matching your holiday favorites: green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and butter, fruitcake, cranberry and turkey and gravy.

It's already sold out at the Jones Soda Company's Web site, and it's back-ordered at Target.com.

Proceeds for the novelty flavors are earmarked for Marine Toys for Tots charity. But the product is meant for consumption. Trib p.m. popped some tops to see what's up, asking a local chef and several unsuspecting guinea pigs to go bottoms up and rate the taste.

The company's preparation for the launch was kept under wraps without the benefit of input from teen focus groups. "How do you walk into a high school classroom and say, "Here. Taste this soda called Green Bean Casserole." They probably won't really give that a chance," said Aaron Reed, Jones Soda Co. project manager.

But that didn't scare Omni William Penn executive sous chef Rick Eplawy.

"It piques my interest. I've never shied away from food no matter what. I've always liked Jones soda. I'm curious to taste these," Eplawy said.

And he did. Here is how Eplawy graded the flavors:

  • Cranberry: It tastes like one of their regular flavors. It's middle of the road. Uninteresting.

  • Turkey and gravy: It definitely tastes like gravy. I might drink it like a soda. It's almost a savory taste.

  • Green bean casserole: It doesn't taste like green bean, but it smells it like it. It has almost a buttery taste. I don't know if I'd drink this one just to drink it.

  • Mashed potato and butter: It smells like butter and it tastes like butter. That's the most authentic. It's like the Jelly Belly (jelly bean company) buttered popcorn jelly beans. You either love them or hate them.

  • Fruit cake: It's sort of like the cranberry, kind of uninteresting; maybe a little hint of fruit pop.

    Eplawy's final score: "They are definitely a novel idea. I guess one of them might be the next big flavor," he said.

    This is the second year Jones has created special holiday flavors hoping to rake in a donation for the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. This year's goal is to sell the 15,000 soda packages at $16.95 each, raising $50,000. Reed said $20,000 was raised last year.

    "Last year, the (fundraising aspect) kind of came up after the fact. This year, we want to make sure we can raise a large donation," Reed said.

    Taste test

    Chris Conrady, 33, of Aliquippa:

  • Turkey and gravy: I like turkey and gravy, but I don't like it as a soda.
  • Cranberry: Now that, I like. It's lighter than typical cranberry sodas.
  • Green bean casserole: It's different, but I don't like green beans.
  • Mashed potatoes and butter: I can't say it tastes like mashed potatoes, but it's distinctive.
  • Fruit cake: It's OK. I could go either way on this one.

    Carole Anderson, age withheld, of Munhall:

  • Turkey and gravy: Really bad. It actually tastes like turkey and gravy and that's what makes it bad.
  • Cranberry: Not bad. It's a little like cranberry juice.
  • Green bean casserole: I really don't like that one. It tastes nothing like green beans.
  • Mashed potatoes and butter: It smells like buttery mashed potatoes, but nothing like I make them at home.
  • Fruit cake: This tastes just like fruitcake and that's why I don't like it.

    Patricia Planinsek, 52, of Squirrel Hill:

  • Turkey and gravy: I don't like it. They all have a bubble-gum aftertaste.
  • Cranberry: The taste doesn't last. You think it's cranberry, but then it's gone before you can be sure.
  • Green bean casserole: I wouldn't say it tastes like green beans, but it's better than I thought it would be.
  • Mashed potatoes and butter: It smells like those butter popcorn jelly beans. It tastes sort of sweet and buttery. It's kind of good, I suppose.
  • Fruit cake: It's OK. Nutty and fruity. I think I liked the fruitcake the most.

    By the calories

    Here's how the Thanksgiving Day meal calories pile up on your plate, from various nutritional information resources:

    Three ounces of white and dark meat with skin: 254 Calories, 19.8 grams of fat

    Gravy: 129 calories, 13 grams of fat

    Mashed potatoes: 204 calories, 12.3 grams of fat

    Pat of butter: 100 calories, 10 grams of fat

    Green bean casserole: 240 calories, 15.6 grams of fat

    Cranberry sauce: 210 calories, no fat.

    Fruitcake: 202 calories, 10 grams of fat

    Jones version: Take your pick of flavors and the numbers don't change. Zero calories and zero fat equal zero food hangover. Additional Information:

    Details

    Jones Soda Co. holiday flavors went on sale Thursday in 40 Target department stores -- none in Pennsylvania -- and the Jones Soda Co. Web site. Target begins offering the soda on their shopping site starting today.

    The truly adventurous should surf over to www.jonessoda.com or www.target.com to grab a plate, er, pack of Thanksgiving dinner.