sarsaparillas

Bickford’s Sarsaparilla

this is the next of the Australian sarsaparillas that i traded for! they all seem to have in common a somewhat different graphic design style than American sodas. they are more sophisticated and much more resemble alcohol bottles in style and font and so on. even the color palette and bottle shape suggest liquor versus soft drink. at least to me. i am sure it is something that advertising and graphic design professionals have been enforcing in a subtle way for my whole life and more. i like that all of the Australian sodas i have had have come in very distinct bottles, unusual shapes and embossed and weird sizes too. i imagine that adds a lot to the cost of the beverage.
so this company has been around since the 1870s although i am not sure if that is continuously or sporadically like some other companies that seem to be resurrected by the grandchildren or something of the founders. the website is no help. although it does tell me it is gluten free and safe for children as part of a balanced diet! handy!
so on first opening this i am struck by the licorice smell, wow! on first taste i am struck by, crap, i don’t even know! the only thing i can compare this to is a distant memory of Bundaberg root beer. VERY very herbal and hearty. yes “hearty” is the best way to describe this. it is a very complex flavor that really changes in the course of 30 seconds or so. ok, let me see… yes, there is a definitely licorice taste here, that may be the strongest thing, kind of bitter but not in a wholly bad way. i am also tasting hints of cinnamon perhaps. it is not a creamy, vanilla-ish soda by any means i honestly don’t think children would like this, even as part of a well balanced diet. if i get more i will test it on my daughter, but she is a root beer addict for some reason. although by the time this publishes i will have two daughters and the older one will hopefully expand her palette a little more. we shall see. anyway, i do like this. sometimes i get on a serious licorice kick myself and this would definitely satisfy that craving without the chewing but it is not a drink i think i would want to have often. but as an occasionally thing, i am all for it.

Anthony’s Rating: 78
User’s Rating: 41
# of ratings:3

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Type: Sarsaparilla Comes In: 275ml glass bottle
Available: Australia

Obtained in: trade with Daniel
Head: Medium Sweetener: sugar
Calories: 108 Sodium: 22mg
Carbs: 28g Sugar: 27g
Caffeine: No
Website: http://bickfordssoda.com.au

Ingredients: carbonated water, sugar, colour (150d), food acid (330), flavours, preservative (211)

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5 Comments

  1. Karen says:

    Hmm…I would have to say that this bottle/label combo is a pretty blatant rip-off of the UK’s well-established (and quite wonderful, but no RB/sarsi/BB) Fentimans: http://www.drinkfentimans.com/ . Did they think no one would notice?

  2. is says:

    Wow, this drink does look very very tasty. I’m in California and would like to buy some. Where did you purchase this drink from? I really want to try it.

  3. I was sent a bottle of this as a gift, I really did not care for it, I gave it a 40.

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  5. is says:

    I had finally found this one a couple years ago. It has a nice sharp flavor to it. Not my favorite sarsaparilla, but definitely good enough for me to buy again. It kinda does have an herbal flavor, if I remember correctly. I need to try again though. Not bad. Believe I gave this one a low 80, like 82ish.

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