Cherry Coke 65p

65p Cherry Coke Hudson

The Last Cherry Coke

Taste Test: Fentiman's Cherry Tree Cola

In early February I lamented the consumption of my last can of Cherry Coke. Since then I've tried to replicate the flavour with syrups, but my experiments have been unsuccessful. Today, however, I stumbled across Fentiman's Cherry Tree Cola at the Val-Mart in Leduc. As a cola connoisseur, I couldn't leave this beverage untried.

Sold in retro-styled glass bottles and made with cane sugar, Fentiman's is surely being marketed to those of us unfortunate enough to have develop a fondness for boutique sodas. "UNFILTERED: up-end bottle to gently invigorate for naturally superior flavour," suggests the packaging in delightfully cheery turn-of-the-century (the 19th/20th centuries, that is) style. Dutifully I did so, and while I'm not sure if turning the bottle upside-down really altered the flavour, this cherry cola certainly offers a refreshing, slightly spicy bouquet. It's not as strongly cherry-flavoured as Cherry Coke, but it certainly feels more organic on my tongue - though perhaps that's a psychological artifact of the packaging and ad copy as much as the flavour.

Whatever factors may have influenced my reaction. I find Fentiman's Cherry Tree Cola a spicy, satisfying brew of satisfyingly sweet but not cloying cola and cherry flavours. Three and a half cherries out of five.

Choked Over Cherry Coke

Cherry Coke is available only sporadically in Canada, so while Sylvia and I were in Las Vegas I bought two two-litre bottles and 24 cans of the bubbly nectar and brought them back over the border. Today my precious supply ran dry.

I have a weakness for Coca-Cola and "red" flavours - cherry, strawberry, raspberry. When I first encountered Cherry Coke in the late 80s, my Coke addiction took on a new, fruitier (though sadly, not more nutritious) dimension. Even then it was hard to find; I remember encountering it only in convenience stores and gas stations, never at the supermarket. Now it's nowhere to be found, at least in western Canada.

However, while stopping for lunch in Vegas I encountered Cherry Coke's precursor, the soda fountain staple known simply as cherry cola. In fact, I found the fountain concoction superior to the canned variety. Inspired, I scoured the Internet for a home-brewed cherry cola recipe, and discovered that it's as simple as adding 30 mL of maraschino cherry juice to a glass of Coca-Cola. It'll make the perfect beverage for my blackened Cajun strips. By the way, thanks to Jeff Shyluk for emailing me a very complex but clear method for that project. I haven't abandoned it!