This weekend I got to try Henry Weinhard’s Black Cherry Cream Gourmet Soda. It’s made and bottled in Fort Worth, Texas. What really grabbed me was “hand-crafted with only the finest and highest quality ingredients, including the flavors of fresh Oregon Bing and Black cherries, Black Raspberry, and Bourbon Vanilla.” Of course, I had to try it.
It’s considered a carbonated beverage (because it is), though it tastes more like candy. If you like sweet, this is a good choice. The combined cherry flavors are very mild, almost velvety, while the raspberry bite is a background presence that hints rather than strikes at the tongue. The creaminess is obviously from the vanilla, making this beverage slide across your tongue in a pleasing fashion. Sadly, I detected no bourbon.
The carbonation, while present, is a gentle fizz rather than the scortching burn modern soda drinkers have become more accustomed to. It would combine well with sweet or dry wine for a spritzer.
The color is bright red on the dark cherry side, and very clear. It’s bottled in clear glass, so the color is easy to enjoy.
It’s well suited to warm or hot days, with a crispness that belies it’s soda fountain origins.
On a scale of 1-5 —
Appearance: 4
Scent: 4
Flavor: 3.5
Texture: 3.5
— Ann Cathey
thewanderingtexans 