Posts Tagged ‘soda’
We take great pride in helping you discover the best that our home region has to offer – phenomenal hotels, hidden beaches, unique attractions, pulse-pounding activities, and more. On rare occasions, though, we are compelled to issue a warning; a bit of helpful advice born of a not-so-great experience to ensure you don’t repeat a misstep we may have made along our travels.
This, dear reader, is one of those rare occasions. The red Royal Soda pictured here is why.
How bad is it?
Every Caribbean destination boasts of its warm and welcoming hospitality, but there’s only one place where you’re guaranteed to get a smile each and every time.
The place: The Bahamas. The guaranteed smiles? They come courtesy of the Caribbean’s cutest soda: Bahamas Goombay Punch.
Just look at that face! Who could resist those wild googly eyes, that semi-crooked cheery smile and Caribbean-cool color scheme? Answer: no one.
Well, certainly not me. Every time I get to The Bahamas, I immediately set out in search of these smiling cans, that first sip reaffirming my return to the 242 like nothing else.
Maybe my words and this little guy’s sly smile have you jonesing to pick up a can of Goombay Punch next time you’re in The Bahamas.
Maybe you overdid it palancin’ on de parkway during today’s West Indian Carnival in Brooklyn. Maybe you got too much sun on the beach. Or maybe, like Patrick, you’re returning from yet another amazing Caribbean adventure. Either way, getting back into the swing of things at work or school tomorrow following the Labor Day holiday weekend here in the States (and Canada) won’t be easy.
If you need an energy boost to help beat the post-holiday weekend blues, a good idea might be to trek on over to your local West Indian grocery store to pick up a bottle of Plus.
When it comes to fostering a taste and appreciation among my kids for all the treats and traditions I enjoyed while growing up in the Caribbean, my wonderful U.S.-born wife is good with all of it – all the exotic foods, offbeat traditions, music, folktales; everything!
Everything, that is, except this drink.
This, dear reader, is Malta India, and unlike Ting, LLB, and just about every other soda we’ve told you about before, this bad boy from Mayaguez, Puerto Rico is decidedly NOT for everyone. Of all the West Indian food and drink products I’ve introduced to my wife over the years, I’m pretty sure this is the only one she actually spit out.
Ting may be tops in Patrick’s book when it comes to Caribbean sodas, but for me nothing’s better than an LLB!
A product of Trinidad’s legendary Angostura beverage company, Lemon Lime & Bitters is a wonderfully flavorful and refreshing accompaniment to any West Indian dish.
I came to know LLB’s on the first day of a recent visit to my Dad’s place in Tobago a few years ago. I remember it was an especially hot day and I, overdressed from my flight, was dying for some refreshment. My Dad offered me an LLB and I, of course, refused.
Why? Well, you have to know my Dad.
Could there be a more girly-looking drink anywhere in the world? I mean, just look at this bottle – if there was a life-size Barbie Dream House (oh wait, there is one?) the fridge would have to be loaded with these Tings…
Now I’ve never been a guy to have a problem with pink. My high school fascination with pink flamingoes probably didn’t help me with the ladies, and the pink cumberbund/bow-tie combo I rocked to junior prom may have contributed to my turning in early despite three dates (no names), but I liked pink, dammit, and I didn’t care.
Even now I don’t really care.
In honor of Patrick’s deep love for Ting, we’re jammin’ to this catchy commercial today, and running out to our favorite Caribbean grocery here in South Florida to pick up a bottle or two. We’ll be enjoying a nice Ting ‘n Sting by the afternoon! Here’s hoping that Ting is available in your neck of the woods so you can join us…
Cheers!
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