Mmmm...bloodletting
Our first oddball softdrink is Barralitos sangría. OK, I know some of you are reading this and saying, "Barralitos sangría? That's his idea of oddball? We got Barralitos sangría out the wazoo! What's he going to review next, Mountain Dew?" Well, it's oddball for here where I live, not where you live. And if Mountain Dew wasn't that common here, I'd review it. So there. But I digress.
Our area has a growing Hispanic population, so more and more unusual items are popping up in the grocery stores. Last week when I was looking for something else, I found a small selection of Mexican soft drinks, and among them was Barralitos sangría. If you don't know, sangría is a mixture of wine and fruit juice. It also translates into English as bleeding or bloodletting. Mmmm...refreshing, huh?
It's basically just grape soda. But unlike the grape soda I dimly recall drinking many years ago, it's not harsh, nor is it that unnatural purple color. Barralitos sangría is a dark burgandy with a brownish hue. Sort of like wine, I guess. Does is taste like wine? I dunno, I don't drink wine.
Note to self: buy some grape soda to make a comparison.
So, is it any good? Yes, I love the stuff. It's lightly carbonated, so it's not harsh, the flavor isn't obnoxious, and it's not too sweet. I wish I could buy it in 2 liter bottles. And, speaking of bottles, this was the first time in maybe 20 years that I drank a softdrink out of a traditionally shaped glass bottle. The tall and narrow shape is very much like the old Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, 7-Up, etc. bottles I grew up with. I even got to use my vintage bottle opener I bought at a thrift store to use on 35mm film canisters.
If you can find it, buy some. Here, it only cost 59 cents for a 12 oz. bottle.
