Posted by Denise Mickelsen 

Let me begin by saying that I am not a soda drinker.  I wasn’t allowed to drink pop (as it’s called in Buffalo, NY) when I was a kid, and most sodas are so over-carbonated--and so sweet-- that it’s usually easy for me to abstain.   That is, until I discovered Fentiman’s Botanically Brewed Beverages at last summer’s Fancy Food Show in NYC.  A British company that recently jumped the pond, Fentiman’s has been making their beverages since 1905.  Their spicy, tongue-tingling Ginger Beer blew me away, as did the drink’s stylish glass bottles.  These are not your run-of-the-mill, grab-one-at-lunch soft drinks, but rather a soda for adults: carefully crafted, mildly carbonated, and brewed with all-natural ingredients (herbs, spices, natural yeast, sugar, spring water) in a 7-day process. 

After tasting Fentiman’s at the show, I contacted the company to get some samples sent to our office for my fellow editors to try.  Given what a picky bunch we can be, it’s a true testament to Fentiman’s that everyone - hands down - loved the drinks.  From the Dandelion & Burdock soda to the Curiosity Cola (great for mixing into cocktails), the clean, not-too-sweet, complex sodas won us over.

Fast forward a few weeks.  We were about to shoot the photos for our “Dinner with Friends” menu in the December issue.  We wanted to have some wines on hand, but what else could we bring to liven up the party?  Fentiman’s, of course!  I knew that the Ginger Beer and the Mandarin and Seville Orange Jigger would pair especially well with this menu, and a quick call to the company led to a few 4-packs of the sodas on set.  I figured that they might be used as a background prop, but they ended up taking center stage, so to speak.  Check out our holiday issue to see what I mean, and check out www.fentimans.com to get some of these delicious drinks for yourself.

Photos: Scott Phillips