DRY Sodas Enhance Your Meal, Sans Alcohol

Pairing Choices Run DRY

by Rachel Levin

For those who appreciate pairing food with wine, beer or other libations, yet have to—or choose to—abstain from alcohol, DRY sodas are an ideal alternative. Hip eateries across the country, including Oceanside's Jandi's in New York, BLD in Los Angeles, Third Floor Fish Café in Seattle and Hush in Laguna Beach, Calif., have started to offer these lightly effervescent beverages as options in lieu of wine.

“Dry soda” may seem like an oxymoron, but the DRY beverages are actually dry on the palate, like fine wine, and designed with food pairing in mind. The so-called “culinary sodas,” made of herb and fruit essences, include delicate flavors such as kumquat, rhubarb, lemongrass and lavender. On their own, the sodas are an acquired taste, but when matched up with select food they lend a subtle enhancement. Try the fruity rhubarb with hearty lamb or beef, the citrusy lemongrass with spicy Asian cuisine or sushi and the floral lavender with vanilla bean crème brûlée or chocolate. Sweetened with just a touch of pure cane sugar, the sodas weigh in at less than 70 calories apiece, a modest indulgence.

Find out where to snag some in your area by visiting www.drysoda.com.