Which drink best describes YOU?

I'm a firm believer that beverages are the key to the meaning of life. They're also pretty freakin' cool.

Most of you know my interest (obsession) with soda pop collecting - cans, bottles, signs, trinkets, old Pop Shoppe memorabilia, blah blah blah. I've also recently discovered the world of gourmet beverages. It seems there are more and more specialty and retro sodas finding their way out of obscurity and back into North American beverage coolers. Take The Pop Shoppe, for example. Up until 6 months ago, it was a pleasantly retro sugar-water filled to the crown cap with nostalgia so thick you couldn't sip it with a straw. You could mention Pop Shoppe to pretty much anyone around 25+ and they had some memory of it from the late 70s and early 80s. And now, Pop Shoppe is back as a gourmet 'feel good' soda - out of the dirty red plastic cases and into sleek longneck glass bottles, doing away (at least for the moment) with the familiar 70s 'stubby'.

Other more mainstream brands are also getting in on the 'special edition' craze. Cadbury Beverages recently got in on the action with the limited edition release of Sour Apple Crush, available only in Canada. (Thanks to Sam for posing in the photo here with the new Crush variety!)

And I'm not an energy drink connoisseur by any means, but when I saw 'spaz juice' when I was out and about today, I just had to have it. Seriously - this is an energy drink filled with taurine, caffeine, and inositol - if I wasn't a spaz before, I darn sure will be after I down this stuff. The tagline says it all: "All the energy you need to annoy everybody else".

And my most recent find that made me giggle out loud like a school girl: "Yellow Snow Lemonade". I didn't even look at how much it cost, and I don't care how it tastes - I snatched it up, grinning from ear to ear all the way to the cash register.

Yes - I'm a marketer's dream. I also know what I like, and the soda I drink somehow defines me as a person. This doesn't bother me in the least because I know that I'll always prefer Diet Coke over Diet Pepsi... and despite my knowledge of the beverage landscape, I can easily be influenced to purchase a new soda based solely on the name or the packaging. Kind of the same effect as the flashing lights and warm colours of Las Vegas. That's why I don't gamble. Or maybe that's why I SHOULD gamble... Hmmm.

But I digress.

So whether you drink tea, coffee, beer, wine, water or soda pop (I'd certainly endorse the last choice for obvious reasons), the brands you choose and the substance contained in those cans and bottles is what ultimately makes the world go 'round - it defines you as a consumer (at least that's what the big cola companies would LIKE you to believe). Don't believe me? Next time you're out, have a look at the number of soda machines on your route... many also sell water and juice, but if it's Dasani it's Coca-Cola you're supporting; if it's Aquafina, you're drinking Pepsi's concoction.

And as for putting something 'fun' on the market, I'm kicking this idea around: Put a heavily carbonated citrus drink into a clear bottle and call it "Get Gas" or "Pass Gas". If people would buy Yellow Snow or Spaz Juice, I'm willing to bet they'd drink da gas.