Bundaberg Lemon Lime & Bitters

Made by: Bundaberg Brewed Drinks P/L

Origin: Australia

Imported into the UK by: Bundaberg Brewed Drinks UK Pty Ltd

This sparkling soft drink is a pale pink colour, clear and bright, with fine bubbles that rise steadily to the surface from various points in the glass.

On the nose a deep lime aroma: Key lime pie, dusted with allspice, plus notes of ginger and quinine. This is very appetising. As with many lemon & lime drinks, the lemon struggles to compete with its more delicate freshness.

On the palate a juicy and nicely concentrated lime flavour, followed by soft cinnamon. Persistent, mouthwatering and with a lovely tart balance...this is refreshing stuff. The bitters flavours add a spicy dimension: Cloved orange, ginger and quinine. They bring a light bitterness with them, perfectly balanced between the sugar and citrus. The cinnamon note that made an early appearance now lingers on the finish.

Packaging claims: Naturally brewed to be better, crafted from real lemons and limes, [naturally brewed] from real herbs and tropical spices

Ingredients: Carbonated water, cane sugar, lime juice from concentrate (6.3%), bitters brew (4.8%) (water, cane sugar, tropical spices, gentian root, yeast), lemon juice from concentrate (0.8%), acid (citric acid), antioxidant (E300), flavour, colour (E120), preservatives (E211, E220)

Price: Should be about £1.40-£1.50 for a 340ml glass bottle, available from Waitrose and selected supermarkets, and specialist retailers

Itsu Limeflower/ Zesty Orange Vitamin Water

Made by: Made under license

Origin: UK

This still Itsu drink is a pale lemon yellow colour, with a light green hue. The colour fades to a clear watery rim around the edge of the glass.

The aromas are very light and fleeting, lead by a citrus note. There is a glimpse of acacia, a trace of honey...the impression is of a heavily diluted cordial.

This is confirmed on the palate, with flavours that are dilute and ephemeral, unable to express themselves before disappearing. There was only time to detect a warm grassy note and a drop of orange oil, before water washes the palate clean and the drink ends in a short finish.

Packaging claims: Vitamin enriched water, zero fat and less than 60 calories, contains 50% of your RDA (vitamin & minerals), suitable for vegetarians

Ingredients: Still water, fruit extract, citric acid, bitter orange peel infusion, limeflower infusion, natural flavouring, minerals (zinc citrate deydrate, potassium iodide), vitamins (C, B3, B5, B6, B12, folic acid), natural colour (safflower and carrot)

Price: £1.50 for a 500ml PET bottle, available from branches of Itsu across London

San Pellegrino Chino

Made by: San Pellegrino SpA

Origin: Italy

Imported into the UK by: Nestle Waters UK Ltd

Chinotto is a sparkling Italian soft drink named after the small, bitter citrus fruit of the Myrtle-leaved orange tree. The tree is believed to have originated in China, hence the name. Today Chinotto fruit is mostly cultivated in Italy, where the peel extract is an essential ingredient in Italian Bitters ('Amari'); alcoholic liqueurs drunk either as a digestif or an aperitif. San Pellegrino claim to have formulated the first Chinotto soft drink in 1932, today marketed under the brand name of Chino.

Sparkling Chino is a dark chestnut brown colour, clear and intense. When poured out, fine pinhead bubbles can be observed rising from various points in the glass.

On the nose this is sweetly spiced and strikingly aromatic: Allspice, cloved orange, with rooty and woody scents all combining to create a spice cake impression.

Opening with a fruity caramel, cola flavour on the palate, a long and controlled progression of sweet to bitter follows. Flavours of spice cake and ginger at first, cassia and clove, then black cherry, fig and toffee. Subtle notes of liquorice and menthol emerge to add further points of interest along the gently bitter, persistent finish.

Chino is an absorbing taste experience, and a soft drink to really savour. If you like this or think this sounds appealing then look up our review of Bitter KAS.

Packaging claims: None

Ingredients: Water, glucose-fructose syrup, sugar, carbon dioxide, colour E150d, aromas, acidifier citric acid, chinotto extract, acidity regulator sodium citrate, salt, antioxidant L-ascorbic acid

Price: Should be about £1.00 for a 330ml can, available from specialist outlets like italian foodstores and delicatessens

V-Fresh Lemongrass drink with Basil seed

Made by: V. Thai Food Product Co Ltd

Origin: Thailand

Imported into the UK by: Manning Impex Ltd





The strain of lemongrass that is most readily consumed in food and drink today is believed to have originated in Malaysia. As well as being a component of soft drink recipes, it is also drunk as a tea. Citral, a chemical component of lemongrass, has been shown to have significant anti-cancer properties. Basil seeds are often added to drinks and desserts in Thailand to add texture, like tapioca. The seeds become gelatinous when added to liquids.

This drink is a bright lemon yellow colour, with a greenish tint. It is non-sparkling, and contains a large number of black basil seeds in suspension.

On the nose a warm, mellow aroma of barley sugar and lemon jelly is inviting. The combination brings to mind sugar-dusted lemon travel sweets. Beneath this there lies a woody, earthy note of lemongrass sticks.

What follows on the palate is broadly consistent, with soft, warm flavours of lemon jelly mix and barley sugar. There is a light oiliness and that earthy, now grassy note stays in the frame. The basil seeds add a light texture (like tapioca pearls), with a bite similar to eating a Kiwi fruit. The drink ends in a short finish.

Packaging claims: No presevatives

Ingredients: Water, lemongrass (15%), basil seed (12.5%), fructose syrup, sugar, colour E102 & E133

Price: Should be about £0.75 for a 290ml glass bottle, available from specialist retaliers , and in and around Chinatown

Organic Sparkling Lemonade

Made by: Whole Earth Foods

Origin: UK








The second drink in the Whole Earth series is a sparkling lemonade. This is a pale, bright lemon yellow colour. It is slightly cloudy (translucent) and gently carbonated, with the bubbles rising steadily when the drink is poured out.

The nose carries the sweet aroma of fresh, ripe lemons: juicy and direct. There is also a more concentrated note of lemon oil, and a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

Flavours on the palate are light by comparison (read well diluted), with a touch of sugar and lime adding to the lemons to create a sherbetty appeal. The overall impression is understated and pleasant, easy drinking and well balanced, without the citrus tang found elsewhere. Short finish.

Packaging claims: Soil Association Organic, no artificial colours, preservatives or flavours, suitable for Vegetarians and Vegans, Vegetarian Society Approved, produced to strict organic standards, as this drink is made from natural ingredients it may contains a slight sediment

Ingredients: Sparkling water, organic apple juice from concentrate (15%), organic agave syrup, organic lemon juice from concentrate (4%), natural lemon flavouring

Price: Should be about £0.80 for a 330ml can, from branches of Asda, health and wholefood stores and specialist cafes

Feelgood Drinks Co. Apple & Blueberry Juice Drink

Made by: Feel Good Drinks Co.

Origin: UK








This still juice drink is a matt red-brown colour, flecked with purple. The aromas of the various fruit juices used produce an interesting result on the nose: Tomatoes and cherries with a drop of menthol. There is a suggestion of earthy blueberries, and a leafy note (think of hedgerows). The sweetness of purple grape and apple juices can also be detected.

On the palate there is plenty of dark, earthy blueberry fruit, and a brambly style develops. A taste of prune juice follows, together with sweet spices now like a fuit compote, and an unusual minty tang adds another point of interest before the short, clean finish.

This is well balanced and flavourful for a juice drink.

Packaging claims: Mixed fruit juice drink, no artificial nasties, fruit not sugar

Ingredients: Fruit juice from concentrate (reduced colour apple 75%, orange 8.7%, grape 5.6%, apple 5.1%, blueberry 0.5%), spring water, natural flavours, natural colours, fruit and plant extract, natural stabiliser; carob

Price: Should be about £1.20 for a 400ml PET bottle, widely available

Ginseng Bird's Nest Drink- Rabbit Brand

Made by: Yeow Seng (Shark's Fin) Pte Ltd

Origin: Singapore

Imported into the UK: tbc






Bird's nest is a Chinese delicacy and is harvested from swiftlet nesting sites in Borneo, Sumatra and other parts of Indonesia. Swiftlets traditionally make their nests on cave walls using strands of hardened saliva, which they weave into nests. The nests are graded according to colour and nutritional value and can fetch up to $10,000 per kilo.

Bird's nest drink is a pale yellow colour with a bright appearance. It is non-sparkling and contains small particles of bird's nest and ginseng in suspension.

The aroma is quite unique and manages to combine ripe banana and vanilla with wet bonfire ashes, rubber and charcoal.

As with the aroma, on the palate the flavour is unique and quite challenging. What starts as sweet banana and vanilla quickly turns burnt, ashy, rubbery and progressively more bitter. There is an earthy, potato note that points towards the ginseng, and a bittersweet sensation lingers in the aftertaste.

Packaging claims: Geniune bird's nest with ginseng, no colouring, serve hot or cold

Ingredients: Water, rock sugar, bird's nest, ginseng

Price: Should be about £1.00 for a 245ml can, from oriental food stores and other specialist retailers