Shandy Shack Elderflower Lager Top (Co-op) By @SpectreUK

I fancy a shandy. I haven't had one in years. I used to drink sweet lemonade shandy all the time when I was a kid. It just seems difficult to find it in the shops these days.

Shandy made me feel grown up as a kid, with the feel of drinking a little beer with my lemonade. Now I prefer beer, but sometimes I do reminisce for the simpler times.

This Shandy Shack Elderflower Lager Top should go well washing down my calamari and scampi and chips tonight. It is a pilsner lager with a top of elderflower cordial. At 105 calories per can, gluten free and with an ABV of 2.5%, it won't give me a headache for my early start in the morning to Milton Keynes Film and Comic Con.

On opening the can there was a light aroma of elderflower and pilsner. The elderflower cordial was fresh and sweetened the lager shandy, making it very moreish indeed.

Shandy Shack Elderflower Lager Top was a very refreshing drink, and after a very hot day, I could see why the can mentioned simpler times of summers on the village green.

Mokate Classic Matcha Latte (Iceland) By @Cinabar

I spotted these Mokate Classic Matcha Latte sachets in Iceland and decided to pick some up. I enjoy a good matcha latte, but they can be expensive in high street coffee shops, so at just 25p per sachet, these seemed like a bargain.

When I opened the box, I noticed a lot of empty space. It does contain the promised six sachets, but the packaging could easily have been half the size and still held everything comfortably.

I read through the instructions and opted to make a hot version. You can make it cold by blending it with ice, the guide shows an electric hand blender, but since I don’t own one, I stuck with the kettle.

I poured the sachet contents into a smaller mug. It suggests adding just 150ml of water, and I think my mug is closer to 200ml, but I went with it anyway. My usual mug is a beast at 350ml, so I often have to double up on sachets for drinks like this.

I added the hot water and was pleasantly surprised by how easily the drink mixed, no lumps, just a smooth green drink with a nice frothy top, purely from stirring. The flavour was lovely too: that leafy, slightly grassy green tea taste with a touch of bitterness, balanced out with a little sweetness. It was actually quite close to what you'd get from a coffee shop, soothing, slightly creamy, and very enjoyable.

I’d definitely buy these again. In fact, I might even try two sachets in my big mug next time. Even doubled up, it's still a fraction of the price of a Starbucks matcha latte.

7UP Pink Lemonade (Morrisons) By @SpectreUK

I haven't had pink lemonade for quite sometime, probably since last summer. 7UP's new summer drink this year is pink lemonade. 7UP is my favourite lemonade to have with rum. Not that this blog is going to be about me trying pink lemonade and rum, that's for after.

7UP Pink Lemonade had a sharp raspberry, lemon and lime aroma. Pink on pouring, this pink lemonade had a very crisp refreshing flavour of raspberries with the traditional lemon and lime flavour of 7UP. It was perfect for a hot summers day like today. Now where did I put my bottle of Captain Morgan's Spiced Gold?

Melon Pearl Refresha (Starbucks) By @Cinabar

Today has been hot. Too hot. I love a pleasant sunny day, but once the temperature tips over 30°C it just becomes uncomfortable. To cool off, we headed to Starbucks for something chilled and refreshing. I chose a drink from their Refresha range: the Melon Pearl Refresha.

When it arrived, I was struck by how pretty it looked, more striking in person than in the photo. The drink had a gorgeous two-tone effect: a red base from the melon pearls and a summery orange layer on top, like a sunset in a cup. The straw was extra wide, perfect for slurping up the pearls.

Flavour-wise, this drink was exactly what I needed. Ice-cold and wonderfully sweet, the melon taste was spot on for such a hot day. The pearls themselves are clearly the novelty factor, tapping into the same trend as bubble teas. They added a fun twist, once they made it through the straw, they burst in your mouth with a little explosion of melon flavour, giving an extra hit of sweetness.

Overall, the Melon Pearl Refresha was a brilliant pick-me-up on a sweltering day: refreshing, tasty, and a bit of fun too.

Dr Pepper Blackberry (Local Shop) By @Cinabar

I’m a little bit ashamed to say this is from a shop near where I live that I’d never been in before. It’s only a few minutes away and is an independent off-licence. I don’t drink, and Spectre only has the odd one, so we’ve walked past it a number of times. Today, in the search for a bottle of something different, we thought we’d take a look. I wasn’t expecting to find a fabulous import candy section and loads of interesting drinks. I can’t believe I’ve been missing out, so here’s a shout out to all your local shops, do try and support those independents.

Anyway, I came away with sweets, Milka, and pop, which felt like a proper retro experience. First up to sample is this Dr Pepper Blackberry. I chilled it at home and opened it today for some summer refreshment. The flavour is quite subtle. The initial taste is that familiar Dr Pepper vibe, a spiced fruity cola. Then came the sharper, almost sherbet-like berry flavours, which worked beautifully with the base taste. The drink is sweet and has a lot going on for the tastebuds, but I love it. Dr Pepper is a fun drink, and the added blackberry really works with it. I’m really happy with the treat I picked up and can’t wait to finish trying the rest of what we bought, and to head back for more goodies.

Limited Edition Fanta Tutti Frutti (Asda) By @Cinabar

We've had a few warm days recently, so finding a new drink for summer seemed like a great idea. Enter the Limited Edition Fanta Tutti Frutti. It comes in one of those slightly smaller cans and I spotted it near the tills in Asda. The can itself is gorgeous, bright and splashed with every colour going.

First things first, for those who care: this is a zero-sugar drink made with sweeteners. I’m oddly fine with sweeteners in drinks but picky about them in sweets, which makes no sense, but there it is.

I popped the can open and took a sip. It’s super fizzy with loads of bubbles, then the flavour hit. Wow – it really packs a punch. It’s sweet and ridiculously fruity, which is exactly what it promises, but it goes even further. There’s the familiar tropical taste of pineapple, but what really surprised me was a smooth banana note running through it. That twist makes it stand out from the usual tropical offerings.

It’s an ideal drink for a hot day, bursting with flavour and fun. I absolutely loved it and I’ll definitely be picking up more.

Dr Pepper Strawberries and Cream (Import Stall) By @Cinabar

We were recently at a comic con and starting to feel a bit thirsty. I went off to find the person I’d spotted earlier selling cans of pop so I could grab us a couple of drinks. When I reached his stall, I realised he had a whole selection of imported drinks I’d never seen before. I picked a couple to have there and saved this can of Dr Pepper Strawberries and Cream to try when I got home. I chilled it first, of course, because pop always tastes better cold.

The drink had a distinctively sweet Dr Pepper aroma, with a hint of extra fruitiness. I took a sip and was pleasantly surprised by the flavour. Dr Pepper already has that curious, spiced fruity cola taste, and the added strawberry really brought out the fruity notes. The cream part came through as a gentle vanilla, giving the drink a smooth finish that tied everything together. The strawberry flavour wasn’t overpowering and the balance worked well. You definitely need a sweet tooth for this, but that’s true of the original Dr Pepper too.

I’d happily buy it again, though since it came from a quirky import stall at a comic con, I doubt I’ll come across it easily again. Shame, really.

J2O Dragonberry (Morrisons) By @Cinabar

I have to be completely honest. I picked up this multipack of J2O because it was new and I assumed Dragonberry was an actual fruit. Once I got it home and took a closer look, I realised there is no such thing as a Dragonberry. This drink is a blend of dragon fruit and blackberry, which makes a lot more sense now I think about it.

The drink is a lovely pink colour, and the aroma was fruity and appealing. I gave it a sip and found it super refreshing. There was a fresh but sweet flavour from the dragon fruit, with a slight zing at the edge from the blackberry. I really enjoyed the complexity of the taste. It was wonderfully fruity, refreshing, and very easy to drink.

In hindsight, it is just as well I liked it. When I bought these Dragonberry drinks, I not only had no idea what the flavour was meant to be, I also committed to a ten-pack. Luckily, they are so tasty that getting through them will not be a problem.

Pepsi Strawberry and Cream (Tesco) By @Cinabar

We have a small Tesco Express near us, which is perfect for picking up essentials, but it is not always the first to get new products. While popping in for the inevitable bread and eggs, something caught my eye near the till. Neatly stacked multipacks of Pepsi Strawberry and Cream in their pink packaging. It sounded like an adventurous new Pepsi flavour, so I made an impulsive buy.

Once home, I chilled a can in the fridge, ready to enjoy with our pizza night dinner. As I poured it into a glass, the sweet strawberry aroma was immediately noticeable. Taking a sip, I was impressed by the bold strawberry flavour, which reminded me of strawberry sweets. This was followed by a creamy finish before the familiar cola taste took centre stage.

The flavours are intense, seriously sweet and fruity. They might be a bit much for some, and I generally think acidic flavours like lemon or lime pair better with cola. However, this was a fun and different take that worked for me. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would buy it again.

Irn-Bru 1901 Original Flavour (Ocado) By @Cinabar

Irn-Bru is famously Scotland’s favourite soft drink, and one of my colleagues who lives in Edinburgh always has a can on her desk during our Teams calls, which feels like definitive proof. When I was a child, they advertised it as being “made in Scotland, from girders” a slogan you’d think might have put us off, but it didn’t in the slightest.

In 2018, the recipe for Irn-Bru was changed, with sugar-free variants becoming more common. However, this bottle of Irn-Bru 1901 takes us back to the original recipe. Made with sugar and packaged in a glass bottle; which, as we all know, somehow makes soft drinks taste better (through a scientific mechanism I don’t quite understand), it promises a nostalgic experience.

I poured myself a glass and was pleased to see the bright, familiar colour, which hasn’t changed. There was plenty of fizz too, which I appreciated, I do enjoy fizzy drinks, or “pop” as we call them here in the Midlands.

Taking a sip, I found the flavour as delightful as ever. Irn-Bru is notoriously hard to describe to those who’ve never tried it. It’s sweet, with a taste that’s somewhere between bubblegum and spiced orange. It’s such a distinctive flavour that words don’t quite do it justice, if you haven’t tried it, you really must.

This 1901 version offers a softer flavour than the sugar-free editions we’re now used to. It’s smooth, sweet without being sharp, and utterly nostalgic. I thoroughly enjoyed the classic taste and would gladly have it again. That said, it would be an occasional treat due to the sugar content, but it’s certainly one I’d look forward to.

With Burn’s Night approaching, I think I’ll need to get another bottle of Irn-Bru 1901 sooner rather than later.

Shloer Winter Spiced Punch (Ocado) By @Cinabar

I was a bit late in discovering this Shloer Winter Spiced Punch, as it would have been perfect to enjoy over Christmas. However, I managed to find it on offer and picked up two bottles online, which felt like a win. I’ve always liked Shloer drinks, but they tend to be a bit pricier than my usual fizzy drinks, so I usually reserve them for special occasions or when there’s a good deal.

Although this is marketed as a Christmas drink, it’s definitely suitable for the whole winter season. With all the snow we’ve had over the past few days, it feels like the perfect time to enjoy it. Upon opening the bottle, the drink poured out beautifully fizzy, even foaming slightly into my glass, perhaps shaken a bit during delivery!

The first sip was delightful. I adore ‘winter spice’ flavours, and this drink did not disappoint. The warm notes of cinnamon and other spices paired beautifully with the fruity red grape base. I was especially impressed by the balance, plenty of spice, not overly sweet, and clearly designed for an adult palate.

I found it incredibly easy to drink and thoroughly enjoyed the gorgeous fruity, spicy flavour. I’ll definitely be stocking up on a few more bottles while they’re still on offer. It’s the perfect winter warmer for these chilly days!

Baileys Squirty Cream (Morrisons) By @Cinabar

We are in the heart of hot chocolate season, a time for cosy indulgence. To be honest, I drink hot chocolate most of the year, but I officially declare Christmas and winter as hot chocolate season because the shops stock more varieties and flavours during this period.

One of the great things about this season is the range of flavoured creams available for topping. While browsing the chilled section at Morrisons, I came across this fabulous-looking Baileys Squirty Cream and couldn’t resist popping it into my basket.

Once home, I made a steaming mug of hot chocolate, leaving a reasonable gap at the top for decorating. I sprayed a generous swirl of the cream, then added some sprinkles for a festive touch. I think it turned out rather well, don’t you?

The cream itself is delightful. I found myself eating it straight off the spoon! It has a lovely hint of Baileys, sweet and creamy, without being overpowering. The Irish cream flavour blends beautifully with the silky texture, making it a perfect treat.

Spectre, always curious, decided to try some on his low-calorie ice cream for dessert. He was quite impressed with the results and even claimed it elevated his pudding.

This is one of those seasonal products that I know I’ll have to wait a year to see again, so I’ll definitely be picking up another can (or two!) to tide me over. Adding a touch of luxury to my cocoa has never been easier—or tastier.

Belvoir Farm Clementine & Cranberry (Ocado) By @Cinabar

I really enjoy Belvoir drinks, even though they can be a little pricey. When I spotted their new festive flavour, Clementine & Cranberry, on offer, I decided to treat myself to a bottle. The packaging is gorgeous, with some shiny gold accents that make it feel special. I think this would look stunning on a Christmas table—or, like me, you could enjoy it during a cosy night in.

Upon opening the bottle, I noticed a light, delicate aroma with hints of orange. The drink had a lovely fizz, and when poured, it revealed a pleasing pink hue.

The taste was delightful. It wasn’t overly sweet, as some fizzy drinks can be, but instead had a nice complexity. The sharpness of the cranberry was perfectly balanced by the citrusy sweetness of the clementine. I found it very easy to drink and thoroughly enjoyed the flavour. Combining these two classic Christmas fruits creates a harmonious mix of sour and sweet, making it quite moreish.

I’ll definitely keep an eye out for more offers on Belvoir drinks—they’re really rather lovely.

Robinson’s Wicked Amazafying Citrus Twist (Ocado) By @Cinabar

How cool is this bottle of Robinson's new drink? It celebrates the new Wicked movie and, of course, is perfectly timed for a Halloween brew. I might be one of the few people who haven’t seen the musical Wicked, so I am very much looking forward to watching the film. Here we have Robinson’s Wicked Amazafying Citrus Twist.

The drink looks very green in the bottle, a proper Wicked shade of green. The colour remains when it is poured out too. Thankfully this is a double strength drink, so when I added the water, it went much paler and palatable in colour to a light shade of pale green. 

The flavour is lovely; it is a mix of lemon and lime and is sweet and refreshing. The citrus is well balanced, and the drink is easy to sip on and very tasty. They balanced the colour really well, in my opinion. The fab bright green draws attention in the bottle and when you pour it, but thankfully when you dilute it looks much nicer. This Robinson’s Wicked Amazafying Citrus Twist will be perfect as a soft drink for Halloween and something I would buy again. 

Nescafe Aero Peppermint Mocha (Morrisons) By @Cinabar

There have been a lot of new flavours of coffee recently. I’m certainly not complaining, but it seems you can buy an epic array of varieties of flavoured coffee and a very limited selection of interesting hot chocolates. I’m a little bit sad about the lack of hot chocolates, but happy to stock up on interesting coffee.

This is another one in the form of instant sachets: Nescafe Aero Peppermint Mocha. That sounds like a lot of flavours in one drink, but I’m more than happy to give it a go. I opened a sachet and put it into a mug. I added hot water and stirred. Then I followed the instructions, waiting the prescribed 20 seconds before stirring again. Why does it then ask me to tap the mug on the table? I did because I’m good at following instructions, but what does that step do?

Anyway, once it was cooled, I gave it a sip, and the drink was rather lovely. The main focus on flavour is the coffee and chocolate, and the mint is there, adding a refreshing edge to the drink. I’m a peppermint lover; I’d have dialled up the flavour on the mint, but that might be a personal taste. Perhaps I just need to add cream and some Aero Peppermint Bubbles for that extra effect? Either way, I will enjoy the rest of the sachets of this Nescafe Aero Peppermint Mocha, and fingers crossed they will make a hot chocolate too at some point. 

Um Bongo Tropical Drink - It's back! (Iceland) By @Cinabar

People of a certain age reading this blog are about to go all nostalgic for this Um Bongo drink. It was a staple of my childhood, then it disappeared. I can remember the television advertising and most of the words and tune even though it was from several decades ago. Um Bongo Um Bong, they drink it in the Congo. 

Um Bongo has a bit of a patchy history since then; it has had temporary reappearances and then sadly got discontinued again and again. It is now back and available in Iceland, and I would suggest getting this while you can if you are a fan. If you are new to Um Bongo, give it a try and find out what all the fuss is about. Um Bongo is a mix of many tropical fruits and has a distinctive flavour, which for me is mainly pineapple, but with a lovely mix of mango, passion fruit, and mandarin too. I gave the drink a try, and it did taste like I remembered, refreshing and super fruity. It is like a liquidised tropical fruit salad, and I know the nostalgia helps with my enjoyment too. 

Reading the ingredients label, I could see that the ingredients include sucrose, an artificial sweetener, which I’m guessing used to be sugar in the old version, but with sugar taxes, etc., I’m not surprised if this is a switch. I still loved it, and I will go back for more (while it is still available). 

Vimto Discovery Zero: Mango & Dragonfruit (Iceland) By @Cinabar

What better for a warm day than trying out a new soft drink? We regularly buy Vimto here, but mostly we get the regular flavour, and mostly in the form of a cordial. I do always keep an eye out for new flavours, especially when those flavours are a bit different, and I think this is the first time I’ve seen this mix in a drink. The new flavour is Vimto Discovery Zero: Mango & Dragonfruit. I do know what dragonfruit is, but I can’t pretend that it is a regular purchase. I was looking forward to trying it out.

The drink is a lovely pink colour, and there is plenty of fizz packed in. There was a light syrupy aroma while I poured. The flavour is so good. It is sweet and very fruity; the dragonfruit is actually predominant, and then it mellows to the softer tone of mango. It is sweet but refreshing, and such a good new combination for summer. I’m really impressed that Vimto has brought out such a nice new and different flavour. If you are looking for a soft drink that is a bit different, I do thoroughly recommend this Vimto Discovery Zero: Mango & Dragonfruit. 

De Vina Sparkling Strawberry Flavour Drink (Iceland) By @Cinabar

This is a superb-looking drink. Its little secret is that it only costs £2 for a bottle and is a soft drink. That is a lot cheaper than some of the ‘posh’ big brands of soft drinks on the market, which seemed to have upped their price to £3.50+ in some cases. The fab-looking De Vina Sparkling Strawberry Flavour Drink has a cork in the bottle, which is one of those that doesn’t fit back in the bottle after it has been removed. It opened a bit like a bottle of champers. 

The drink had an excellent pop when it opened, and we poured the pink liquid into glasses. The drink looked like it should have gone into fluted glasses, but I’m afraid we just went for tumblers. There was lots of fizz, which helped make it look special. I gave it a taste, and it had good flavour too; it was sweet but not syrupy, and it was delicate with the strawberry taste. It was absolutely lovely. The price makes it the kind of thing I would buy regularly, and the bottle makes me feel like I should keep it for a special occasion. Either way, if you have visitors this summer and you want a nice non-alcoholic drink for a meal or a barbecue, I can’t recommend this De Vina Sparkling Strawberry Flavour Drink enough. I know there was also a mango variety of this drink for sale, and I will definitely be picking up a bottle when I do my next order. 

Drumsticks Squashies Freeze and Squeeze Slushie (Iceland) By @Cinabar

I’m so excited about trying this new slushie drink, as I’m having an evening of re-living my childhood. Tonight we are watching a new version of an old favourite cartoon, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mutant Mayhem. The classic retro sweets are Drumsticks, so how about this Drumsticks Squashies Freeze and Squeeze Slushie to enjoy tonight? 

I bought this slushie from Iceland, but it wasn’t sold frozen, and it states it should be frozen at home. I popped it into the freezer and looked forward to the evening's viewing.

Later that day, we got the film ready, shared out some sweets, and I rescued my Drumsticks Squashies Freeze and Squeeze Slushie from the freezer. It was, and I suppose this is quite obvious in retrospect, frozen into a solid lump. I went back to the packet, and it said to wait 25 minutes at room temperature before squeezing it to break the ice. We started the film, and I patiently waited by setting an alarm on my phone. Stop judging me. I went to squeeze the ice, and it was still solid; there was no give at all. Wow. I waited another five; still nothing. After a further five minutes, it was starting to feel a little softer at the edges. Another five minutes, and it was finally good to go. Luckily, the film is 1h40, so there was plenty of time to still enjoy it during movie night. 

I unscrewed the cap and gave it a try. I realised that my ice breaking hadn’t been sufficient for the ice to squeeze through the lid. I tried again, and some of it finally worked its way up. It was a pink colour, and the flavour was sweet, sharp, raspberry-like, and very nearly almost like drumsticks - but also not quite. That not quite part was the sticking point. It was syrupy and a bit artificial. I know the sweets aren't excatly natural raspberry, but I still like them and this Drumsticks Squashies Freeze and Squeeze Slushie didn't work for me. I didn’t finish it. At least the film was good. 

Blueberry Burst Bubble Tea (Costa) By @Cinabar

As I have been travelling by train on a warm day, I thought I would treat myself to a nice cold drink from the station branch of Costa. Obviously, my eyes were drawn to the new drink on the menu, this Blueberry Burst Bubble Tea. The lady made it quickly for me, as I only had a few minutes before my train, and this meant I forgot to ask for a paper straw. I have no idea how bubble tea works without a straw, but I guess I’m about to find out.

The drink has a two-tone colour effect as the darker bubbles are all at the bottom. I gave it a sip using the hole in the lid, and the drink is very refreshing. It isn’t too sweet; it has the bitterness of ice tea, but there is plenty of blueberry taste, and the balance is nice. Unfortunately, the bubbles stayed at the bottom until the end. When I got to them, I realised they were struggling to make it through the hole in the lid, so I took the top off and gave them a try that way. Each one burst with a sweet blueberry flavour and was spot on. The sweetness was all at the bottom of the drink. What can I say? I wish I had a straw, and I've learned not all beverages are made for takeout.