Soda du Jour

Why should soup alone enjoy the privilege of being changed every day, while the same old soft drinks are dispensed from machines? Why should chefs be the only ones to exercise their creativity daily with new recipes and concoctions? Teams of eager flavor chemists sit idle with ideas for new soft drink flavors and colors!

Imagine a spot at your local soda fountain next to the staples of fizzy drinks, which changes as soon as the single syrup bag is consumed. Each batch will be one-of-a-kind, and assigned a different name and identifying serial number. On the dispenser, a mix number will identify the particular blend.

In any restaurant participating in the Soda du Jour program, each paper cup can have a write-in spot so customers can record the number and later post their ratings on a weblink printed on the cup. Servers can also distribute a card with similar fields to dine-in customer who don't take a cup with them.

What's on tap this week? Blue berry? Green mint? Maybe a fruity purple power drink! Or, just maybe, on some beautiful rare day, bubble-gum flavored soda will return to the taps. It won't be difficult to sort through the huge list of failed or partially successful flavor ideas for combinations that will make customers happy, at least for a short run"

Blue-moon Clove and cardamom drink, reminiscent of kulfi served in India Violet Clove Citrus Pineapple Licorice Bitters / old fashioned Apple Vanilla cream Watermelon Willow Sage Chamomile Cinnamon Blueberry Flavors from heart-shaped valentine candies Marshmallow Ginseng Sorghum Honey Cranberry Roasted corn (a la Korean corn tea) Maple

Who knows? Maybe beverage suppliers will stumble upon some new combination that customers enjoy. At the very least, limited edition blends will keep adventurous customers guessing and keep them coming back. Reserving a spot for the Soda du Jour will avoid the risk of introducing a big flop, since they don't need to repeat a particular flavor. However, if a response to the website is strong enough, they could repeat it a few more times to see if the trend continues.

Similar, but now with entirely new flavors to track