Coney Island made the best of the hard root beers. I tried a few, and theirs was definitely the best. So, I figured I would try out their other wares. This one is a hard soda, so I hope it works out better than the Hard Cherry Cola that Best Damn sells.
The beverage is not orange. I know you can probably see the golden color with (maybe) a slight orange tint, but I really feel the need to point out that this doesn't look like any other orange cream ale or orange cream soda or orange soda or hard orange soda or orange drink or whatever. The aroma is orange cream ale with... a very strong alcohol added. Maybe it's the scent I would expect from a moonshine that was orange flavored.First sip is surprisingly simple and sweet. It's not the alcohol-heavy punch that I had expected from the nose. It's definitely not a standard soda, but it's not exactly hitting me over the head with the fact that it's an adult beverage. Instead, it reminds me of a kind of watered-down version of the orange soda I had the other day, but it has an extra kick of vanilla extract added. So, a full swig, then.
Tip-in is orange syrup and apples. The middle gets a bit harsh - like the rind of the orange is in there with it, and it kind of throws the orange taste with a bit of a grating. Additionally, the orange has a syrupy quality to it that is completely unlike the more watery taste of the sip. The finish comes in with that extract flavor, but it's not harsh vanilla - instead, it's just the bash of chemical artificiality and a bit of alcohol.
Bottom Line: Not as good as their root beer, but better than most other root beers.
2.0/5
