Coming from the Abita Brewery based out of New Orleans (or close to it), this is a weird one.

King Cake is also weird. It’s sugar on sugar with some cinnamon. There’s frosting, there are pounds of sprinkles, some cinnamon, and cake-like bread. I’ve had it before and didn’t understand the appeal, but it’s one of those cultural things that has a lot of history.

This beverage tries to latch onto that nostalgia and falls short. You taste the cinnamon, which can be good in a soda, but the artificial flavoring they use to replicate frosting and sprinkles is awful. It ends up sort of bitter and funky. The first sip was pleasant, but it killed my palate for everything after. The second take was terrible.

I don’t recommend this soda. I only halfway recommend king cake. This soda earned a 3.5 out of 10 because I was able to drink it without gagging. Obviously, I would never try it again. I labeled it as a novelty soda, but I’m not sure that it’s intended as a novelty. It could be a 100% sincere attempt at a boutique flavor.

Catalog:
Purchased at Rocket Fizz on Capitol Hill in Seattle. Sampled on 7/17/2016.