It’s been a while since the Shameless Consumer has reviewed a beverage product, and I’m thinking it’s high time we took a look at a classic. No, I’m not talking about distilled virgin blood, this here is Saranac Orange Cream.
I’m trying to come up with a funny followup to the introduction of this review, but my attention is being drawn to a child across the street who is presently emitting the kind of shrieks you might hear while punching a vegetarian while using puppies as boxing gloves. The actual story isn’t as interesting, I’m sure, but given the racket I’d like to at lest assume that something of importance is going on.
Saranac’s hand crafted orange cream goes all the way back to 1888, the year that Selma Waksman was born, Nobel Prize winner for his discovery of Streptomycin, also known as the cure for Tuberculosis. It also happens to be the year that indie artist Vincent Van Gogh famously cut off his ear in an attempt to settle an overdue bill owed to a local prostitute.
Saranac describes its product as:
Hand-crafted in the style and tradition of our world-class Saranac Root Beer, Saranac Orange Cream will take you back to the days of the old soda fountains, where mouth watering oranges and real cream were mixed to make a delicious, wonderful treat.
Now the Shameless Consumer isn’t old enough to remember the soda fountains, but the place that I worked at did have old soda fountains, and I think that should count for something.
As for the soda itself, Saranac’s Orange Cream is heavy on the orange, light on the cream. You can really taste the orange oils that went into this product. There isn’t any actual cream in the product, barring whatever is in the “natural and artificial flavors” section, so really all you’re left with is orange, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Unfortunately for those of you looking for nostalgia, the second ingredient is high fructose corn syrup. US manufacturers didn’t start using HFCS until around 1984, bringing Saranac’s old world expertise into question.
Health questions aside, the difference between HFCS and real cane sugar is readily apparent, and Saranac brings in both the HFCS taste and aftertaste you’ve come to know and probably hate if this paragraph is in any way relevant to your interests.
Overall, I have to say that Saranac is not a bad orange cream, even if it isn’t creamy in the slightest. For $1, I’d probably keep a few around for a hot summer day
Verdict – 3/5: High fructose corn syrup and a lack of cream make this a decent orange soda.
Calories – 180
Sodium – 15mg
Carbs – 45g
Sugar – 45g
The Shameless Consumer 