HotLips is a hot soda pop brand, family-run and located in Portland, Oregon. They’ve been concocting fruit-based batches of refreshing bubbly since 2005 – 
sourcing locally grown fruit, refining the processing & manufacturing, rolling out new flavors, expanding distribution, and listening to customer’s requests for “less tiny seeds in the strawberry, please.”
We recently had the opportunity to test their latest handcrafted flavor, Cranberry – it’s a hit in our book. How do they do it? Fresh batches of Stevens and Yellow River varieties of cranberries from Seaview Farms arrive at HOTLIPS bottling plant in Newberg, Oregon. The berries are cooked in kettles, blended with NW grown pear juice for a happy dose of light sweetening (no other sugar is added), then it’s lightly carbonated and pasteurized. The fruit-derived soda is distributed in bottles made from 80% recycled, locally sourced glass. Just twist off the cap and Voila! Instant fruity refreshment.
We’ve drunk it straight and are happy to report that it doesn’t leave one’s mouth feeling dry or parched, like a “whole” cranberry juice can. The tartness of the cranberry is well balanced by the addition of pear juice delivering a dose of sweetness that we seem to desire when drinking soda. The carbonation also adds a nice level of sparkling hydration and refreshment, too.
Vodka lovers that we are, we also added Cranberry Soda to a shot of vodka and added a twist of lime. Very fine.
Not for bargain hunters – this handcrafted soda pop retails for $2.75/each or a 6-pack for $11. (when you buy a 6-pack, you can mix & match flavors) … buy online @ hotlipssoda.com
full disclosure: we received a complimentary 6-pack for the purposes of this trial, no strings attached.
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Thanks for the review! Cranberry HOTLIPS and vodka are a great match.
I’d like to add that the cranberries in our pop are single strength, meaning they’ve never been concentrated, so they retain the amazing flavors that are normally cooked out. Also Scott (the farmer that grows the fruit) has lead the effort to grow cranberries sustainably and his farm is both Salmon Safe and Food Alliance certified. Seaveiw Farm is located in Southern Oregon in Curry County, hard hit by the collapse of the lumber industry. Cranberry farming is one of the economic hopes of the area, so beside the great taste there are several reasons to enjoy a bottle of HOTLIPS Cranberry Soda.
Sometimes don’t you just wish you could strap a rocket onto your house and launch it to your destination city of choice? In this case it would definitely be Portland, not only for HotLips Soda (Boysenberry Ice Cream Floats!), but for the HotLips Pizza restaurants. So many ridiculously delicious vegan options on the menu! Oh Portland, you are so lucky. :)