Skal Premium Mango Drink

Japan Makes the World's Finest Mango Soda. It's Science.

Name: Skal Premium Mango Drink
Category: Soft Drink (Bottled)
Ethnicity: Japanese
Brand: Minaniniho

If we were to look at the history of soda flavors, Mango would probably not be remembered as a powerful, influential, or popular choice. Mango isn't even common fruit indigenous to Japan, the manufacturing country. But wouldn't you know it, Japan has figured out a way to take Mango soda and make it a smashing tropical success. I say Mango soda but it's more like a Mango soft drink. This drink is half carbonated and half still, producing a gentle and delicate bubbly effervescent mouthfeel that proves seriously refreshing.  It is, however, a soda in that it tastes like candy; a sugary squishy mango gummy to be exact. For one, it is quite sugary and mimics the sweetness that only candies and fruity nectars share. Secondly it is balanced elegantly by the sourness found in mangoes and the hyperbolic candies that inspire them. Overall, this drink is more sophisticated than people might initially think. Along with bright mango flavors, there are sweet exotic notes of lychee and mangosteen.  Though it has sweet candy qualities, it is not overly sweet. Though it tastes like a mango candy, it also tastes like a real mango. And unlike a soda, overly packed with carbonated fizzies, its bubbles are light and mellow. It's a spring and summer drink; one that would balance a plate of pan-fried gyoza or a spicy noodle soup. Its fruity bursting flavors and refreshing nature make put Skal as the finest mango soft drink I've come across as of yet. 

Rating: A- (The Perfect Mango Soda When You Need Sweet, Sweet Refreshment)

1 Comment

John Mazur

Ethnic food is a serious passion of mine. I have developed a brand new site that focuses on sampling, critiquing, and enjoying brand new foods and snacks from around the world. My mission is to show the world that global foods should be shared, experienced, and cherished by everyone.