Trader Joe’s New Festive Soda Might Be Its Best Yet

If you already had festive food burnout, I wouldn’t blame you. The first appearances of foods that lead with gingerbread, cranberry, peppermint, cinnamon, and (especially this year) cookie butter and snickerdoodle flavors are always fun: “It’s time to get cozy,” they all seem to announce, and if you’re anything like me, you work through every new product at a rapid pace. Then, after a few weeks, it’s all too much – and you’re still miles off the holidays. 

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Thankfully, though, when festive foods (and drinks) are really good, they transcend any potential fatigue you might feel. Trader Joe’s new soda might just be one of them. People really love this thing, folks.

Trader Joe’s Cranberry Ginger Prebiotic Soda

Last week, Trader Joe’s debuted its new Cranberry Ginger Prebiotic Soda, the latest flavor in its prebiotic beverage lineup, which includes Cherry Cola, Strawberry Vanilla, and Apple. The latter flavor dropped in September, and customers were quick to praise the Olipop dupe for its punchy taste and real sourness – so those same people would be very justified in any excitement around its new Cranberry Ginger, given that TJ’s clearly knows what to do with tart soda notes.

Thankfully, that excitement was well placed. When its Cranberry Ginger Prebiotic Soda dropped, Trader Joe’s customers met it with a wave of approval. “Probably the best tasting flavor yet,” said one customer on Reddit, while others pointed out the drink doesn’t err too heavily on the side of sweetness and has a proper ginger kick to it. Trader Joe’s isn’t pulling any punches with this one, and with three grams of sugar and a bunch of gut-friendly probiotics, it has a similar nutritional profile to Olipop. 

Clink!

This drink immediately has me thinking of one thing, and one thing only: Festive cocktails. And yes, I know it’s Monday morning, but we all need something to look forward to, don’t we? As such, let me offer you a suggestion for when Friday evening rolls around once more (or if you desire a midweek tipple): Fill a highball glass with ice and add a jigger of gin and a splash of Cointreau or triple sec, before topping it with Cranberry Ginger Prebiotic Soda. Finish it with a squeeze of lemon or lime (plus a wheel of either fruit for decoration, and maybe a few fresh cranberries too), sit back, and enjoy. Call it a twist on a Gin Fizz. But a gut-friendly one. Kinda.