AriZona Made an Egg Cream Soda with Real Milk—Here’s Our Review

Did you know that AriZona charges retailers extra if they want to sell big cans for more than 99 cents? It’s true! That’s how select retailers (*cough cough,* Circle K) sell cans without the “Great Buy! 99¢” callout—that retailer literally paid more so they could charge more. I didn’t go to finance school (or any school), but that seems like a lose-lose for the retailer.

Speaking of AriZona drinks that don’t cost 99 cents, I’ve got my hands on a real anomaly. AriZona’s Chocolate Egg Cream Soda was released earlier this year exclusively in 12-can cases through their webstore for $24.99; $1.11 of every case sold to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. This very weird drink supports a very good cause. I snagged a can of this unique drink from AriZona’s booth at NACS Expo; let’s see whether this egg cream cracks open a whole new soda genre.

New AriZona Flavor!

AriZona Chocolate Egg Cream Soda

AriZona

Pros: Much like a classic New York egg cream, this drink (thankfully) doesn’t actually contain eggs. That said, it does contain real chocolate syrup and real milk. I’ve never had an authentic egg cream before, but this canned take on the classic concept is actually good. (I know, I was surprised too.) Once your brain gets past the reality of drinking a mixture of chocolate syrup and carbonated skim milk, this is genuinely enjoyable as a very chocolatey amalgamation.

Cons: I think AriZona was right to sell this exclusively online to folks who really want it. While I liked the can I had, I don’t have the urge to buy more—for myself, at least. I would love to give samples of this to unsuspecting friends who make the mistake of trusting me sight unseen. Again, it’s not bad—it’s just a rollercoaster of emotions.

Credit: Liv Averett / AriZona

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Is AriZona releasing anything normal in the near future?

Don’t worry, bodega shoppers, the AriZona shelf won’t be overrun with chocolate egg cream sodas or peanut butter cup waters. AriZona is releasing drinks in the near future that we can all get excited about. The biggest upcoming release I heard about at NACS was the revamp of their Fallout energy drink line: We’ll see six flavors hit shelves in smaller 15oz cans in the near future.