A former Mercury Food and Drink editor must have been off his game one afternoon, because we accidentally wound up with a sample of a non-alcoholic product. Seattle’s DRY Soda—a forty-five to seventy calorie alternative to both the insipid penury of water and the syrupy vicissitudes of Faygo—nicely bridges the gap between the two. I have big dreams of getting together a little money and offering an iced decanter of it the next time fancy people like A-Ha and John Irving come over. (As it is currently on sale at New Seasons for $3.99/four pack, down from $5.99, perhaps this dream is closer than ever before.)

Flavors include Cucumber, Vanilla Bean, Lime, Blood Orange, and Juniper, and like any self-respecting premium beverage, their website is complete with cocktail recipes. As one who simply cannot stomach more Talking Rain, I found these sodas a lovely, balanced, natural-tasting refreshment in the treacherous sub-140 calorie segment.