With its tangy, fresh raspberry flavor and just enough vanilla to remind you of sherbet, Olipop's new drink is the perfect summer sipper—and worthy of a Taste of Home Award.
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The first time I heard the expression “beverage goblin,” I realized that my need to sip multiple drinks at once wasn’t just my own personal quirk. Most of us goblins opt to keep a hydrating drink, a caffeinated drink and a fun wildcard drink on hand all day long. That way our taste buds are never bored! The wildcard is my favorite to shop for, and it’s how I’ve discovered sublime drinks like pineapple ginger beer and the prebiotic soda brand everyone is obsessed with: Olipop.
Olipop belongs to a growing category of fizzy soft drinks made with dietary fibers called prebiotics. Everyone is talking about “fibermaxxing” now, so it’s no surprise that fiber-added prebiotic sodas are everywhere. Manufacturers brand them as healthier alternatives to traditional sodas, which contain more sugar.
Each can of Olipop contains 6 to 9 grams of plant fiber depending on the flavor, which is no small amount (really—start with one a day). But honestly the health claims aren’t what swayed me; I tried Olipop out of curiosity. I’d been seeing it all over social media and wanted to know what the hype was about. It was so refreshing that I started picking a different flavor from the chilled case each time I went to the grocery store, sipping it while I shopped to give myself a little treat.
So when I saw Raspberry Sherbet Olipop shining on the shelf in all its bright neon pink glory, my hand reached out for a can like E.T. reaching for Elliot. (I’m a child of the 80s; neon is embedded in my soul.)
I cracked it open, took a swig and realized I needed to add a few more to my cart—and that I needed to make it a Taste of Home Award winner. Since it’s a seasonal flavor, consider this an alert to try it while you can.
Raspberry Sherbet Olipop
Olipop’s Raspberry Sherbet Tastes Nostalgic and New at the Same Time
As a kid, I loved orange soda, lime slushies and those round, foil-covered plastic bottles of “juice” in unnatural shades of blue and green. But drinking too much sugar now gives me a headache, and heavy-handed artificial flavoring turns me off after a sip or two. Olipop is sweet but not aggressively sweet, and flavors like strawberry vanilla and tropical punch taste like grown-up versions of the drinks I enjoyed when I was younger.
Raspberry sherbet has always been a favorite of mine, and I lament that it’s been pushed to the fringes of the ice cream aisle as an old-fashioned option along with rum raisin and butter pecan. I wanted Raspberry Sherbet Olipop to have the sweet, bright, lightly creamy taste that defines sherbet, without the dairy—and it totally delivered.
The can design may be retro, but the taste is fresh and decidedly raspberry. Red raspberry and lemon juice work together, with the raspberry sweetness hitting your palate first and then fading into a tart, clean finish. There’s no funny aftertaste, but there’s just enough vanilla to remind you of its sherbet inspiration. The combination makes me think of fresh berries and whipped cream.
Although Olipop’s Raspberry Sherbet is carbonated, it has a moderate amount of bubbles. I normally favor a level of effervescence that burns slightly and tingles the sinuses, but that amount would feel out of place in a drink with dessert-like flavor notes. There’s just enough fizz to pair well with the drink’s acidity while leaving space for the more delicate, creamy finish.
Where to Find Olipop’s Raspberry Sherbet
Raspberry Sherbet is one of Olipop’s shelf-stable products, so you might spot it in the regular beverage aisle or in a refrigerated case. It’s a limited-time flavor, so if you’re like me and dedicated to trying all the new varieties, don’t wait to pick it up. I had to know how long my new favorite would be around, so I reached out to Olipop and learned that the Raspberry Sherbet should be available through the summer at stores like Target, Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons, Publix, HEB, Whole Foods and Sprouts. You can also order it from Amazon, Instacart or directly from Olipop.
I’ve seen it included in a variety pack at Costco—perfect if you’re new to Olipop and not sure which flavor to start with. I vote for the Raspberry Sherbet!
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