The bright side of blogger envy  is that on the other side of some of those Instagram photos is a review…and a giveway. Way back in July, Jenn reviewed Cascal soda on her blog , and although I didn’t win the giveaway, she encouraged me to contact the company and see if they might work with ME to do a similar sampler situation.

Lucky for me, they obliged.

Although I would have been content with just the lime green lunchbox–which I use every day, and has made a number of cameos in blog and IG photos since school began–I also had the pleasure of receiving all five of Cascal’s delicious flavors .  What makes Cascal unique? Not only were the flavors crafted by a collection of chefs, each can has only 60-80 calories with no added sugar. The light and refreshing combination of soft drink and fermentation results in an effervescent tang of bubbly joy. I think my original comment on Jenn’s blog pretty much sums up my feelings on the situation:

And let me say…Cascal met all of my expectations.

I’m not a big wine drinker, but the Ripe Rouge and Crisp White varieties were like deep, complex wine spritzers in a can. I actually felt a little weird about drinking one at school…

crisp white: pear, apricot, magnolia

 Friday night with a can of Cascal and a chick flick? Don’t mind if I do.

ripe rouge: cherry, rose, chocolate

The Berry Cassis had the richest, deepest flavor, also a bit like a deep red wine, but lightened by the crispness of the carbonation. Some people take a glass of wine to bed…I took a Mason jar of Cascal . [Wine pairs with apples, right? So why not wine-like soda?]

berry cassis: black currant, tangerine, lemon

The last two flavors were much lighter, and much more like sparkling juice than wine…although the fermentation process does still provide a hint of ‘hmmmm?’ I enjoyed the Bright Citrus alongside leftover vegan enchiladas  from Lauren ‘s vegetarian beer pairing dinner , and it proved the perfect counterpart for the spicy, savory dish.

bright citrus: lemongrass, tangerine, pineapple

When told to bring our own drinks to the fall Forage supper club , I chose to bring my last can of Cascal. The Fresh Tropical might not have paired very well with the rest of the meal, or the chilly temperatures, but the taste of it took me to a warmer place, one of paper umbrellas and sunny skies.

fresh tropical: mango, jasmine, kaffir lime

Want to win a lunchbox full of your very own collection of Cascal, so you, too, can say “CHEERS!” to the poppin’ good flavor of a soft drink lover’s fermented dreams come true?

Simply leave a comment telling me which flavor sounds most intriguing to you, and what you might pair it with. [The website has suggested pairings !]

• Follow Cascal on twitter [@CheersCascal]
• Follow me on twitter [@thesmartkitchen]
• Tweet about the giveaway: @thesmartkitchen is saying @cheerscascal and wants YOU to celebrate too: win a sampler pack of every flavor! http://tinyurl.com/awwgkhe