Fish sauce. Eel. Ranch dressing. Turkey and gravy.
All perfectly reasonable things to eat. But somebody, somewhere, decided they belonged in a fizzy drink.
And here’s the really strange part: some of these sodas taste nothing like their names. Others apparently taste a little too much like the real thing.
Take Eel Cola. Despite containing actual eel extract, one reviewer thought it tasted surprisingly normal. Sweet Corn Soda? Let’s just say the corn flavor isn’t particularly shy.
We dug into 11 of these weird soda flavors to find out what’s actually inside them and what people who’ve tried them say they taste like.
About the tasting reports: We haven’t tasted these drinks ourselves. Flavor descriptions come from linked reviewers, and older reviews may not reflect today’s formulations.
1. Mehikari Fish Sauce Cider: Yes, There’s Actual Fish Sauce Inside
Fish sauce belongs in a stir-fry, not a soda. But somebody in Japan clearly disagreed.
Mehikari Fish Sauce Cider really does contain fish sauce. It’s right there on the ingredient list, alongside sugar, carbonation, and caramel coloring.
The product listing says the fish sauce adds a savory richness. And that brownish color? Apparently, that’s from caramel coloring, not the fish sauce.
But does it actually taste fishy? We couldn’t find a dependable independent taste test to settle that question.
For now, the ingredient list alone is enough to make us raise an eyebrow.
2. Eel Cola: The Fishy Flavor Might Sneak Up on You
Imagine buying eel-flavored cola and being disappointed because it tastes too normal.
That’s essentially what happened when SoraNews24 tried Japan’s Unagi Cola in 2015. Despite containing eel extract, it tasted surprisingly similar to regular cola.
But another SoraNews24 reporter had a different experience in 2021.
At first, he thought it tasted like watered-down cola. Then he let it warm up.
That’s when the eel flavor appeared, lingering in his throat afterward.
So apparently, the trick to tasting the eel might be giving it time.
Which is not something we ever expected to say about soda.
3. Turkey & Gravy Soda: Even the Company Didn’t Love the Original
Thanksgiving dinner in a soda bottle? Jones Soda actually did it back in 2003.
But here’s the funny part.
When the company revived Turkey & Gravy Soda in 2021, its beverage developer admitted the earlier version had a problem.
In a 2022 interview with InsideHook, Sarah Colbert said the old formulation tasted more like salty water than turkey and gravy.
So Jones adjusted the recipe to bring out more savory, peppery, gravy-like notes.
Colbert also admitted she didn’t personally love the flavor as a beverage.
Apparently, even the people making Thanksgiving soda aren’t necessarily lining up for a second glass.
4. Curry Ramune: Japan Brought Drinkable Curry Back After Nearly 20 Years
Curry over rice? Absolutely.
Curry in a cold, fizzy drink? That’s a tougher sell.
But Japan’s Kimura Drink first released Curry Ramune in 2007. And nearly two decades later, the company decided it deserved another chance.
In May 2026, Kimura relaunched the soda, saying it had recreated the original recipe.
The manufacturer describes a spicy curry aroma combined with the refreshing fizz of ramune.
We couldn’t establish how the relaunched version tastes from a dependable independent review.
Still, somebody looked at a curry-flavored soda from 2007 and thought, You know what? We should bring that weird soda flavor back.
And honestly, we admire the commitment.
5. Mustard Soda: Apparently, It Tastes Like Deviled Eggs Smell
Mustard belongs on hot dogs, burgers, and sandwiches.
Lester’s Fixins decided it also belonged in soda.
And the results sound about as questionable as you’d imagine.
In a tasting video, reviewer The Soda Jerk noticed a strong vinegar flavor, with the sugar making it somewhat more tolerable.
But the comparison that really stood out was deviled eggs.
Not the taste of deviled eggs, exactly. The smell of them.
Now imagine that experience with carbonation.
Maybe mustard lovers would appreciate the effort. But we suspect even they have limits.
6. Ranch Dressing Soda: The Flavor That Wouldn’t Go Away
Ranch dressing belongs on salads, chicken wings, and maybe pizza. But in a soda bottle?
Lester’s Fixins somehow decided that creamy, tangy dressing needed bubbles.
And what does it taste like? Apparently, not the cool, creamy ranch you’d expect. One published taster compared the flavor to blue cheese, while another found the experience downright unpleasant.
The problem might be that ranch loses much of its appeal without that familiar creamy texture.
It’s one thing to dip your chicken wings in ranch. Washing them down with ranch-flavored soda? That’s a different adventure.
7. Bacon Soda: Bacon Bits or Burnt Wood?
Bacon makes almost everything better. Burgers, sandwiches, even donuts. But someone at Lester’s Fixins decided it belonged in a soda bottle, too.
So does it actually taste like bacon?
Well, that depends on whom you ask.
One person in a Facebook tasting discussion compared it to a cold piece of burnt wood, while another described watered-down Big Red with a heavy dose of Liquid Smoke.
But a 2017 taste tester actually enjoyed it, saying the flavor reminded them of bacon bits.
Apparently, bacon soda is a gamble. You might get bacon bits, or you might get something closer to a campfire.
8. Pickle Sparkling Water: The Pickle Drink Without Pickle Juice
Pickle-flavored sparkling water sounds like somebody poured leftover pickle brine into a can.
But that’s not how YEW makes its version.
According to YEW’s ingredient information, it contains sparkling water, kombucha, cucumber and dill-pickle flavorings, lactic acid, and salt.
The company explicitly says there’s no pickle juice.
And unlike novelty drinks made to shock people, YEW markets this as something refreshing to enjoy with burgers, sandwiches, and other rich foods.
So maybe the strangest part isn’t the pickle flavor.
It’s that somebody looked at fizzy pickle water and thought, This would be lovely with lunch.
9. Milkis: The Milky Soda That Isn’t a Joke
Milk in soda sounds like something somebody invented after losing a bet.
But South Korea’s Milkis is a real, established soft drink, not a prank product.
And the dairy connection isn’t just clever branding.
Lotte’s Japanese ingredient information lists skim milk powder alongside sugars and carbonation.
The result is a sweet, creamy, fizzy drink that the company even recommends pairing with spicy foods.
And that’s what makes Milkis different from most of the other drinks here.
Something that sounds bizarre if you’ve never encountered it can be perfectly ordinary somewhere else.
10. Grass Soda: Does It Really Taste Like a Freshly Mowed Lawn?
Freshly cut grass smells wonderful. But would you ever want to drink it?
Rocket Fizz apparently thought so, creating a weird soda that promises the taste of a freshly mowed lawn.
Surprisingly, the flavor isn’t quite what you’d expect. People who’ve tried it have described green apple, herbal notes, and even the smell of a freshly opened pack of tennis balls.
So instead of drinking your backyard, you might end up with something closer to fruity candy with a grassy twist.
Still, there’s something wonderfully ridiculous about turning lawn clippings into a soft drink.
11. Sweet Corn Soda: Unfortunately, It Really Tastes Like Corn
Sweet corn is delicious with butter and a little salt. But apparently, someone decided it needed carbonation, too.
Lester’s Fixins Sweet Corn Soda takes one of the most familiar side dishes and turns it into a fizzy drink.
And here’s the surprising part: it apparently tastes remarkably like corn.
People who’ve tried it describe a sweet, canned-corn flavor, sometimes so convincing that it almost feels like drinking the liquid from a can of corn. One Reddit commenter who tried it even described the corn flavor as accurate but overwhelmingly strong.
It’s one of the few outrageous sodas that seems to deliver exactly what the label promises.
Whether that’s a good thing is another matter..
Which Weird Sodas Actually Taste Like Their Names?
After looking into these drinks, something interesting emerged.
The strangest-sounding soda isn’t necessarily the strangest-tasting one.
Some contain unusual ingredients but taste relatively ordinary. Others recreate familiar foods a little too convincingly. And a few leave reviewers completely divided.
Here’s how the better-documented examples compare.
| Soda | What it reportedly tastes like |
|---|---|
| Eel Cola | Mostly ordinary cola, although one reviewer noticed an eel-like aftertaste |
| Turkey & Gravy | The original was described as salty water; the reformulation aimed for savory gravy notes |
| Mustard | Vinegar, sweetness, and an aroma reminiscent of deviled eggs |
| Ranch Dressing | Funky, cheese-like flavors rather than creamy ranch |
| Bacon | Bacon bits to some, burnt wood or heavy smoke to others |
| Grass | Green apple, herbal notes, and unusual grassy aromas |
| Sweet Corn | Recognizable sweet corn, with some tasters finding the flavor overwhelming |
The biggest surprise might be the difference between Eel Cola and Sweet Corn Soda.
One contains actual eel extract, yet some tasters barely notice it. The other apparently tastes so much like corn that people wonder why anyone would want to drink it.
Which just goes to show that making a soda taste exactly like its label isn’t always an achievement.
And after all this, we’re still pretty sure we’d rather eat our turkey and gravy than drink it.
