Soarin' Strawberry Lemonade Kool-Aid:
I'm not sure I feel about it yet, but I would've been all over this "Soarin' Strawberry Lemonade" stuff as a kid. As if the unbeatable combination of lemonade and strawberries wasn't enough, they tacked on that soarin' adjective -- an obvious attempt from Kraft to mislead kids into believing they'd be able to fly after drinking Soarin' Strawberry Lemonade Kool-Aid. The people at Kraft were bastards like that.
See, the Kool-Aid Man was smart. He didn't go nuts with the gimmicks and special effects for Kool-Aid flavors that didn't really need it. Hey, look no further than
Sharkleberry Fin, probably my favorite flavor ever even though it was part banana, and why? Because the Kool-Aid Man
knew it needed a big foam talking shark to inspire interest.
But Soarin' Strawberry Lemonade? A mix like that needs no ketchup. Thus, here our hero is seen in only his most casual attire, surrounded by package graphics that are adequate but nonetheless basic. You cannot mash up lemons and strawberries and not have a winner -- kids were
going to drink this. Why garnish perfection?
And yup, it's really, really good. The lemonade half perfectly tarts up the always-awesome presence of artificial strawberry flavoring, conspiring to taste like something more akin to a "real" juice, like the kind Minute Maid makes. It's one of the more dangerous Kool-Aid flavors in that one could easily down a whole pitcher before the stomach ache kicks in. Easily one of the most realistic-to-fruit varieties of 'em all, Soarin' Strawberry Lemonade doesn't have the psychological edge of a Berry Blue or Pink Swimmingo, but crap this good can survive on taste alone.
--
Matt
