Some people like trying new wines, beer or other alcoholic beverages when they travel. I though enjoy trying regional sodas wherever I go.
I found my new favorite soda, spruce beer, after a trip to Montreal. The drink is a favorite of many French Canadians. It is supposed to be an acquired taste, but I loved it on the first sip. It tastes a little like 7Up, but with a pine flavor.
First Nations and early settlers of Quebec brewed spruce beer prior to the 1700s to combat kidney illnesses, stomach upset and scurvy. For years, many people in Quebec made the beverage at home in their bathtubs.
Paul Patates, a diner in Montreal, is the only place you can still try spruce beer that’s made the old fashioned way. It’s brewed in the diner after hours using a recipe of water, sugar, yeast and spruce oil. The drink has to be refrigerated. The recipe comes from the now closed restaurant, Émile Bertrand. Paul Patate’s poutine is also famous.
Now that’s a local travel gem worth looking up the next time I’m in Montreal. The poutine is among the best looking I’ve ever seen.
DrFumblefinger, if you ever visit, do get the poutine, it’s as good as it looks. Yum!!
Travel Rob : Thanks for the memories. I can still taste it ! 😉