New & Notable: Italian-Grown Citrus Effervescence

Did you know that citrus was first brought to Italy as early as 850 A.D.? While it isn’t native to the area, thanks to Italy’s warm climate with mild winters and wind, the sweet, tangy fruit quickly became a mainstay. Nowadays, Sicily stands out as thee spot for Italian citrus cultivation and sales. There’s simply something magical about a grove of orange trees backdropped by the cerulean blue vastness of the Mediterranean Sea.

This winter, citrus imported from Italy and extended vacations on the beaches of Sicily might not be within arm’s reach, but a glass bottle with bubbly, fresh-squeezed Italian citrus juice is! While you may be preoccupied with peeling into bright, juicy orbs of winter sunshine in the form of a satsuma or a Rio Star grapefruit, we’re also excited to introduce you to a fantastically fizzy drink that’s perfect for dinner parties, or you know, just because: Organic Sparkling Italian Sodas from CADIA.

Available in Blood Orange, Pomegranate, and Lemon, these Italian sodas are gluten-free, vegan, USDA-certified organic, and best of all, made in Italy. To achieve this sparkling drink’s beautifully bright colors and peak-season flavor, CADIA only uses hand-harvested fruit that’s picked at peak ripeness to ensure that those sweet, juicy flavors are infused into each bottle.

Made with just a few simple ingredients, these drinks are delicious all on their own, but we recommend trying them in your favorite cocktail or mocktail or poured over a scoop of Co-op vanilla ice cream for a citrusy twist on an ice cream float!

And in case you wanted a little Italian soda history lesson, funny enough, though these Italian sodas from CADIA are made in Italy, Italian sodas as we know them actually originated right here in the United States. When Torani, a syrup brand from Italy first came to the United States to start their company, they introduced what became known as an Italian soda to the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California. From then on, bottled Italian sodas started popping up in restaurants and stores and naturally, many people assumed they were invented in the country of their namesake.