The London company may have an established on date of 1886 on the front label, but Franklin & Sons is a new brand to me in the U.S., at least. (Turns out the brand was relaunched in 2015 after a few decades of dormancy.)

Now aiming to compete with high-end mixer makers like Fever-Tree and Q Sodas, Franklin & Sons provides a range of mixers, including tonics, lemonades, colas, and other soft drinks. Today we look at the sole bottle the brand sent us, a sparkling pink grapefruit soda.

It’s a totally solid grapefruit mixer, delightful in a paloma and even better on its own. Moderately sweetened (with 10 grams of beet sugar per 200ml bottle), that inimitable sweet-sour-bitter grapefruit essence comes across perfectly — though it’s closer to a soda (think Squirt) than most mixers of its ilk. It’s made from concentrate, so don’t expect chunks of fruit like you might find in some high-end brands, but in simple cocktails or if you just want a splash in something instead of soda or tonic you may not miss the pulp.

Think of it as a high-end soda instead of a Fever-Tree competitor and you’re on the right track.

A- / $2 per 200ml bottle / franklinandsons.co.uk

Franklin & Sons Sparkling Pink Grapefruit

$2

9

Rating

9.0/10