I tracked down Pepsi's latest concoction, Holiday Spice, at the Garden Home Thriftway. After seeing all those "elves struggling to drive a big rig" ads, I had to try a bottle. I've kept an eye out for it over the past month but no one in the Portland area seems to have the stuff on their shelves. This probably has to do with the fact that Holiday Spice tastes like a chemical used to make tulips live longer.

More specifically, Holiday Spice tastes like watered-down Pepsi sprinkled with pine needles or at least that's what I think. I subjected two others to the stuff and their interpretations were all over the map. One said it was just like Cherry Cola while the other claimed the taste was closer to Vanilla Coke.

The limited edition soda is almost as versatile as the company's long defunct Josta, which was compared to everything from RC to carbonated coffee. I tracked down Holiday Spices' chemical makeup online and apparently the secret ingredient is cinnamon and ginger. Pepsi + cinnamon + ginger + red dye 50 = soda that tastes like it's been used to marinate a Christmas tree. Who knew?

The official website offers recipes for Holiday Spice cookies, yams and brine. Soda-soaked yams might make an interesting conversation piece but I think I'll pass.