Winner
M. Schneider & Son Sodas by Crowsnest Craft Soda Inc.
Made in Calgary
$4 to $5 per 16-oz. can
Instagram @mschneiderandson
The Classic Cola by M. Schneider & Son Sodas has distinctly nostalgic branding: “Delicious and invigoratin’!” appears on the vintage-styled, matte-black can in an old-timey typeface. “I’m fascinated by the idea of creating something that tastes so good that it defines authenticity,” says Matthew Schneider, CEO of Crowsnest Craft Soda Inc., which produces the cola. “I also wanted to create a look and feel for the packaging that seems like it must be generations old, even though it’s a new product.”
Schneider first got the idea to create his own cola more than six years ago while living in Austria (his wife, Viktoria, is Austrian). To create the ultimate cola flavour, he enlisted the help of a pharmacist friend with a well-rounded understanding of chemistry. Schneider wanted his cola to be free of phosphoric acid and instead used natural essential oils to create a deeper, smoother flavour reminiscent of a classic soda fountain beverage that stands apart from contemporary, mass-produced soda products.
M. Schneider & Son Sodas are built on Schneider’s line of soda syrups, which have been available since 2019 and are sold at retailers across the province, including Safeway and Sobeys. Launched in April 2023, the sodas are manufactured in Calgary at New Level Brewing in three classic flavours: cola, cherry cola and root beer. The canned sodas also mark the start of a new era for the company — after the birth of his son, Charlie, in March 2023, Schneider added “& Son” to the company name, excited to create a family legacy based on the motto “we make the world taste good.”
What the judges said: “From the vintage packaging, to the classic taste, M. Schneider & Son provides an easy-drinking soda that may as well have been passed to you by a soda jerk at an old-fashioned soda shoppe!” Jonathan Barembruch
Non-Alcoholic Drink Category Runners-up
Quench Hop Water by Cabin Brewing Company
Made in Calgary
$8 (pack of four)
cabinbrewing.ca
Hops are the flowers that grow on hop plants, which are commonly used as a bittering and stability agent in many varieties of beer. The dried hop flowers contain an oily resin, which gives beer its distinctive bite. Hop water is sparkling water flavoured with hops, providing that hint of herbaceous flavour that beer drinkers know and love, in a refreshing, non-alcoholic thirst-quenching beverage.
To create its Quench Hop Water, Cabin Brewing Company uses Rocky Mountain water that is filtered, carbonated and flavoured with pellets of different hop varieties. Quench comes in four unique flavours, which can be purchased individually or in a mixed pack: citrus with pine notes, grapefruit, pineapple and mango. “The hop blend is critical — hops can be very bitter, especially when infused in a non-sweet liquid like water,” says Cabin Brewing Company founder and owner Haydon Dewes. “Too much and the beverage becomes bitter and undrinkable. Too few and the aroma just isn’t there.”
Bee’s Knees by Wild Folk
Made in Calgary
$22 (pack of four)
drinkwildfolk.com
Zero-proof canned cocktail company Wild Folk’s Bee’s Knees is a take on the famous Prohibition-era drink. While the original was created to help mask the smell and bitter taste of amateurly brewed alcohol, there’s nothing to hide in a can of Wild Folk’s Bee’s Knees, which builds on its lemon and honey base with added notes of red clover, juniper and peppercorn.
Founder Dalia Kohen established Wild Folk in 2021 after she saw the need for more intentional non-alcoholic options while serving sober customers in her former restaurant The Coup. Along with the Bee’s Knees, Wild Folk also produces zero-proof versions of a negroni and a vermouth spritz, as well as The Bitter Tongue, a limited edition amaro mixer.
Porter’s Tonic Dill Fennel Syrup by Porter’s Tonic
Made in Calgary
$16
porterstonic.com
Nicole Fewell started Porter’s Tonic in Calgary more than 10 years ago. Fewell previously operated a food truck business, Cheezy Bizness, and used its kitchen to develop the tonic syrup recipes she now sells through a separate business, Porter’s Tonic.
Fewell has since moved production out of the truck and into a facility in Okotoks. She produces five small-batch flavours: original, lemon lavender thyme, cardamom orange (her personal favourite), dill fennel and hibiscus.
Her Dill Fennel tonic is flavoured with wild cinchona bark and sweetened with organic agave. “The flavour is so exciting, and I think that there is nothing else like it in the market,” Fewell says. “I love how the savoury notes mix with just soda and a splash of lemon juice. It makes an excellent mocktail just on its own, but pairs extremely well with gin and chartreuse.”
