Rapscallion Soda
Unit 10, Eglington Trading Estate,
30 Cumberland St,
Glasgow
What is it: Rapscallion is the brainchild of Gregor Leckie, who after years working as a bartender was fed up with the array of sugary soft drinks on offer behind the bars he worked in. He had always had an interest in flavour so decided to create his own soda right here in Glasgow.
That was back in 2016, after a successful “pop-up” trialling his natural soda gave him the impetus to go ahead and create the Rapscallion brand. The first few years were a big learning curve in achieving a consistent level of quality, as well as competing with the big brands. Like many new brands there was many occasions when the proverbial towel was almost thrown in but he kept pushing and developing the sodas with the help of friends and family.
This year saw Rapscallion move into a new 1500sq ft railway arch warehouse just south of the River Clyde. This has helped them expand production with the addition of a new canning machine, as well as collaboration with spirit brands who want to work with the best sodas around.
The brand: Rapscallion prides itself for “making the best tasting drinks without using artificial crap”, and being committed to real flavour from real ingredients, while not messing up the planet.
This is more of a challenge than it sounds, but luckily for them the world is changing, and more and more people are willing to pay a bit more knowing that their product has been made with authenticity, honesty and our health in mind. The other positive thing is that it looks cool and the branding and messaging is on point.
The drink: The core range comprises something for all tastes. Ninja Soda, is “dry and delicate but with a fiery kick to the throat” comprising of cold pressed ginger, lemon zest, cardamom, cassia & pimento. The Burnt Lemon is “a juicy wee tart – think lemon meringue pie” with charred lemon zest, lemon juice, coriander seed and a touch of vanilla. My favourite is the Dry Lime, described as “clean & sharp as a tack” with lime rind, lime juice and kaffir lime leaf.
You will also find seasonal cans such as the Pink with Scottish rhubarb, pink grapefruit zest & Szechuan pepper.
You will find Rapscallion in a lot of bars, restaurants and cafes all over Glasgow as well as on its website, www.rapscallionsoda.com, and I would recommend you to give it a try. Not only will you be supporting a new Scottish business but you will also be drinking one of the best soft drinks around.
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