Wow Bao/Big Bowl Ginger Ale

I'm a huge fan of this ginger ale mixed from fresh ginger and cane sugar, so I was thrilled to hear that it's now available in bottles at retail: Good news for ginger ale lovers

Not so thrilled about the price, though: $2.99 per bottle at foodlife and $8.89 per four-pack from Peapod. That's in line with the price at the restaurants, I guess, but pricey for a bottled soda. Given how they make the stuff, I don't see it coming down much as they get more distribution.

It's delicious but I've always thought the magic was in making it there on the spot (to order). I wonder if it will keep that special oomph! in a manufactured & bottled process. In the meantime have you tried this one yet? It's at the Dill Pickle & it's only $1.69 per bottle plus comes in 2 varieties, spicy & spicier. The spicier was wonderful. Haven't tasted the spicy. Dill Pickle is also carrying Goose Island's Ginger Ale. I haven't tried it yet, but I love their Grape, Orange, & Root beer.

pairs4life wrote:It's delicious but I've always thought the magic was in making there on the spot. I wonder if it will keep that special oomph! in a manufactured process.

They are still making it fresh at the restaurants. I expect the bottled version works better for carryout, though.

LAZ wrote:

pairs4life wrote:It's delicious but I've always thought the magic was in making there on the spot. I wonder if it will keep that special oomph! in a manufactured process.

They are still making it fresh at the restaurants. I expect the bottled version works better for carryout, though.

Last month at Big Bowl I got to try the new bottled ginger ale as well as the standard house version. They seemed almost identical. Here's Bruce Cost with a bottle of his pride and joy.



Big Bowl's ginger ale is good stuff (though very sweet). Try it if you haven't already. I wish I could work up similar enthusiasm for Big Bowl's food.

Rene G wrote:I wish I could work up similar enthusiasm for Big Bowl's food.

Their hot-and-sour soup is the best I've tasted. They start with a pork broth they make from heritage pigs, and then they make the soup fresh to order.

Rene G wrote:I wish I could work up similar enthusiasm for Big Bowl's food.

I drink soda maybe once a month (sometimes less), so I'm no authority on this or any pop, but Friday night we enjoyed an "original flavor" Fresh Ginger/Ginger Ale by Bruce Cost. It has a clean, strong (but not as strong as, say, Blenheim) ginger bite, very refreshing.

To Peter's point, we had a bowl of crab corn soup at Big Bowl that was a real standout; we gave it two very enthusiastic gruntgruntgoods. In this weather, soup is the last thing I want to eat, but The Wife ordered it and it was very fine. Authentic? No idea, but what impressed me was that the flavors of crab, corn, coconut milk, lemon grass were all brought out with just a little heat in a very balanced bowl of tastiness. I had seconds from our little tureen and I could have eaten more. Other dishes lacked some of the funk and heat and overall dimension I've come to expect from Thai food, but I understand that LEYE is shooting for the middle of customer tastes; this soup seemed an exception.

Had an iced cup of Wow Bao's ginger ale today -- not sure how they make it (allegedly, it's made "fresh") but it was a very weak version of the bottled stuff we had from Big Bowl last week.

Hey David, Where did you get the Bruce Cost from? I had one with dinner when I was at Momofuku Ssam Bar in NYC and I've been wanting to give it another shot since. I really like the stuff.

bjackson wrote:Hey David, Where did you get the Bruce Cost from? I had one with dinner when I was at Momofuku Ssam Bar in NYC and I've been wanting to give it another shot since. I really like the stuff.

I got a four-pack at Big Bowl, but Bruce said they're selling it at Fox & Obel.

They also sell it at foodlife in Water Tower Place.

Had my first Wow Bao, spicy sausage/egg and BBQ pork w/Intelligentsia coffee for $3.99 made for a better than expected breakfast. Double the amount of filling than bao from a Chinese bakery, but accented with available sambal oelek I'd not hesitate to breakfast again or try lunch/dinner bao.

Wow Bao

I actually had this before I knew what it was, at the Big Bowl in Lincolnshire. The waitress told me they just got a new ginger ale in, so I decided to try it. She didn't bring out the bottle, but instead poured it into a glass for me, so I didn't know what it was called ... until now. I remember it tasting nothing like any other ginger ale I've ever had, less sweet but with more true ginger flavor. I think it is kind of an acquired taste, but it doesn't take a long time to acquire.

Big Bowl sells a 4-pack for $7.75. That's the lowest per unit price I can find. If anybody knows of any way to buy it cheaper (perhaps in bulk), please post. I love this stuff.