Sommeliers may baulk at the idea, but if this trend kicks in Stateside, we could soon be regularly pairing our food with a bubbly beverage. Before you get excited, we're not talking about champagne. Instead, it seems soft drinks have been given a sophisticated twist, upgrading them from children's beverages to dinner-party tipples. Dry Soda, as it is curiously called, isn't exactly dry. But it does contain bubbles and some unorthodox flavours: lemongrass, rhubarb, kumquat and lavender. The slightly sweet drinks were created specifically to complement certain foods, which explains why the manufacturer refers to them as 'culinary' sodas. The kumquat flavour, for instance, is recommended with salmon, roast duck and oysters, and if you're not hungry, apparently it's good mixed with Chartreuse. The lemongrass version is said to be an excellent match for Asian cuisine. For more information and online purchasing, visit www.drysoda.com .