Xima Alcopop at Paydirt Is Not Zima, OK?

Delixious.

By Martin Cizmar

Zima was the original alcopop. Riding the coattails of Crystal Pepsi, the cloudy white precursor to Smirnoff Ice was introduced in 1993 as a Sprite-flavored alternative to the aggressively fruity Bartles & Jaymes.

Well, alcopop is back. Not Zima, which is only available in Japan, but the wild success of Not Your Father's Root Beer has spawned imitators, including a line from Henry Weinhard's.

At Paydirt, the bar inside the Zipper food court on Northeast Sandy Boulevard, they know their roots. Paydirt has a cocktail called Xima, served in a brown bottle with a glass of ice.

"Xima is a truly unique alcohol beverage and of no relation to the similar sounding Zima (R.I.P)," the bottle says. "Please don't sue us."

It tastes, well, like Zima—down to the slightly overbearing sweetness. Not bad, Paydirt. Why not get some powdered caffeine and retro-engineer Four Loko next?

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