Thanksgiving is all about tradition; Seattle’s Jones Soda Company is all about innovation. What happens when the immovable object is struck by the unstoppable force? Something strange, to be sure, and this year, “strange” comes in a bottle labeled “Tofurky & Gravy Soda“.

One look at this product will have you wondering who in their right mind is going to drink it. The soda is a cloudy, murky, dirtwater brown… you’d at least assume Jones would tint the bottles but noooo. Get past the swampy visuals and – wait a minute, just what do we have here?

Tofurky & Gravy Soda seems to scream “wrong!!” on so many levels it’ll make your head spin. Granted, Jones had a surprising amount of success selling their original Turkey & Gravy Soda since 2003, and beginning the next year it was accompanied by a bevy of bizarre beverages concocted to evoke other holiday favorites like Green Bean Casserole, Cranberries, Mashed Potatoes with Butter, and Fruitcake. Successful? You betcha: even empty bottles were bringing up to $10 a pop (sorry) on eBay.

Turkey & Gravy soda was the hands-down, throw-up favorite though, and Jones knew enough not to mess with success. They did shuffle the side-dish sodas from year to year, however: 2005 brought us Wild Herb Stuffing, Pumpkin Pie, and Brussels Sprout sodas. 2006’s edition of the Holiday Pack included carbonated Sweet Potato, Dinner Roll, Pea, and Antacid sodas. Yes, Antacid… though it was only a flavor, not a nostrum.

Yep, the Jones boys were on a (dinner) roll with each Holiday Pack of their sodas more popular than the next… and then they stopped. Nothing for Thanksgiving in 2007 or 2008. Was Turkey & Gravy soda destined to become a legend in its own, very short time?

Yes… and no. Here we are, back in 2009 and Jones is back as well with Tofurky & Gravy soda. Smart moves, guys – one can’t capture past glory in a bottle (even a soda bottle) so Jones has moved beyond merely bizarre to absolutely wacko. There never was any meat in Jones’ original Turkey & Gravy soda, yet the company has tipped their hats to vegetarians and vegans by remodeling the holiday fave as a Tofurky drink.

Tofurky, for those who don’t know, is a turkey meat substitute made from organic tofu and wheat gluten, flavored to resemble turkey. This has lead to a situation where imitation turkey is being used to flavor a drink that contains neither turkey nor imitation turkey yet is being marketed as a holiday favorite on a holiday centered on eating turkey. It’s all starting to make sense now… or, I’m going completely insane. Thanks to Jones, those who disdain meat, solid food and tradition will finally be catered to. One can’t wait for the intravenous drip version.

We thank Steve Levenstein for this guest post and look forward to read more of thanksgiving from him-:)