Ecto Cooler Fail
Hey Reader,
Not all projects can be successful. I remember this blog started with a failed attempt to make a pumpkin shaped puppet (that really I think I can do better this time, but thats a blog post for another day). Recently, I have been on a 90s kick. I can remember an employee I had once sharing feedback with me that it was hard to relate in conversations with me because I talked about the 80s so much. I told him he was a child and that I was, in fact, talking about the 90s. Suffice to say, this 90s obsession has been happening for a while now.
I really wanted to make some Hi-C Ecto Cooler. If you are not as obsessed with "the eighties" as me: 1. What is wrong with you? and 2. Here is an explanation of Hi-C Ecto cooler. Ecto Cooler was a drink produced by Hi-C in a brand deal promoting the The Real Ghostbusters TV series from 1986. It was actually just a repurposing of their Citrus Cooler flavor, but this time dyed a funky green color like the character of Slimer from The Real Ghostbusters.
Even though the show was cancelled in 1991, Ecto-Cooler continued to be sold for many years afterward. In 2001, the product was renamed to Shouting Orange Tangergreen and no longer had any connection to The Real Ghostbusters or Slimer. In fact, the color even changed to reflect some changes to the recipe. Finally, the product was fully discontinued in 2007 (after a failed attempt to rebrand it again as Crazy Citrus Cooler). Point is, Ecto Cooler has been around a while. There was a tremporary re-release a few years ago in response to the New Ghostbusters movie - but reports abound of people not being able to get it and the prices online were absurd.
I remember Ecto-Cooler throughout most of my formative years in the 90s. I wanted to bring Ecto-Cooler back for a 90s theme party, and really just because it is amazing. I even miss the weird can that you had to open from both sides so it would pour right. You can't get those anywhere anymore.
I normally like to compliment sites I find out in the world and how they have helped me find the skills or techniques I need to make something cool. However, I did not have a good experience with the recipe I found. I will still link it, because your mileage may vary, but full disclosure - I was not transported to the 90s with this concoction.
The Daily Meal recipe calls for:
There are three major issues I have with the recipe. I am going to go through them one at a time.
1: Who the hell has tangerine juice laying around? I went to three stores and could not find a bottle of tangerine juice. I finally found one at a market called Sprouts here in California, but it was cold pressed juice. Sure it's healthy - whatever, but I am not in it for the health here. Further, Orange juices do not all taste the same, so it is possible that I was not using the right kind of juice. The recipe doesn't really get into that. Sunny Delight is "orange juice" sure, but I have never eaten an orange that tastes anything like that. I am not suggesting you use Sunny Delight, for the record, cuz that shit is foul. Fight me.
2: The amount of sugar is absolutely bonkers! I get it, the 90s were a simpler time and things were much more sugary. However, were they really 2 tablespoons of Tang, a tablespoon of lemonade and a CUP AND A HALF of sugar levels of sugary? Isn't there already a lot of sugar in juice? I think both of these speak to a larger problem that might be at the heart of my issues. This recipe doesn't give me enough information to really follow it to the letter. They might have a much more successful recipe because they used different juice, or lemonade mix or whatever. I need more information!
3: Blue food coloring does not work. This is the most disappointing part of this whole thing. The recipe implies that if I use blue food coloring, the blue and orange will work together to make a green color. The final color is more "kale smoothie" than "Ecto cooler." The picture isn't even doing this justice, because after adding blue for a while and getting a dark forest green, I added some neon green food coloring to the concoction to try and brighten it up. I know, most people don't just have neon green food coloring laying around, another weird tid bit about me you just learned.
I did three versions, one that followed the recipe to the letter (though I did cut some of the sugar so I guess I can't say that), one that was no sugar but all the other ingredients, and one that was just juice and Tang. None came even close to my experience with Hi-C Ecto-Cooler. That is a crying shame.
It did pair very well with tequila. That's a cold comfort.
I will be trying again. I think if I can get my hands on some regular Hi-C and add things from there, I might have more luck.
I am not going to be deterred. Keep making cool stuff and until next time,
JoshPrime
Not all projects can be successful. I remember this blog started with a failed attempt to make a pumpkin shaped puppet (that really I think I can do better this time, but thats a blog post for another day). Recently, I have been on a 90s kick. I can remember an employee I had once sharing feedback with me that it was hard to relate in conversations with me because I talked about the 80s so much. I told him he was a child and that I was, in fact, talking about the 90s. Suffice to say, this 90s obsession has been happening for a while now.
I really wanted to make some Hi-C Ecto Cooler. If you are not as obsessed with "the eighties" as me: 1. What is wrong with you? and 2. Here is an explanation of Hi-C Ecto cooler. Ecto Cooler was a drink produced by Hi-C in a brand deal promoting the The Real Ghostbusters TV series from 1986. It was actually just a repurposing of their Citrus Cooler flavor, but this time dyed a funky green color like the character of Slimer from The Real Ghostbusters.
Even though the show was cancelled in 1991, Ecto-Cooler continued to be sold for many years afterward. In 2001, the product was renamed to Shouting Orange Tangergreen and no longer had any connection to The Real Ghostbusters or Slimer. In fact, the color even changed to reflect some changes to the recipe. Finally, the product was fully discontinued in 2007 (after a failed attempt to rebrand it again as Crazy Citrus Cooler). Point is, Ecto Cooler has been around a while. There was a tremporary re-release a few years ago in response to the New Ghostbusters movie - but reports abound of people not being able to get it and the prices online were absurd.
I remember Ecto-Cooler throughout most of my formative years in the 90s. I wanted to bring Ecto-Cooler back for a 90s theme party, and really just because it is amazing. I even miss the weird can that you had to open from both sides so it would pour right. You can't get those anywhere anymore.
I normally like to compliment sites I find out in the world and how they have helped me find the skills or techniques I need to make something cool. However, I did not have a good experience with the recipe I found. I will still link it, because your mileage may vary, but full disclosure - I was not transported to the 90s with this concoction.
The Daily Meal recipe calls for:
- 1 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1 1/2 cup tangerine juice (or mandarin orange juice)
- 2 tablespoons orange juice powder, such as Tang
- 1 tablespoon powdered lemonade mix
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- Water, as needed
- Blue food coloring (for Ecto-Cooler color), to desired color
There are three major issues I have with the recipe. I am going to go through them one at a time.
1: Who the hell has tangerine juice laying around? I went to three stores and could not find a bottle of tangerine juice. I finally found one at a market called Sprouts here in California, but it was cold pressed juice. Sure it's healthy - whatever, but I am not in it for the health here. Further, Orange juices do not all taste the same, so it is possible that I was not using the right kind of juice. The recipe doesn't really get into that. Sunny Delight is "orange juice" sure, but I have never eaten an orange that tastes anything like that. I am not suggesting you use Sunny Delight, for the record, cuz that shit is foul. Fight me.
2: The amount of sugar is absolutely bonkers! I get it, the 90s were a simpler time and things were much more sugary. However, were they really 2 tablespoons of Tang, a tablespoon of lemonade and a CUP AND A HALF of sugar levels of sugary? Isn't there already a lot of sugar in juice? I think both of these speak to a larger problem that might be at the heart of my issues. This recipe doesn't give me enough information to really follow it to the letter. They might have a much more successful recipe because they used different juice, or lemonade mix or whatever. I need more information!
3: Blue food coloring does not work. This is the most disappointing part of this whole thing. The recipe implies that if I use blue food coloring, the blue and orange will work together to make a green color. The final color is more "kale smoothie" than "Ecto cooler." The picture isn't even doing this justice, because after adding blue for a while and getting a dark forest green, I added some neon green food coloring to the concoction to try and brighten it up. I know, most people don't just have neon green food coloring laying around, another weird tid bit about me you just learned.
I did three versions, one that followed the recipe to the letter (though I did cut some of the sugar so I guess I can't say that), one that was no sugar but all the other ingredients, and one that was just juice and Tang. None came even close to my experience with Hi-C Ecto-Cooler. That is a crying shame.
It did pair very well with tequila. That's a cold comfort.
I will be trying again. I think if I can get my hands on some regular Hi-C and add things from there, I might have more luck.
I am not going to be deterred. Keep making cool stuff and until next time,
JoshPrime
In fairness to those Daily Meal people, Ecto Cooler was labelled as a mix of orange and tangerine juice. It makes sense to start there. It doesn't make sense to drink it daily or replace a meal with it, but they may be better at reading the first few words of a label than they are at branding their blog.
ReplyDeleteEcto Cooler supposedly had ~3.5 grams of sugar per fluid ounce. Orange juice has 2.6 on its own and the Tang would be adding a lot more, even before the sugar. I suspect "Water as needed" is probably the big variable that desperately needs explaining. If they didn't do that, I say you feed them to Zuul.
They most certainly did not explain. Also, I definitely drank Ecto Cooler with breakfast every day for YEARS. I think its partly how I am so well preserved even as I have become more and more advanced in age.
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