Root Beer vs. Orange Cream: Which Shot Matches Your Personality?

hort on time? Root beer people are depth people: bonfires, barbecue, the booth in the back. Orange cream people are brightness people: brunch, pool decks, the first ones dancing. Both land at 70 proof. Take the six questions below and settle it properly, then screenshot your result for the group chat.

How this works

Six questions, A or B, no overthinking allowed. Tally your letters at the end. This quiz has no scientific validity whatsoever and has still never been wrong at any tasting table we have run it on. The two flavors came out of the same soda fountain tradition but pull from opposite ends of it, dark and creamy versus bright and creamy, and people sort themselves faster than you would believe.

The questions

1. It is Saturday at golden hour. Where are you?

• Backyard, near the grill or the fire pit, in charge of neither
• Rooftop or patio, holding something cold, mid-story

2. Pick a childhood summer memory.

• The drive-in, a frosted mug, the smell of a charcoal grill
• The ice cream truck song from two streets away

3. Your karaoke strategy:

• One perfect song, performed once, never repeated
• Whatever keeps the room going, duets welcome

4. Choose a dessert era:

• Root beer float in a heavy glass, long spoon
• Creamsicle on a hot curb, race against the sun

5. Your group role at a party:

• The one holding a good conversation by the kitchen
• The one who starts the thing everyone remembers

6. Pick a Saturday breakfast:

• Diner. Black coffee, hash browns, no substitutions
• Brunch. Something with orange juice involved

Score it

What the split actually tells us

We run a version of this quiz live at tastings, informally, and the pattern holds: the fire-pit people and the karaoke-one-song people reach for the dark pour, and the brunch-defenders go orange nearly every time. It maps loosely onto how people use the flavors too, which is why our food pairing guide reads like a personality test of its own: root beer next to smoke and salt, orange cream next to sunshine foods and dessert.

Kevin is an A. Ken is a B. I refuse to answer publicly, which the other two insist is the most A-type move possible.

"Watching someone pick a flavor is watching them pick a childhood memory. Nobody deliberates. The hand just goes," says Craig Potter, co-founder and CEO of Soda Jerk Shot.

For the record, both profiles arrive at the same place: 70 proof, built on a 6x distilled vodka base, smooth enough to need no chaser, and medaled blind at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and the Los Angeles International Spirits Competition. The personality is the only variable.

Run it as a party game

The quiz upgrades into a flavor-off with one freezer and ten minutes. Pour both flavors into unmarked glasses, have everyone taste blind and claim a side before revealing which was which, then read the personality profiles out loud to the room. The accusations ("you are SUCH an A") carry a party further than any playlist.

House rules that keep it fun: one tasting pour each, not a round per question, food on the table, and the even-splits judge the debate instead of drinking through it. The quiz is a conversation starter, and 70 proof deserves the same pacing as any full-strength pour.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Soda Jerk flavor should I try first?

Match it to your default setting: root beer for barbecue nights, dark booths, and bourbon shelves; orange cream for brunch tables, pool decks, and dessert courses. Even splits should buy both and stage a taste-off.

What is the difference in taste between the two?

Root Beer is the darker profile: root, vanilla, a hint of wintergreen, creamy finish. Orange Cream is the brighter one: orange soda and vanilla, creamsicle through and through. Same 70 proof, same base, opposite moods.

Can I serve both at one party?

That is the correct answer. A two-flavor flight lets guests take this exact quiz with their hands, and the A's versus B's debate does your party entertainment for you.

Is one flavor stronger than the other?

No. Both are 35% ABV (70 proof) on the same 6x distilled vodka base. Treat either as a full-strength pour. 21+ only, as always.

Settle it at your own table

Take the result to checkout, or refuse to choose: both flavors, $29.99 each, flat $19 shipping either way, fulfilled by a licensed retailer. Then run the quiz on your friends and watch the room sort itself. The recipes are the tiebreaker.

Drink responsibly. Must be 21 or older.