There are many reasons to like Fresh Market at Towers Shopping Center, but the hottest reason is a new addition to its soda aisle: Blenheim Ginger Ale. This scorching concoction is the favorite of discriminating soft drink fans nationwide.

I first tasted Blenheim (pronounced "blen-um") while in college. My roommate Doug had discovered it while visiting his older sister in Charleston, S.C. He fell in love with the taste and brought back a six-pack for me and some other friends to try.

My previous ginger ale experience was with the harmless variety popularized by Canada Dry. I figured Blenheim would be more of the same. Boy was I wrong!

Some like it (very) hot

The first swallow of Blenheim brings on a hurricane-force ginger rush. The second is less intense, but is strong enough to clear sinuses and give the throat a prickly feeling. As the ginger ale goes down the throat, the natural sugar sweetness comes through.

This is not a guzzle-friendly beverage -- the sustained impact of the spicy Jamaican ginger, natural spring water and sugar will require you to leisurely sip your way through each 12-ounce bottle.

For those who like a calmer soft drink experience, Blenheim also offers "Not As Hot" and diet versions of its ginger ale, along with a somewhat ordinary ginger beer. Fresh Market typically carries the original and diet versions.

For those who like the flavor of Blenheim but can't stomach the soda straight up, it makes a wonderful mixer, and some people are known to cook with it. I tried pouring it over a beef chuck roast along with powdered garlic and herb salad dressing mix, pepper and onion, and created a spicy, flavorful pot roast that was perfectly tender.

We're big in South Carolina

Blenheim traces its roots to the South Carolina hamlet of Blenheim, where Dr. C.R. May began adding Jamaican ginger to the mineral water gathered from a local artesian spring back in 1903. This concoction originally was used as a digestive aid but soon found favor as a beverage that became popular in that region for decades.

The Blenheim Bottling Co. handmade each bottle of ginger ale until 1993, when the company was purchased by the owners of the nearby South of the Border tourist complex, which moved the antiquated operation to a state-of-the art bottling plant within walking distance of the Interstate 95 landmark.

Quality and quantity

You won't find any 2-liters or cans of Blenheim. The company has a strict quality control policy and sells its wares only in dependable, thick glass bottles, so it can ensure every bottle is as good as the last and the next.

Despite a nationwide distribution program to finer grocery and specialty food stores, the spicy brews remain hard to find outside of South Carolina, except by phone or over the Internet. Supplies frequently sell out, and waiting lists are long.

That's what makes its appearance in Roanoke special. Previously, the closest retailer that sold Blenheim was A Southern Season in Chapel Hill, N.C., and supplies were limited at best. Expect the same here, when people discover how unique and wonderful Blenheim is.

Blenheim Ginger Ale is available in original "hot" and diet varieties for 89 cents per bottle or $4.99 per six-pack at Fresh Market in Towers Shopping Center in Roanoke.