Brightly colored soft drinks line the shelves at local Hispanic groceries and convenience stores.

And along with the day-glow colors, the drinks offer tropical flavors such as pineapple, grapefruit, tamarind and watermelon, flavors not found in typical American soft drinks.

"The United States brings soda to our country, so we are influenced by American culture," said Oscar Saenz, manager at Mestizo Southwest Grill on Thompson Bridge Road in Gainesville. "Mexican sodas do have a special flavor ... they are sweeter and more flavorful - that's the difference."

The leading brand of Mexican soda to the United States is Jarritos, which is distributed by the El Paso, Texas, company Novamex.

According to the Novamex Web site, Jarritos flavors are a reflection of Mexican flavors and are made only with pure sugar.

The sodas come in 16-ounce bottles and 2-liter containers. Flavors include tamarind, hibiscus, mandarin, fruit punch, Jamaica, lime, grapefruit, guava, pineapple, strawberry, mango, watermelon and lemon-lime.

"Jarritos are popular (here), but when I came here they weren't that popular in my hometown (of Puebla, Mexico)," Saenz said. "Jarritos are well-known around the country (Mexico). ... You talk about Jarritos in any part of the country and they know they are Mexican soda."

Saenz said he prefers the citrus flavor.

"I like the Mandarin ... a lot of the Hispanics that I know always ask for the Tamarind."

Today, Jarritos and its many flavors can be found in grocery stores, Mexican restaurants, catering trucks and convenience stores around town.

Luisa Madera, whose husband owns Los Girasoles on Athens Highway, said her favorite isn't the Jarritos brand but rather Sidral Mundet, an apple-flavored soda.

Madera added the most popular soda at her store in the Sangria Señorial and the tamarind soda.

The Sangria Señorial is a dark red, sangria flavored, nonalcoholic soda and the tamarind soda is a tea-colored drink that is made from a brown oblong fruit that grows in a pod on a tropical tree.

Martin Torres owner of La Texanita Mexican Store on Atlanta Highway said the most popular flavors are mandarin, lemon and tamarind.

"I don't think there's much difference than the ones sold in America," he said.

Another soda Torres said was popular was Squirt, which is a lemon-lime soda that some Hispanics mix with tequila for an adult beverage.

But at Mestizo's, Jarritos' bright colors appeal to the children who come in for lunch and dinner.

Saenz said the first thing parents will look at isn't necessarily the color; instead, they look for the calories and sugar content on the back of the bottle.