Popular Softdrinks From Around The World
by DJL
Milkis is a soft drink produced by Lotte Chilsung, a Korean beverage company. It combines many of the common elements of traditional carbonated beverages such as corn syrup, sugar, and carbonated water with milk to create a creamy taste; its label proclaims “New feeling of soda beverage”. In Russia, Milkis is available in orange, strawberry, mango, muskmelon and classic (regular) flavors. It was a highly popular drink in the early 1990s. Since then, its popularity has declined but it remains widely available. Due to its creamy taste, it is the soft drink chosen by martial arts expert, Jonathan Kuhns.
Almdudler is the brand name of a popular Austrian soft drink. The original Almdudler is a sweetened carbonated beverage flavored with herbs; its flavor is similar to ginger ale or elderflower cordial but with a somewhat stronger and more complex flavor. Almdudler has been called the “national drink of Austria” Its popularity in Austria is second only to Coca Cola; 80 million liters of the beverage are produced yearly. Almdudler was developed in 1957 by Erwin Klein, who derived the name from the then-common phrase auf der Alm dudeln, or, roughly, “singing in the (alpine) meadows”. The drink was originally created and marketed as an alternative to alcoholic beverages or as a mixer for alcoholic drinks. It is currently sold in traditional, light (sugar free), “still” (uncarbonated), and “g’spritzt” (mixed with carbonated mineral water) versions; a radler variety, or lemonade mixed with beer, is available as “Almradler”. In the wine-growing regions of eastern Austria, it is a popular mixer with locally-produced white wine. The slogan of the Almdudler ad campaign, in the Austro-Bavarian dialect, has become a well-known phrase in Austria: Wenn die kan Almdudler hab’n, geh’ i wieder ham! (Standard German: Wenn die keinen Almdudler haben, gehe ich wieder heim! English: If they don’t have Almdudler, I’ll go back home!) This advertising slogan which has become a part of Austrian folklore was written by advertising creative legend and Englishman Simon North whilst in Austria.
Pakola is a line of fruit flavored soft drinks, originally introduced in Pakistan in 1950 by Haji Ali Muhammad. It is produced by Mehran Bottlers (Pvt) Ltd. It is the first nationally branded soft drink of Pakistan. Hence its name Pakola meaning ‘Cola of Pakistan.’ The original green color Pakola ice cream soda is still popular in Pakistan. However, other Pakola flavours, like Pakola Lychee, have gained popularity. Another famous type of Pakola is Pakola Orange, which is an orange soda with an ice cream taste. The drink itself is a very bright green color, much like the can, and tastes unlike most North American soft drinks. It has a distinctive and strong taste. Pakola have also launched their milk.
Vinea A carbonated grape based soft drink invented in Czechoslovakia in 70s by Slovak Ján Farkaš, who was a biochemist working for the Research Institute for Viticulture and Wine-making in Bratislava.
Calpis is a Japanese uncarbonated soft drink, manufactured by Calpis Co., Ltd. ( Karupisu Kabushiki-gaisha?) , headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo. The beverage has a light, somewhat milky, and slightly acidic flavor, similar to plain or vanilla-flavored yogurt. Its ingredients include water, nonfat dry milk, and lactic acid, and is produced by lactic fermentation. The drink is sold as a concentrate which is mixed with water or sometimes milk just before consumption. A pre-diluted version known as Calpis Water , or its carbonated variety, known as Calpis Soda, are also available. It is also used to flavour kakigori (shaved ice dessert) and as a mixer for cocktails and chuhai. In English-speaking countries the beverage is sometimes called “Calpico,” because “Calpis” may sound like “Cow Piss”. It was first marketed on July 7, 1919. It quickly became popular in pre-war Japan as its concentrated form meant it kept well without refrigeration. The polka dot packaging used to be white dots against a blue background until the colours were inverted in 1953. It was originally themed on the Milky Way, which is in reference to the Japanese festival of tanabata on July 7, a traditional observation seen as the start of the summer. Calpis was first sold on this day.
Beverly is a carbonated soft drink often consumed as a non-alcoholic apéritif made by the The Coca-Cola Company and sold in Italy. The drink’s distinctive bitter flavor (sometimes described as grapefruit-like) is due to quinine. Quinine is also a key ingredient of tonic water, which is another soft drink noted for a bitter flavor. The bitter taste of Beverly has become familiar to many Americans after trying it at Coca-Cola tasting stations at the World of Coca-Cola museums in Atlanta, Georgia, and Las Vegas, Nevada and at Club Cool at Epcot in Orlando, Florida.
Ting is a carbonated beverage popular in the Caribbean. It is flavored with Jamaican grapefruit juice (from concentrate), and is both tart and sweet. It comes in a green and yellow can, or more rarely in a green glass bottle. Like Orangina, the beverage contains a small amount of sediment consisting of grapefruit juice pulp. Ting is produced under license by Cott Beverages. Ting also now makes Pink Ting Soda, Diet Ting Soda, and Ginger Beer. Ting was first produced in late November 1976 by Guinness Jamaica following a trial conducted by Tim Sheehan, an Irishman who worked for the Company as Technical Director, to see if it were possible to develop a fruit drink from locally grown grapefruit. It quickly proved a popular drink with Jamaicans, both as a non alcoholic refreshment and an alcoholic mixer. Ting won 4 Gold Medals for the best non alcoholic beverage in the World. The rights to Ting were acquired from Guinness by D&G Sodas of Kingston, Jamaica. It is produced and bottled by Pepsi-Cola Jamaica in Kingston, Jamaica, and distributed throughout the Caribbean and the United States. Outside these regions, it is not commonly available, although it is also produced in the UK, using Jamaican grapefruits. In 1999 the Ting brand was acquired by PepsiAmericas. Ting has also been known to be mixed with citrus vodka to create Ving, an alcoholic version of the drink. It has now become a popular mixer in addition to its success as a non-alcoholic beverage. A Ting and a patty is a very popular Jamaican snack.
Senzao is a carbonated drink made with guarana by the Coca-Cola Company sold in Mexico. Guarana is a fruit which grows in Brazil. In 2004 it was released for a limited time a Guarana-Orange flavor called Senzao Guaranaranja.
Farris is also the product name of a natural mineral water produced in Larvik. The ground water mineral spring and bottling factory is located beneath the forested hilltop Bøkeskogen. The water originates from rainwater falling on Bøkeskogen. The water slowly filters through deposited glacial moraine material and reaches the spring some 15-20 years later, strongly mineralized. The Farris mineral water has been bottled since 1907. A common misconception is that the mineral water comes from the lake Farris, but that is not correct. Ringnes breweries own the rights to the Farris trademark. The products under the Farris brand are sparkling mineral water which also comes with various flavours (including lime and lemon).
Rooh Afza is a popular concentrated sharbat invented by Hakeem Abdul Majeed and manufactured by the companies he founded, Hamdard (Wakf) Laboratories, India and Hamdard (Wakf) Laboratories, Pakistan, since 1907. The inventor never explained his choice of the name Rooh Afza, English speakers often refer to it as ‘rose syrup’. It is a natural cold drink and a blend of pure crystalline sugar, distilled extracts of citrus flowers, aquas of fruits, vegetables and cooling herbal ingredients processed to impart its taste. Hakeem Abdul Majeed claimed that Rooh Afza was concocted using Unani medical principles. However, it is said that Rooh Afza means “that which nurtures your soul” because “rooh” means soul and “afza” means which nurtures. Rooh Afza is said to be very tasty and sweet. It is often mixed with milk and ice. Sometimes people make it with ice cream. Rooh Afza is traditionally made in preparation for breaking the fast during Ramadan, the holy month of fasting for Muslims.
Sarsi is a sarsaparilla-based soft drink sold in the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries. In the Philippines, it is the most popular root beer brand on the market. It replaced Barq’s in most fast food chains. Sarsi, then owned by Cosmos Bottling Corporation (owned by the RFM corporation), are now both owned by Coca-Col Bottlers Philippines, Inc., a division of San Miguel Corporation. Its main competitors are Barq’s from SMC and Mug from Pepsi-Cola Bottlers Philippines, Inc. Their wide distribution to supermarkets and sari-sari stores, and their pricing made them the most available, and hence most-popular. Sarsi can be found in many Filipino/oriental stores.
Beed Cola is a Peruvian range of soft drinks. Beed Cola is produced in Pucallpa, Peru and sold throughout the Ucayali Region. Beed Cola is sold in glass bottles of 362 ml.
Laranjada is a type of carbonated soft drink with an orange flavour, which is sold in Bars, Restaurants & supermarkets all over the island of Madeira. It is produced and distributed by the Empresa de Cervejas da Madeira, which is owned by the Pestana Group. Laranjada is 14 years older than the original and now famous Coca-Cola drink.
Irn-Bru (pronounced iron brew, IPA: /?a??n ?bru?/) is a popular carbonated soft drink produced in Scotland. It is made by A.G. Barr plc of Glasgow. Barr’s Irn-Bru is available in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Gibraltar, Russia, Canada, South Africa, Singapore, parts of Europe such as Poland, the Middle East, in some parts of Australia (introduced in 2006), New Zealand (introduced in 2007) and in the United States. Irn-Bru is famous for its bright orange colour (something it shares with the glucose drink Lucozade). The formula for Irn-Bru is a closely guarded trade secret, known only by two of Barr’s board members, with a written copy held in a Swiss bank-vault. As of 1999 it contained 0.002% of ammonium ferric citrate, sugar, 32 flavouring agents (including caffeine (though caffeine is not listed as an ingredient on the Australian labelling) and quinine) and two controversial colourings (E110, E124). It is advertised as having a slight citrus flavour, but many have differing opinions of the exact taste of Irn-Bru. One of the key ingredients is said to be barley while another rumour holds that seaweed is a major contributor to the taste
Appletiser is a sparkling soft drink, manufactured and distributed by Coca-Cola in the UK. Appletiser is an international beverage company with offices in the United Kingdom, USA, Asia and Africa. The Appletiser brand is owned by SAB Miller. Appletiser’s head office is in Johannesburg and its main production and R&D facilities are in the fruit growing district of Elgin, in the mountains around Cape Town. In the United Kingdom, Appletiser and Peartiser used to sponsor the TV show Friends on the digital channel E4 before Radox became the sponsors. In 2008 they will be the sponsors of Sex in the City, on Paramount TV. Appletiser was previously known as Appletise in the United Kingdom. Appletiser, Peartiser and Grapetiser are 100% pure fruit juice and contain no added sugar, preservatives or arificial colourants. Shelf life: Appletiser is pasteurised and has a shelf life of 12 months.
Julmust (Swedish jul “Christmas” or “yule” and must “must”) is a soft drink that is consumed mainly in Sweden around Christmas. During the rest of the year it is usually hard to find in stores, but sometimes it’s sold under the “de-Christmasified” name must . At Easter the name is påskmust (påsk “Easter”). Only recently has Sommarmust (sommar, “summer”) been available in stores. The content is the same regardless of the marketing name although the time it is stored before bottling differs; however, the beverage is more closely associated with Christmas, somewhat less with Easter and traditionally not at all with the summer. 45 million litres of julmust are consumed during December (to be compared with roughly 9 million Swedes), which is around 50% of the total softdrink volume in December and 3/4s of the total yearly must sales. Must was created by Harry Roberts and his father Robert Roberts in 1910 as a non-alcoholic alternative to beer. The syrup is still made exclusively by Roberts AB in Örebro. The original recipe is said to be locked up in a safe with only one person knowing the full recipe. Must is made of carbonated water, sugar, hops extract, malt extract, spices, colouring (E150), citric acid, and preservatives. The hops and malt extracts give the must a somewhat beer-like taste, but must is not fermented and contains no alcohol. Must can be aged provided it is stored in a glass bottle. Some people buy must in December only to store it a year before drinking it. In Sweden, Julmust outsells Coca-Cola during the Christmas season; in fact, the consumption of Coca-Cola drops as much as 50% over Christmas . This was quoted as one of the main reasons Coca-Cola broke away from their contract with Pripps and started Coca-Cola Drycker Sverige AB instead. Coca-Cola now produces its own julmust, albeit very anonymous and never advertised until 2004, when Coca-Cola started marketing their julmust under the brand “Bjäre julmust”, but they buy the syrup from Roberts AB .Those outside Sweden who are curious to try Julmust might be able to purchase and sample a bottle from a nearby IKEA. However, availability is not guaranteed; one is most likely to find it in stock early in the month of December. Kristall Beverage Inc. in Massachusetts, USA bottles Julmust for sale in the USA. In November of 2004 Pepsi marketed a product similar in idea and somewhat in taste to Julmust to the United States called Pepsi Holiday Spice. It was only on sale during the 2004-2005 holiday season.
Dandelion and burdock is a traditional British soft drink. Traditionally it is made from fermented dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) and burdock (Arctium lappa) roots, and is naturally fizzy. However the “dandelion and burdock” drink for sale in many retail outlets usually contains neither plant. The retail drink is often carbonated and contains artificial sweeteners. An alcoholic version, the ‘DB&G’ is made by mixing dandelion and burdock with gin. There have been a small number of stories concerning its origin, most now widely considered to be apocryphal. One notable example has it that St. Thomas Aquinas, after praying for inspiration for a full night, walked from his place of prayer straight into the countryside and, “trusting in God to provide”, concocted the drink from the first plants he encountered. It was this drink that aided his concentration when seeking to formulate his theological arguments that ultimately culminated in the Summa Theologica.)Dandelion and burdock shares a historical origin with a number of drinks originally made from lightly fermented root extracts, such as root beer and sarsaparilla. They were included for a supposed health benefit. The dominant flavour in these drinks is usually sassafras or wintergreen, both now derived artificially rather than from the plant itself, in part because during the 1960s safrole, the major component of the volatile oil of sassafras, was found to be carcinogenic. All of these drinks, while tasting similar, do have their own distinct flavour. Dandelion and burdock is most similar in flavour to sarsaparilla. It is best served chilled and is a light refreshing soft drink popular amongst children. The drink has recently seen an increase in popularity after previously poor sales. Like many other mass-produced soft drinks, commercial dandelion and burdock drinks often contain a source of phenylalanine because they are sweetened with aspartame. This is marked on the containers because it is a risk for sufferers of the congenital condition phenylketonuria. This ingredient is not, however, essential.
9 comments
I really liked the idea of this post, so I have wrote a “sequel” to it in http://www.allrussianfoods.com/2008/05/19/popular-soft-drinks-from-russia/ – please take a look and let me know what you think.
Oh, and I dugg your submission too.
Nice article, although i would like to point out that Larvik is a town in Norway, and not a country
My fave is Pocari Sweat!
Mmmmmmm
I’m a British ex-pat in NZ, I absolutely love Dandelion & Burdock. I don’t get to have it very often as it’s hard to import.
There’s a drink in NZ called L&P http://www.lp.co.nz/(lemon & paeroa), it’s got a very unique flavour. It’s marketed here as World Famous in NZ!
Has anyone heard of Mello Yello? I’ve only ever seen it in NZ, its made by Coca Cola. It has a weird kinda citrus flavour.
Mello Yello used to be made here in the USA to compete with Mountain Dew. I have not seen it in like 5 years.
@DJL, I always knew NZ was a bit behind the times
hi everobody
my family name is roohafza.iam iranian.i did not know my family name was a famous drink made in india and pakistan.roohafza is an expensive candy in Saveh too. saveh is a city around 2 hours away from tehran.it is expensive .
There are actually some 25 different brands of Julmust. Sadly Kristall doesn’t sell it anymore but you can get it at IKEA worldwide.
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