Tango Orange

Tango has been around since 1950 in the UK and Ireland. Although I've had this before on previous trips to the UK, it struck me that I hadn't done a post on it. The beverage group Britvic has owned Tango since 1987. While orange is the go-to flavor for Tango, over the years they've added some additional flavors as well.

This soda is not to be mistaken for some more common orange sodas. I find it has a bit of an orange zest flavoring to it while simultaneously tasting just a touch chemical in the way that Sunny D beverage does. However, unlike Sunny D which pretends to be orange juice, this orange soda is drinkable. I actually picked this up at the station with a bit to eat for breakfast and enjoyed it. 

R. White's Premium Lemonade

It took me quite a while to find R. White's Lemonade after I first heard of it. It's a UK beverage, but can be found in specialty stores in rare locations. R. White's Lemonade dates back to 1845 when Robert and Matthew White started making their lemonade in Camberwell. Camberwell is a small area of greater London just south of the City of London. R.White & Sons became incorporated in 1894, but has been under the Britvic corporation since the late 1980's. In the 1970's they made other flavors which don't exist anymore. However, they still have a Raspberry Lemonade and a Pear & Elderflower Lemonade.

In the 1970's they used the slogan, "Secret Lemonade Drinker". The advertising featured a song by Ross McManus and his son, Declan McManus. Declan would later become known as Elvis Costello.

This doesn't have the overly sugary flavor you'd expect from a lemon soda or lemonade beverage in the U.S. They use lemon concentrate in making this drink and although it has sweeteners in it, you might think it was closer to lemon juice used in baking than the soda's people in North America might expect. They used to make their lemonade with sugar, but now include aspartame alone with sugar in the drink. I'd go so far as to call it a bit bitter. Drinking it alone is probably not as good as if you were to pair it with something salty which I think would make it taste sweeter.

Lilt

I hadn't heard of Lilt at all until my last excursion to the UK, despite having been there twice before. Lilt was introduced in 1975, but it's another drink you'll find only in the UK and Ireland. Lilt falls under the umbrella of Coca-Cola. There isn't a long colorful story on the history of drinks introduced by corporate conglomerates like this one, so I can't provide much more information than that. 

What I can tell you is that I liked this soda. I'd venture to call it the UK version of Ski. It has a blend of citrus fruits, including Grapefruit and Pineapple and something called "fruit crush"... which is more information than you'll usually find about what Ski contains. Though for the Ski faithful, you'll note that Lilt is sans fruit pulp. It's a refreshing drink that revitalized me after walking around for a while. The bottle pictured here was purchased and consumed at the Cliffs of Moher. I'd pair this with breakfast foods or drink solo on a hot day. 

Cidona

In an effort to get all those tastings I did on my trip posted on here, I'm still working on a small back catalog. 

Here's a tasty little drink called Cidona. Although I picked up the bottle seen here in Glasgow, there is a larger fan base in Ireland, which lies on the other side of the Irish Sea from Scotland, in case you are geographically challenged. I suppose the reason it's more popular there is because it was born there. Cidona was introduced in 1955 by Bulmers, Ltd., who had already been making Bulmers Irish Cider. Now I'm not much for alcohol but I do enjoy Irish Cider... and fittingly I enjoyed Cidona too. 

Cidona is thin like a soft drink, but also vastly more translucent than any apple cider you'll find pressed at a fall festival in America. It's nearly clear, but with a slightly yellowish hint of color. The aroma was not all that strong, but what it lacks in smell it makes up for in flavor. It has a deep apple taste with only a small amount of that acidity that gives apples their "bite". Which is a little ironic given that their tag line is "Bites into thirst". But that's okay with me, because I found it to be just right. 

If you aren't big on orange flavor in the morning this good with a breakfast, but perfect for any fall day. 

Fanta Icy Lemon

Canned Icy Lemon at Dublin Castle.

So admittedly, this post has been quite belated. I intended to post the remaining sodas as soon as I returned, but things got busy and lasted through the holidays.

I've discussed Fanta's history in some length in prior postings. So, getting to the point... I was able to find the Icy Lemon flavor in Ireland. This was a tart little soda, with the refreshing flavor of fresh lemonade but with the added frostiness you would expect from foods labeled icy. The frost-flavoring doesn't overwhelm the lemon and unlike some drinks didn't make me sick to my stomach by the end. Great refresher on a nice day outside.

Bottled Icy Lemon in a Belfast bar.

Irn-Bru

Because I'm traveling I've decided to make some entries as I go and input pictures and info later. At the moment I am riding the Stena Ferry from Belfast to Straener. I've been able to locate a bottle of Irn-Bru in the ferry's shop for the purposes of this blog.

Irn-Bru has been produced since 1901 and since that time has always contained actual iron in the beverage. This is a taste you will notice when drinking it. The distinct flavor of this drink can be best described as a metallic cream soda. It is bright orange in color with a decent level of carbonation. The drink has a secret recipe stored in Switzerland. This isn't a favorite drink of mine and I would probably prefer it mixed with vodka.