If you have not heard of, or tried Irn-Bru then you are truly missing out. The best selling soft-drink in Scotland for well over a century, it might not actually be made from girders (i’ll explain), but it is one of the best soft0drinks in the world.
To read about Vimto click here.
What is the history of Irn-Bru?
Was Irn-Bru invented in Scotland? No it was not! It was originally invented in 1898 in North America and was called IRONBREW – notice all CAPPS. The recipe was widely copied and this “style” of drink is actually available the world over – although again we will get to that.
The Irn-Bru that we know and love was first produced in 1901 officially by AG Bar, although a form of the drink had been produced since 1899. For the next half century the drink remained popular, with current imagery and logo being consolidated after the war.
It was then that Irn-Bru as it was now trademarked as was to become an institution. During this period the “Strongman” image was produced, the “made from girders”thing came about and some of the best advertising of a soft-drink, like ever.
Irn-Bru has courted a lot of controversy for its adds, with the one below being a truly classic example of their naughty nature.
What is in Irn-Bru?
The advertising states that it is “Made in Scotland from girders”, but obviously this is a play on the whole iron element, no pun intended. Instead Irn-Bru is made from a bunch of secret ingredients, some not so secret ones which have caused controversy, as well as caffeine and quinine.
What makes Irn-Bru so interesting though compared to other drinks is that there really is no one flavour, or flavouring that would put it into a soft-drink “family”.
In some ways though there is almost a distinct Ïrn-Bru” family, which I will get to in a bit….
At the end of the day though, don’t stress what is in Irn-Bru, just be cool with iy being a great drink….
What flavour is Irn-Bru?
There is no official flavour for Irn-Bru, it is not a cola, or part of any other soda family, although with this being said it is similar in some respects to a Champagne Cola. A particular good example of this is Colombiana of Colombia!
What flavour is Irn-Bru? I have heard lots of different answers here, with some saying blackcurrant for example. For me it is like a champagne cola with sweet hints of both bubble-gum and cream soda.
What does Irn-Bru taste like? It quite simply tastes like Irn-Bru!
Irn-Bru around the world!
So you can get Irn-Bru throughout the world, particularly where there are a lot of Scots. This makes Australia and New Zealand great hunting grounds for Irn-Bru. It is also available anywhere that has British type stores – hence how I just had it in Cambodia.
Where can you get Irn-Bru in Cambodia? You can get Irn-Bru in Angkor Mart Siem Reap, which is THE store to get British stuff.
Are there knock-0ff Irn-Bru’s? Yes there are, and this is what I mean by the fact that there is actually am Irn-Bru Drink family. I have had Irn-Bru like drinks in Cuba and even Norway, although only in Cuba did they seem to be almost a direct copy.
And then there is Colombiana! This tastes really like the Irn-Bru drink, although it is part of the Champagne Cola category. Therefore you could say that Irn-Bru is part of the Champagne Cola family, to an extent.
Alcoholic Ien-Bru!!!
Remember us telling you about a Cheeky Vimto, which involves a WKD Blue? Well WKD, perhaps the top purveyors of alcopops in the land make a fabulous alcoholic Irn-Bru drink.
Yes there are imitations, but this is the drink when it comes to a boozy Irn-Bru!
Can you mix Irn-Bru with alcohol?
Ask any Scot and they will call this their number one mixer. Vodka with Irn-Bru is an absolute institution. , but Scots will mix it with anything, even whisky. I am not a huge fan of this, but enough people do it to make it worth taking note.
In my mind it does not mix great with dark rum, but fabulously with white rum. I have even tried Cuban Irn-Bru with Havana White Rum – real treat.
To read about travel to Cuba click here.
And as for Irn-Bru with regards to #SodaQuest? This is pure 10/10 one, if not the best soft-drink in the world.