Cola drink

Shelf with tail drinks.

A cola drink is a soft drink usually flavored with colored caramel, and often contains caffeine.

Created by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton, it was originally sold in pharmacies; currently it has become a type of drink famous worldwide.

In some countries, such as Venezuela, it is called black tail judging by its blackish color and to differentiate it from the tail, which is called red tail.

Taste

Its main ingredients are sugar, citrus oils (orange, lime or lemon peel), cinnamon, vanilla and an acid flavoring, which in their proper measure and proportion are diluted in carbonated water along with colorings and preservatives. Many colas manufacturers add other ingredients to them to create a brand-specific flavor. These include nutmeg, lavender and a wide variety of ingredients, but the main base, which people recognize, is vanilla and cinnamon. The seeds of Cola acuminata, which have a bitter taste, make little or no contribution to most recipes. The acidity is provided by phosphoric acid, sometimes accompanied by some citric acid or isolated.

Cheapest colas contain only vanilla and cinnamon as the base of their flavor. Some cola drink recipes are well-kept industry secrets, the most famous in this respect being that of Coca-Cola.

Some sweeteners such as fructose syrup, sugar and others are usually used in the preparation of cola drinks. Drinks marked "light", "zero", "diet" or "sugar free" They use only artificial sweeteners.

In the preparation of the first Cola drink recipes, coca leaves and Cola acuminata seeds were used, in a search for a remedy against headaches, thanks to the fact that they contain psychostimulant alkaloids. It is said that this is where the world famous name of Coca Cola comes from. There was also a recipe to which pepsin was added in search of a drug to relieve dyspepsia or indigestion, from which another very famous brand was derived worldwide: Pepsi or Pepsi Cola.

Brands

The most important brands worldwide are Coca-Cola and Pepsi. There are many local brands to mention, made by regional producers, but in some countries they are the first brand.

Europe

• Spain: The Casera Cola, Korrikolari is produced in the Basque Country, Alter Cola is produced in Catalonia by ApatsFood S.L., Frixen Cola in Aragon and Gali Cola which is produced in Galicia as an alternative to Coca-Cola.
• Italy: Ben Cola and Cola Coop produced by Coop Italy that uses barley instead of artificial dye.
• Romania: American Cola and Adria Cola.
• France: Breizh Cola is produced in the region of Brittany with cloves, bottled in cider bottles.
• Sweden: Cuba Cola.
• Denmark: Jolly Cola, was more famous than Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola during the 1960s and 1970s.
• Czech Republic and Slovakia: Kofola, third most sold brand in the country.
• Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia: Cockta, produced in the former Yugoslavia before the arrival of Coca-Cola, even with an important market presence.
• Germany: Afri-Cola, with a high caffeine content (about 250 mg/L). Its formula changed in 1999 to reduce it and returned in April 2006. Vita Cola, La Vita Cola, a soda from ancient communist Germany, represents the lifestyle of the Eastern Germans, the Ossis.
• Turkey: Cola Turka.
• United Kingdom: Virgin Cola was also introduced in South Africa and Eastern Europe in the 1990s, but its availability has declined.
• United Kingdom: Barr Cola produced by A.G. Barr (Products of the famous Irn Bru).
• Poland: Hoop Cola, produced in Poland by Kofola S.A.

Asia and the Middle East

• Alef Cola is a brand of cola drink in Israel and the Palestinian territories, mainly marketed in Haredim. The kosher emblem appears prominently in its logo.
• Mecca Cola, a French drink, sold in the Middle East and parts of Europe.
• RC Popular Cola in the Philippines, distributed by Asiawide Beverages. RC was introduced in Israel in 1995 with the slogan "RC: Just like in America!"
• Star Cola is a mark of Gaza and Palestine.
• Super Drink is a popular tail in the Palestinian territories and in the state of Israel.
• Thums Up is a popular brand in India.
• Campa Cola was the most important brand in India before the arrival of Pepsi and Coca-Cola in 1991.
• Zam Zam Cola, popular in Iran and parts of the Arab world.
• China Cola, produced in China, sold in other markets like the United States

America

• Manaos, the most recognized, produced in Argentina in 2004.
• Double Cola is a drink from an Argentine company in Córdoba.
• Secco made in Argentina.
• Cunnington Cola developed by the company PRODEA since 2007 in Argentina, the third most consumed.
• Inca Kola is a drink made by the José R. Lindley S.A. Corporation, it has an alliance with Coca-Cola and is very popular in Peru, although in rigor it is not a cola drink, since it is crystalline and of intense yellow color it is called this way from its origins.
• Royal Crown (RC Cola) is distributed in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
• tuKola and Tropicola are brands of Cuba (also available in Italy).
• OpenCola is a free code recipe (open source), can be freely produced by anyone.
• Big Cola or Kola Real is a drink from a Peruvian company AJE GROUP distributed in Guatemala, Costa Rica, Colombia, Mexico, Brazil Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.
• Red Cola is a soda distributed in Mexico by AGA Group
• King Cola made and packed in Venezuela by Embotelladora Terepaima (Refrescos Dumbo).
• Pop Cola packed by Embotelladora Marbel in Barquisimeto, Venezuela.
• Pino Cola packed by Sidra Pino in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico.
• Lulu Cola is a soda distributed in Mexico by Pascual S.C.L..
• Chiva Cola, produced by the Omnilife Group of the Guadalajara Sports Club in Mexico.
• Fioravanti gaseosa Ecuador of international circulation mainly in Spain and Italy.
• Salva Cola packed by Embotelladora La Cascada in El Salvador.
• Red cola and Dr Pepper one produced and another packaged by the company Peñafiel in Mexico and some other countries
• Fagar Cola gaseosa de Uruguay, distributed in Uruguay
• Nix gaseous tail of Uruguay.
• Free produced by the United Cervecerías Company between 1986 and 1994 in Chile
• Tommy Cola, Rari Cola, Mc Cola, Buvi Sabor Cola, Cola, Fruna Cola are gaseous from Chile.
• Kola Sol produced by Gaseosas El Sol S.A in Colombia
• Manaos Cola produced by Refres Now S.A. in Argentina.
• FruCola gaseosa de Chile prepared by the company Fruna
• Brown Cola drink produced by Embotelladora Golden Cup in Venezuela, uncontinued since 1996 following the acquisition of that company by Polar Companies and its alliance with the transnational Pepsi.
• Pulp is a gaseous drink produced in Paraguay since 1937. It is the first carbonate beverage made with natural fruit juice.
• Super Cola It is a gaseous drink produced by Salvavidas S.A. very popular in Guatemala along with its variant the Super Lime Lemon.

Chemical Reactions

Because they contain gas, colas are acidic (carbonic acid is formed when carbon dioxide dissolves in water) and can react violently with chemical salts such as baking soda. Many colas also contain phosphoric acid or citric acid, which greatly increases acidity.

The eruption experiment with Diet Coke and Mentos became quite popular, especially on sites like YouTube, also dedicating a chapter of Mythbusters to it.). Mentos candies and crystallized powders such as sugar or salt, when added to the cola (usually light), caused a high fizzing reaction by creating tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide. This is caused by the physical reaction of releasing dissolved CO₂.

Health

A review of studies exposes the detrimental effect of cola drinks on dental enamel, that is: the production of dental caries, two factors of these drinks are involved: the sucrose content and the low pH.

Cola consumption, but not other soft drinks, is associated with low bone mineral density in women; further studies are needed and its clinical relevance is unknown.

Cola drinks have a higher amount of sugar than the rest of the soft drinks to mitigate the intense bitter and acid flavor of the rest of its ingredients. Which makes it a hypercaloric drink that can favor the development of overweight and obesity. Which in turn carries the risk of developing metabolic diseases such as fatty liver, high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, etc.

Etymology

• Wikcionario has definitions and other information about tail.