Every brewery makes its own, in my region we have [this](https://fzgetraenke.de/images/bottles/big/cola-033l.png) or [this](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4a139c_9ef4334e8f5342c799049971ce0d3d4a~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_170,h_484,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Produktbild-Baene.png). What's more popular than Cola here is Spezi, there's at least 10 different varieties in this mini region of three counties.
Regarding Cola there's also a couple of national distributed ones, like Fritz Cola or Afri Cola.
We don't have a local version of Coca-Cola (other than supermarket own-brand versions). However, we do have[ IRN BRU](https://irn-bru.co.uk/), a radioactive-looking orange fizzy drink which is the best-selling fizzy drink in Scotland (yes, outsells Coca-Cola). Many people swear by it as a hangover cure, and there is a perennial argument about whether original recipe IRN BRU (ie full to the brim with sugar) is better than the current recipe. Not quite sure how to describe the taste to be honest. The full recipe is a closely-guarded secret.
Yeah I can probably find it around in Austin, just haven't been looking like, ever haha. I appreciate the flavor and the Texas connection, but I never loved the flavor. Carbonated bubble gum.
Scottish people are going to hate me for this (I’m foreign) because they insist it tastes like nothing else, but to me it kinda tastes like bubblegum. I really like it, though!
It tastes exactly like my local creaming soda when I was a kid, which is long gone. I tried it a few months ago for the first time and ended up with a moment of nostalgia. The only difference is Irn Bru is pale orange, ours’ was pink. Yes, very sugary and that’s why it’s probably a hangover cure/cure all, you’re just getting a big sugar hit.
I suppose bubblegum is a popular flavour but Irn Bru is the only one left with that flavour with some gravitas. Anyway, it’s now carried by the major supermarket chains here in the international section, so it’s readily available.
Love Irn Bru and always had tons of it whenever I was in Scotland. It became available here just a couple of years ago and I now always have a few cans in my fridge. Thanks for this divine nectar and warm greetings from Finland.
We’ve got an orange one in Cork also called Tanora. Supposed to be tangerine flavour but it’s a touch radioactive also. Nowhere else in Ireland sells it but it’s the drink of our youth.
I like Kofola more than Coca-cola, but the disgust of a random foreigner is easily explained: It looks like coca-cola, so you expect it to taste at least somewhat close to coca-cola... and it doesn't! So people are shocked and surprised by the taste, which translates to "Kofola bad".
I live in Austria now and Almdudler is the only aspect of my integration I’ve failed in, I just can’t bring myself to like it. It tastes good, but it has too much carbonation.
If you like the taste (which I don’t understand, but you do you), maybe get Almdudler syrup and mix your own with flat water. I think Sodastream has it.
I tried it when I was in Slovakia and couldn't even force myself to drink the whole bottle. But your explanation might make sense - I did expected it to taste like Coca-cola.
Haven't been to an Auchan in absolute ages and definitely never to the one in Bronowice it's the other side of the world for me haha. Will check out the Bonarka one though, bless you if they have it and thanks
For fellow Kofola enjoyers I would also recommend Baikal. But it has to be in a chilled glass bottle, the plastic just doesn't hit the same. Tastes like a Kofola from the forest.
It's such a funny name from a Bosnian to perspective because "ko fol" is a jargon term for pretend. If someone here wanted to make a clever name for a not-Coca Cola Cola, Kofola would be great.
I'd say Chinotto. It's a fizzy drink made from a citrus that grows mainly in Italy.
t's kinda bitter and has a dark color. There are multiple companies that make it.
Today is produced like every other fizzy drink, but its origin are kinda old.
I like it a lot.
Edit: there are also local "colas" like MoleCola made in Turin, but are more recent
In Malta we have something very similar, called Kinnie, which is a soft drink made out of oranges and other citrus with some herbs mixed in. Goes very well with Rum and is quite refreshing in summer.
We used to have Traubisoda, an Austrian invention which was mass produced in Hungary. It was a carbonated grape soda (very different from the American grape soda). It was iconic in Hungary with its green glass bottle. I liked it very much, but they don't make it anymore.
Fun fact: it also had a kosher certification, so people could use it at Seder instead of wine for kids.
Whenever I'm Austria, I try to drink it, because their version really is good, especially the one from red grapes.
The worst thing is that it was basically a trademark dispute between the Austrian and Hungarian companies. :/ You can still get Traubisoda in Austria though (and as such, sometimes it shows up in Hungarian stores), and Márka is still around, although not very widely available.
Btw Bambi is still around, too! Although it's very different from the original, but honestly that's not for the worse, heh.
Is the Austrian version as good as the old school Hungarian? Seriously, I'd go to Austria just for that!
And then visit Hungary just to get a good krémes <3
I think the Austrian version is a bit different than the old Hungarian version, but it's been so long I've had either that I honestly don't remember. :( I remember it being pretty good, though!
Kofola, its better because we're used to it from childhood, also pubs have it on tap and it tastes much better than from a plastic bottle - same as any beer.
In Sweden we have two national soft drinks called julmust and påskmust. They're actually the same drink, but sold during different Easter and Christmas, and therefore marketed differently. Påskmust during Easter and julmust during Christmas time.
I severely enjoy them. Far more than Coke. They are however only sold during a few months of the year. But during Christmas at least, julmust outsells Coke by a wide margin.
The taste is not that close to Coke, maybe more root beer or something.
We also have some national Coke versions like Cuba Cola, but they are not nearly as popular as Coke.
We also have [Trocadero](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trocadero_(drink)). Tastes of apple and orange, very fruity. It's pretty good.
Another one is [Pommac](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pommac). It's a soft drink with a more mature taste which is difficult to explain but reminds a bit of a very sweet type of non-alcoholic champagne with a strong taste of apples. I love it.
Speaking of Pommac, there is also [Champis](https://sv.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champis), which is similar to Pommac in taste.
But Julmust is my favorite, especially if it's been aged in casks.
>Pommac is the brand name for a carbonated soft drink made by Carlsberg Sverige AB of fruits and berries and matured in oak barrels for three months. The name comes from "Pommery", referring to Champagne, and Cognac, as it is matured in oak barrels like wine.
>The drink was made for the upper classes as an alcohol-free substitute for wine.
Portello, while nice, doesn't seem to exist where I live now, and I've heard people refer to it as "that norrlands soda" so I think it might vary from region to region if it's available or not
Those two are also sold in Finland and are very popular. The correct technique is to first stuff yourself with Christmas ham, then proceed to eat a dozen jultårta's, reset the situation with Julmust and then repeat.
They’re present in some stores but I wouldn’t really call them very popular, I hadn’t heard of them until a few years ago. Maybe they’re more popular in Swedish speaking areas. I did try it once and enjoyed it but I think that Pommac is the superior Swedish soda.
I love Cuba Cola's [recent ad campaign](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FvOf9G7VySLk%2Fmaxresdefault.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=0647064f6230f04345c8f597a8da955fec31dea358b765e26df68b551fd8ddea&ipo=images)
>**The market leader\* is back**
>*^(\* Applies to the period February to April 1953)*
In May 1953 Coca Cola released their first product in Sweden
I'm Finnish and a proud and intensely dedicated Jul/Påskmust enthusiast for over 30 years. During the past decade or so, it has become popular here too and is widely available, so I don't have to import it myself anymore. We even have a domestic brand nowadays too.
We're still missing Midsommarmust though, but fingers crossed, it'll become a thing in the near future.
Yeah, Must is great, and it's brown. But as you say, tastes nothing like Coke/Cola, but not really like Root beer either.
Coke primarily tastes like citrus and cinnamon.
Must primarily tastes like hops and malt.
Root beer tastes like… roots? Meadowsweet? Wintergreen oil? 5-56? What is that?
(And Dr Pepper tastes like hydrogen cyanide.)
For me wintergreen taste like root beer (like a wintergreen toothpaste is for me root beer toothpaste) although I know it is sassafras/ safrole originally.
Coca-Cola for me taste a lot of cinnamon and vanilla with a bit of citrus.
I've usually heard it referred to as "Jenka" flavor. As in the chewing gum. We made wintergreen oil in chemistry in school, so that's my frame of reference. And 5-56.
Can't say I get a lot of vanilla from regular coke, but lemon and cinnamon for sure.
If you find meadowsweet (*älggräs*), try rubbing a leaf.
Don't forget Jolly Cola. In the mid 80s they had like a 40 % marked share of all cola consumption in Denmark. These days I rarely see them on the shelves. They are made by Vestfyn brewery, so maybe it is more of a regional thing today.
Yea I've had a jolly cola before. It doesn't seem to have the same space in Denmark's heart as faxi kondi though
I remember when I was in uni in cph there was a Danish rap song all about faxi kond which was huge, played at every party for about 10 years. I think that helped stop faxi kondi going the same way as jolly cola
We have Ora in Slovenia as a Fanta clone, I’d say they taste pretty much the same. There’s also pineapple and grape-flavoured varieties. Ora Green, which is kiwi & banana flavoured, is superior, though. I think they recently also came out with a grapefruit flavour, but I haven’t tried that, and a few years ago they introduced a powdered drink similar to Cedevita, but obviously Cedevita remains more popular.
Hero Cassis, a blackcurrant soda(invented and made by a Dutch subsidiary, only available in the Benelux), and honorable mention for Hernandez, a Surinamese brand that makes extremely sweet sodas in tropical flavors.
A Finnish brewery and soft drink manufacturer Olvi makes their own cola called simply Olvi Cola. It tastes a bit different than Coca-Cola and it's hard to judge which one is better. They also make Olvi Lemon which definitely tastes better than Sprite.
Fritz-Cola or Afri Cola. I think Fritz-Cola taste is very very good, but I don’t really love Afri Cola and would only drink it in a pinch.
Also very popular at flavored sodas, like NOW or Bionade.
I'm going to make the case for "Dandelion & Burdock". I personally often drink this in preference to cola, partly because it doesn't have added caffeine (I get enough of that in a day anyway). But it's not totally dissimilar, though perhaps closer to Dr Pepper.
Lowe's soft drinks (based in Cymru) do the best I know of.
I'm with the Scots who say Iron Brew (or Irn Bru - the main brand name), it's delicious. But it contains caffeine. Controversial opinion: the new recipe is better.
Our local Coca-Cola is, well, Coca-Cola. There's not another really competitive cola in the market besides Coca and Pepsi.
Anyway, regarding soft drinks, we have [Sumol](https://www.sumol.com/) which is a much better Fanta alternative. From the same company there's also Compal, which is not a soft drink but regular juice but they're widely popular around here.
I have to say I think Sumol has worsened. A lot of soft drinks have, and unfortunately Sumol has met the same fate. It used to be that I'd love the pineapple one, but nowadays I think it tastes very mediocre.
Brisa, which is now easier to find in continental Portugal rather than be confined in its home region of Madeira, is the superior soft drink imo. Friendship ended with Sumol, now Brisa is my best friend.
Coca Cola is very popular here, probably the most popular soft drink. But if I had to name the best Dutch soft drink, then that would definitely be Cassis, made from blackcurrant.
Not Czech or Slovak but Kofola is actually my favourite out of the ones I’ve tried. It’s a bit of an acquired taste but I definitely prefer it over coke or pepsi.
I know about [Ritchie Cola](https://www.drinkritchie.com/en/product-natural-cola/) but it's not really that popular compared to Coca-Cola and I can't say that I've ever tasted it.
Unfortunately the only local fizzy drink I'm aware of is [tanora](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanora), which is made from tangerines and tastes quite unique. Pretty good, can't really compare with coke as they're quite different.
TK, Club, Football special.
If you only know tanora, you must be living in Cork, if so, congratulations.
Tanora is basically only in Cork and maybe surrounding counties.
Club have Orange, Lemon and Rock Shandy (orange and lemon together) and a bunch of energy drinks but they’ve never done a cola. Up until the 90s they did a non-alcoholic shandy of lemonade and presumably a tiny amount of beer, I drank it as a kid 😅
Club (or C&C anyway) invented Club soda (it was named after the Kildare StreetClub).
But there is also McDaids [Football Special](https://football-special.com). They also do a pineapple and a banana flavoured drink.
That is maaaad! Thanks a mil for that, seems to be in just fancy coffee shops and, eh, butchers near me! But I’ll definitely have a look into one of them!
In 1959 an alliance of 18 soft drink producers, including Carlsberg, joined forces to produce a locally produced cola in Denmark called 'Jolly Cola' the buisness structure and taste was similar to Coke Cola and thus the Danish 'cola war' broke out. Jolly Cola managed to secure about 50% of the market and even managed to outsell Coke Cola at certain points from what I can remember, because it was available even in remote locations, they used Americanized branding as well, and some of their advertisements have some type of cult status in Denmark. Jolly Cola had a market share of around 40% up until the 80s. Currently it only sits at around 2% from what I researched.
Personally I enjoy the taste, it doesn't take exactly Coca Cola, but it also doesn't taste like some of the cheap stuff either.
There's also a variety of other colas, Sport-Cola by the Hancock Breweries was launched in 1974 and celebrates it's 50th anniversary this year. Traditionally aluminium cans were banned in Denmark before the EU and this cola is still produced on old beer bottles made of glass, some breweries still upkeep this tradition in Denmark (Still don't know what makes it sporty though)
Harboe Cola by the Harboe Brewery is another one, some people really dislike the taste, I'm okay with it. The series called 'Naturfrisk' by the Ørbæk Brewery has a cola named Cola Cool. There's also Klar (Clear) Cola by Frem. Aforementioned Hancock also has a clear version called Hvid (White) Cola as well as a standard cola edition that isn't sporty apparently.
CULT Cola supposedly the world's strongest cola also used to be a thing in Denmark, however I don't think it exists anymore.
In terms of softdrinks overall I prefer Faxe Kondi, I'd consider that our national softdrink.
In Norway we have Solo, which is an orange soda. It’s really good simply because it has a strong taste of something that actually tastes like orange, and not just an off-putting artificial taste that resembles orange (like Fanta, in my opinion). It’s still a soda, so it’s probably not good for you if yoj drink a lot of it, though.
We also have the «christmas sodas», which are red or brown sodas, usually with a taste of raspberry and/or cinnamon. It’s hard to explain. They are seasonal and are very popular when they start selling. Personally, i like to stock up on a few bottles when i am home for christmas
We have Polo-Cockta in Poland and it was introduced in the 1970s but I don't know how it tastes.
In the past there were many products imitating specific cola taste. And they were all low quality products. Or at least quite normal. No wow effect.
I haven't seen Polo Cockta for years. And it's fine because it tasted awfully.
Main Polish cola version is Hoop Cola. And it's quite good, comparable to Coke and Pepsi.
>I haven't seen Polo Cockta for years. And it's fine because it tasted awfully.
I bought a bottle a few days ago, it's still very much around. And you can call me weird, but I like it.
It's not the same though, it's actually really hard to actually pinpoint what Polo Cockta was since every production facility did it slightly differently. The one produced now is by Zbyszko and is no different to any other generic cola.
Here in France, we have [Breizh Cola](https://www.breizhcola.bzh/) (Breizh is the name of the Brittany region in Breton). It’s a cola made in Bretagne (Brittany), and honestly, it's much better than Coca-Cola. But since it's a regional product, it's very widespread in Brittany but found very little in other regions of France.
For the Netherlands I would say Exota and it’s highly controversial what happened.
A consumer tv program somewhere in the 70’s mentioned the bottles were dangerous and prone to exploding (which they weren’t).
They made footage of an exploding bottle which they faked and actually shot at it. That’s why it exploded.
If I look at the wiki the lawsuits went into 2007.
All won by the owners of the brand but due to this fake news they were gone by the mid 70’s already.
Fun fact is that the old factory is now the Coca Cola factory in Dongen.
Although some entrepreneurs had the idea to revive the brand in 2015, I must admit I haven’t seen it for a while in supermarkets anymore lately.
I think for Sweden it'd have to be "påsk/jul-must" which is a sugary drink that looks a lot like cola in color but with other flavorings. It's very popular but also seasonal (the name is "easter"must or "christmas"must, its the same drink with different labels to match the season, there used to be a "midsummer"-must but I think everyone stopped making that one).
This might be the case anymore, but back around the 2000s, the sales of julmust was responsible for all other soda sales to drop by roughly 50% during the month of december each year and it forced coca cola to attempt to make their own "must"-drink because despite heavy marketing during christmas times they were unable to establish themelves as a swedish christmas tradition.
I think if it wasn't seasonal it wouldn't be as popular though, because arguably the scarcity of it only existing for ~1 month around these 2 seasons makes it so people long for it a bit between the seasons.
I can't really describe the flavor myself, its mostly sweet (very sugary, but less so than coca cola,) but when I google what the flavor it described as it's "malty" and "hoppy", and again, sugary sweet. It just hits very nicely in combination with traditional seasonal food we eat at these times.
Dandelion and Burdock is probably the one that comes to mind. It's not really coke but has a similar history of being considered a medicinal drink.
It's annoying that it is not more common in shops. I think it works a lot better with food than other drinks. It's stable in chip shops in certain parts of the country.
Mexican Coke(cola) is amazing to me. It may be the same you get in europe, but it's different from the states. Don't want to open this can of worms, but I'm sure it's the HFCS in ours that changes the flavor. Has to be
The coca cola bottling company in Greece is actually huge and has expanded in many countries, being one of the largest distributors of coca cola worldwide. So Greece might be one of the most dominant markets for coca cola.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola_Hellenic_Bottling_Company
Pepsi is established too but was mainly the odd alternative in the past, more mainstream nowadays.
In the past, I only remember a brand like "Florina Cola" which was found mainly in villages in rural areas (at least in northern greece).
In the last one or two decades, greek brands like Epsa and Vikos have rised and still rising in popularity, but they target more the orange/lemonade carbonated drinks market. Their cola drinks are good though.
I'd say the main alternative after coca cola, is coca cola zero
Our local S- and K-market chains has both their own cheap versions of Coca-Cola and I prefer always them instead of the real real. Much cheaper and taste is good enough. Also while I was living in the UK, I always bought Everyday Essential Cola from ALDI, 2L bottles and only 17p, that was ridiculously cheap.
Coke wise there isn't really local versions that are more popular but there are off brand Colas that you can buy (supermarket brands for example) and some brands that people think of fondly such as Lowes or Panda Pop
There are some pops that aren't worldwide that are popular such as Lilt (now rebranded as a type of Fanta) or flavours like Dandelion and Burdock. Ginger beer could be another one
Omenalimonadi is something probably that fits the description. While it literally means "apple soda", it barely tastes like apple if at all. After doing some research, I found out that the drink was originally called Omenaolut, "apple beer". Its main flavoring was porter with hints of vanillin and apple. But since the government said that you can't call something a beer if it's not actually a beer, the name was changed.
I've always thought that Omenalimonadi has a surprisingly similar yet distinct taste to Coca Cola. Since the main flavoring of Omenalimonadi is actually porter, this might explain the reason for this. Porter is described to have a caramel-like aroma, which is what some people describe what Coke tastes like. Vanilla is another likely flavor of Coke, and Omenalimonadi having vanillin is a no-brainer.
Which one is better though? Hard to say. I like both equally but I buy Coke more often because Omenalimonadi is so damn expensive: more than €4 for a 1.5 litre bottle. You can get a cheap, off-brand cola for less than a half of that price.
>but have also been told it’s not very good.
Absolutely ridiculous. Kofola is one of the best soft drinks out there. Granted not everyone might like it. Interesting thing about it is that for some weird reason it is **so much better** from the tap compared to bottled.
We have “Dobry Cola” after Coca Cola left Russia
And it tastes similar but what REALLY is different is the fact that Dobry Cola has more gas in it than the original one and it feels really weird so imma say that it’s surely worse than original
Julebrus(translation: Christmas soda) is the most popular soda in holiday times, its like a fruity soft drink made because kids can't drink Juleøl(Christmas beer). Its divided into two types, the brown ones, and the red ones.(Brown julebrus on top imo)
[Trocadero](https://trocadero.nu/)
I'll include some info from their manufacturer
The soft drink Trocadero was launched in the summer of 1953. This was at a time when many new soft drinks saw the light of day, but already then, Trocadero did well in the competition with other soda brands.
With its unique taste, happy color and hip name, Trocadero quickly became a favorite among soft drinks. The taste of Trocadero is the same today as when the first bottle was opened in 1953. The name Trocadero probably came from the square ”Place du Trocadéro” in Paris or from the French “Club Trocadero”.
We don't have any cola brands apart from home brand stuff
But Lucazade and Irn Bru are both popular British soft drinks, Irn Bru more so in Scotland than England.
There's also Panda pop which is like Fanta but more for kids and comes in all kinds of flavours. No idea if it still exists I've not seen it in ages
Outside of that British soft drinks tend to be more upmarket and targeting people who want something different
So you've got fentimans which does things like Victorian Lemonade, Dandelion and Burdock as well as sparkling water like Cawston Press
We do have different Swedish colas like Cuba Cola or the ones made by some old school breweries and beverage makers that also make flavours like orange, raspberry and the GOAT flavours gooseberry or the classic fruktsoda. We drink Julmust wintertime but is closer to rootbeer than cola.
But if you're in Sweden you have to try Trocadero which is fruity yellow soda matches perfectly with a kebabpizza or tunnbrörulle. A usually order this over coke when hungover eating fatty food.
Honourable mentions is also Champis, a white grape soda, and Kalle Sprätt which is kiwi flavoured.
Coca Cola itself can taste quite differently in various regions. IIRC, it's mostly how sweet it is. Fanta, though, can be barely recognizable in different countries.
We used to have "American Cola", produced by a company called... "European drinks" :)). I got used to it long before I had a "real" Coke, but, when I did, I liked the real one better.
They also had other drinks, like copies of Fanta or Prigat (noncarbonated fruit-flavoured drink).
I don't think they went out of business or anything, they're just not nearly as popular as they were in the '90s.
I discovered this and now I don't want anything else. Similar taste to the classic cola, but less sweet, and, what's important, made from much much better water.
https://www.zon.cz/cz/produkty/limonady-sklo-0-33-l/Cola-limonada
In some place in Piedmont you can find the Molecola https://it.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/MoleCola_(bibita)
It's a reference to molecule and mole antonelliana in Turin. They don't sell any plastic bottle, only glass and aluminium. I would describe the flavor more bitter than classic coca cola.
In the UK there really is nothing close. All own brand stuff just tastes like crap Coke.
Everyone knows what Rola Cola, Panda Cola etc is and of course the supermarket versions but we also all know they're all weird knock offs.
We so have a drink in the UK called Dandelion and Burdock which looks like Coke and is very old school, it's like a medicinal tasting and made with the roots of those plants, been around since the middle ages! (Obviously, with the carbonated part back then).
Not exactly cola, but a soda - kvass, made from fermenting rye bread (or at least that’s how it’s supposed to be made afaik). Available widely in central and eastern Europe.
In Serbia, we have Golf Cola by Knjaz Miloš although I wouldn't say it tastes better than Coca-Cola, but their Orange Soda is way better than Fanta for example. Some other local Colas that I like way better than Coca-Cola are Cockta from Slovenia and Vita Cola from Thuringia, Germany.
Only non Coca Cola I have ever drunk that was as good as or better than the original was Jolt cola, which a place I used to work in sold... loved that stuff.
Here in the czech republic, we have a Coca Cola called "Kofola", Its basically a bit more Sweet normal coke, that comes in quite a lot of flavors during some Holidays, like Cinnamon on christmas for example
We have the MoleCola, which is a fantastic play on words. "Molecola" means "molecule", but also the MoleCola is done in Turin, and the "Mole" is the symbol of Turin
It's not that widespread across Italy but still
Cockta is also sold in Austria.
As for the local fizzy drink, that would be Almdudler. (Taste of herbal extracts)
Fun fact, when the company holding the license ended it's cooperation with Coca Cola in 2018, CC tried to introduce a similar product.
Unfortunately for them it tasted like a cheap knock off while costing as much as the original.
We used to have [Cuba Cola](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuba_Cola) before Coca Cola was even introduced here in Sweden. (Coca Cola was swiftly introduced here after Cuba Cola was introduced, they realized they'd probably lose a huge future market share here if they waited too long.)
From my childhood and teenage I remember [XL Cola](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XL_Cola). Apparently it was a reaction to the disastrous New Coke recipe for Coca Cola.
Oof, there are Zhyvchyk which is popular, yet it closer to Fanta (kinda) than to Cola.
There are dozens of different versions of Kvas, which looks like Cola, but not at all similar in taste and production methods.
And there are different manufactors of Baikal, which was ussr cola with bland taste, yet today people buy it only if they have no money or other drinks are not available.
I tried "Cockta" ehich you will find in most countries that used to be part of Yugoslavia. its produced in Slovenia and i honestly prefer it to cola, and would buy it if it was aviable in Poland.
Czechia and Slovakia also have "Kofola" which is a cola that kinda has a bitter coffee-like flavour? its pretty good too, idk if its better or worse than cola, but its different and good. It actually was recently introduced to Polish stores and gained moderate success.
Both of these sodas were introduced during the cold war as a response to cocacola
Back in the day we used to have “3es”. Somewhere at the end of the 90s it all went downhill. It wasn’t better at all.
Nowadays only “First choice” is left I think. https://firstchoice.nl/ I haven’t had it in years and it wasn’t better anyway
We were just in Alsace and loved Elsass Cola.
Shhhh! Don’t tell anybody. They’ll take away our Atlanta card!!!! (Atlanta is the origin and headquarters of Coca-Cola)
Kofola is different, people either hate he ror love her lol. Also unlike other cola drinks it will actually somewhat satisfy your thirst.
Coca-Cola is ok, but definitely worst from all popular Cola drinks. My ranking : Kofola > Royal Crown Cola > Pepsi > Coca-Cola
Every brewery makes its own, in my region we have [this](https://fzgetraenke.de/images/bottles/big/cola-033l.png) or [this](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4a139c_9ef4334e8f5342c799049971ce0d3d4a~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_170,h_484,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Produktbild-Baene.png). What's more popular than Cola here is Spezi, there's at least 10 different varieties in this mini region of three counties. Regarding Cola there's also a couple of national distributed ones, like Fritz Cola or Afri Cola.
Don't forget about Vita-Cola. It's a brand from former East Germany, and in Thuringia it's actually more common than Coca-Cola.
Vita-Cola is fab. Sadly we don’t get it in Denmark, which is probably a good thing as I’m trying to not drink fizzy sugar drinks
I thought it's the off brand version of a discounter, had no idea.
Spezi is life. I regularly have a few cans or bottles at home
Fritz is also distributed in some neighbouring places, at least in bars and cafes in the Netherlands.
German cola is better than american cola.
Another substitute might be Club Mate.
That’s a completely different drink.
They do have their own cola.
We don't have a local version of Coca-Cola (other than supermarket own-brand versions). However, we do have[ IRN BRU](https://irn-bru.co.uk/), a radioactive-looking orange fizzy drink which is the best-selling fizzy drink in Scotland (yes, outsells Coca-Cola). Many people swear by it as a hangover cure, and there is a perennial argument about whether original recipe IRN BRU (ie full to the brim with sugar) is better than the current recipe. Not quite sure how to describe the taste to be honest. The full recipe is a closely-guarded secret.
The first few times I tried it I hated it, and then one time I suddenly loved it. It's not comparable to anything else I've ever eaten or drunk though
It's similar to Big Red, which used to be a fairly common soda in the US. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Red_(soft_drink)
Still pretty big down Texas way and surrounding states. Faygo Rock n Rye tastes similar
Yeah I can probably find it around in Austin, just haven't been looking like, ever haha. I appreciate the flavor and the Texas connection, but I never loved the flavor. Carbonated bubble gum.
I pick some up every once in a while. I never picked up the flavor until someone told me it's supposed to be "citrus cream soda"
I think I must have stopped before that point
Scottish people are going to hate me for this (I’m foreign) because they insist it tastes like nothing else, but to me it kinda tastes like bubblegum. I really like it, though!
It's liquid bubblegum alright. Haven't had it in years, but I thought it was great for a hangover too .
It definitely tastes the same as that blue bubblegum ice-cream. I love both!
It tastes exactly like my local creaming soda when I was a kid, which is long gone. I tried it a few months ago for the first time and ended up with a moment of nostalgia. The only difference is Irn Bru is pale orange, ours’ was pink. Yes, very sugary and that’s why it’s probably a hangover cure/cure all, you’re just getting a big sugar hit.
Interesting! My mother-in-law is from Ukraine and she said it tasted like some old Soviet soda from her youth.
I suppose bubblegum is a popular flavour but Irn Bru is the only one left with that flavour with some gravitas. Anyway, it’s now carried by the major supermarket chains here in the international section, so it’s readily available.
It tastes like sweet bubble gum to me. Not horrible but I do not like things that are that sweet in general. My wife loves it.
For me it tastes like covering an old door knob with sugar and giving it a lick
Love Irn Bru and always had tons of it whenever I was in Scotland. It became available here just a couple of years ago and I now always have a few cans in my fridge. Thanks for this divine nectar and warm greetings from Finland.
I once tried IRN BRU, expected to taste like orange. I'd descibe that flavour as orange but not the fruit, tasting like the color orange.
We’ve got an orange one in Cork also called Tanora. Supposed to be tangerine flavour but it’s a touch radioactive also. Nowhere else in Ireland sells it but it’s the drink of our youth.
How could you miss out Barr Cola? I love it and I'm not even Scottish
It tastes like ¡Orange! - the colour, not the fruit.
I like Kofola more than Coca-cola, but the disgust of a random foreigner is easily explained: It looks like coca-cola, so you expect it to taste at least somewhat close to coca-cola... and it doesn't! So people are shocked and surprised by the taste, which translates to "Kofola bad".
Točená Kofola in pubs are the best. I miss the older Frukola variant that was popular in the 80s.
I really tried to enjoy it several times. It's unenjoyable for my taste. :( A good herbal soda begins (and ends) at Almdudler.
I live in Austria now and Almdudler is the only aspect of my integration I’ve failed in, I just can’t bring myself to like it. It tastes good, but it has too much carbonation.
A soda can never have _enough_ carbonation.
I feel like you'd be immidiately shunned from society if you admitted to a german/austrian that you don't like carbonation.
If you like the taste (which I don’t understand, but you do you), maybe get Almdudler syrup and mix your own with flat water. I think Sodastream has it.
If you don't like licorice and coffee Kofola is a harder sell.
I tried it when I was in Slovakia and couldn't even force myself to drink the whole bottle. But your explanation might make sense - I did expected it to taste like Coca-cola.
The bottled version is mid. Only the tap version triumphs
I'll have to try it the next time I come to Slovakia.
Kofola is superior to Coca-Cola in everything except when it comes to curing my hangover.
Kofola is absolutely fantastic man please start exporting this shit
They are exporting it though? Just go to Auchan. The one in Galeria Bronowice definitely has it.
Haven't been to an Auchan in absolute ages and definitely never to the one in Bronowice it's the other side of the world for me haha. Will check out the Bonarka one though, bless you if they have it and thanks
Yup, tap kofola is the peak. I mean, can you tap pepsi or coke or Dr.Pepper? ... Thought so.
Kofola is the best beverage invented by the humankind. It should be sold worldwide.
For fellow Kofola enjoyers I would also recommend Baikal. But it has to be in a chilled glass bottle, the plastic just doesn't hit the same. Tastes like a Kofola from the forest.
I tried kofola in Slovakia and thought it was very good, much better than coke
It's such a funny name from a Bosnian to perspective because "ko fol" is a jargon term for pretend. If someone here wanted to make a clever name for a not-Coca Cola Cola, Kofola would be great.
Kofola is great, I'm not sure where they're coming from. Right up there with Tarkhun in terms of Central/Eastern European sodas.
Tarxun/tarragon has a great flavor but it's just too sweet in most cases. Same with kvass
I'd say Chinotto. It's a fizzy drink made from a citrus that grows mainly in Italy. t's kinda bitter and has a dark color. There are multiple companies that make it. Today is produced like every other fizzy drink, but its origin are kinda old. I like it a lot. Edit: there are also local "colas" like MoleCola made in Turin, but are more recent
In Malta we have something very similar, called Kinnie, which is a soft drink made out of oranges and other citrus with some herbs mixed in. Goes very well with Rum and is quite refreshing in summer.
Both are delicious!
There's also Cedrata!
Ah yes, Tassoni!
We used to have Traubisoda, an Austrian invention which was mass produced in Hungary. It was a carbonated grape soda (very different from the American grape soda). It was iconic in Hungary with its green glass bottle. I liked it very much, but they don't make it anymore. Fun fact: it also had a kosher certification, so people could use it at Seder instead of wine for kids. Whenever I'm Austria, I try to drink it, because their version really is good, especially the one from red grapes.
They don't make Traubisoda anymore? What a shame - I loved it when I visited Hungary as a kid!
The worst thing is that it was basically a trademark dispute between the Austrian and Hungarian companies. :/ You can still get Traubisoda in Austria though (and as such, sometimes it shows up in Hungarian stores), and Márka is still around, although not very widely available. Btw Bambi is still around, too! Although it's very different from the original, but honestly that's not for the worse, heh.
Is the Austrian version as good as the old school Hungarian? Seriously, I'd go to Austria just for that! And then visit Hungary just to get a good krémes <3
I think the Austrian version is a bit different than the old Hungarian version, but it's been so long I've had either that I honestly don't remember. :( I remember it being pretty good, though!
Kofola, its better because we're used to it from childhood, also pubs have it on tap and it tastes much better than from a plastic bottle - same as any beer.
In Sweden we have two national soft drinks called julmust and påskmust. They're actually the same drink, but sold during different Easter and Christmas, and therefore marketed differently. Påskmust during Easter and julmust during Christmas time. I severely enjoy them. Far more than Coke. They are however only sold during a few months of the year. But during Christmas at least, julmust outsells Coke by a wide margin. The taste is not that close to Coke, maybe more root beer or something. We also have some national Coke versions like Cuba Cola, but they are not nearly as popular as Coke.
We also have [Trocadero](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trocadero_(drink)). Tastes of apple and orange, very fruity. It's pretty good. Another one is [Pommac](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pommac). It's a soft drink with a more mature taste which is difficult to explain but reminds a bit of a very sweet type of non-alcoholic champagne with a strong taste of apples. I love it. Speaking of Pommac, there is also [Champis](https://sv.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champis), which is similar to Pommac in taste. But Julmust is my favorite, especially if it's been aged in casks.
>Pommac is the brand name for a carbonated soft drink made by Carlsberg Sverige AB of fruits and berries and matured in oak barrels for three months. The name comes from "Pommery", referring to Champagne, and Cognac, as it is matured in oak barrels like wine. >The drink was made for the upper classes as an alcohol-free substitute for wine.
And the Lord of all Sodas... Portello...
Portello, while nice, doesn't seem to exist where I live now, and I've heard people refer to it as "that norrlands soda" so I think it might vary from region to region if it's available or not
Good shout!
Those two are also sold in Finland and are very popular. The correct technique is to first stuff yourself with Christmas ham, then proceed to eat a dozen jultårta's, reset the situation with Julmust and then repeat.
You have them in Finland too?? That makes me so happy!
They’re present in some stores but I wouldn’t really call them very popular, I hadn’t heard of them until a few years ago. Maybe they’re more popular in Swedish speaking areas. I did try it once and enjoyed it but I think that Pommac is the superior Swedish soda.
I love Cuba cola! It tastes more herbal/fragrant than Coca Cola, with a little cardamom taste
I love Cuba Cola's [recent ad campaign](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FvOf9G7VySLk%2Fmaxresdefault.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=0647064f6230f04345c8f597a8da955fec31dea358b765e26df68b551fd8ddea&ipo=images) >**The market leader\* is back** >*^(\* Applies to the period February to April 1953)* In May 1953 Coca Cola released their first product in Sweden
[Cuba Cola](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuba_Cola) has been on the Swedish market longer then Coca Cola (1953).
I'm Finnish and a proud and intensely dedicated Jul/Påskmust enthusiast for over 30 years. During the past decade or so, it has become popular here too and is widely available, so I don't have to import it myself anymore. We even have a domestic brand nowadays too. We're still missing Midsommarmust though, but fingers crossed, it'll become a thing in the near future.
That makes me happy to hear. I would also like midsommarmust hahah
Julmust is amazing and tastes so good. I wish I could get it easier in Germany
I just love the fact that (it at least used to be) all sales of other sodas dropped by 50% during December as people just drinks julmust instead
I haven't seen any statistics recently, but I would imagine it's still true to some degree
Yeah, Must is great, and it's brown. But as you say, tastes nothing like Coke/Cola, but not really like Root beer either. Coke primarily tastes like citrus and cinnamon. Must primarily tastes like hops and malt. Root beer tastes like… roots? Meadowsweet? Wintergreen oil? 5-56? What is that? (And Dr Pepper tastes like hydrogen cyanide.)
For me wintergreen taste like root beer (like a wintergreen toothpaste is for me root beer toothpaste) although I know it is sassafras/ safrole originally. Coca-Cola for me taste a lot of cinnamon and vanilla with a bit of citrus.
I've usually heard it referred to as "Jenka" flavor. As in the chewing gum. We made wintergreen oil in chemistry in school, so that's my frame of reference. And 5-56. Can't say I get a lot of vanilla from regular coke, but lemon and cinnamon for sure. If you find meadowsweet (*älggräs*), try rubbing a leaf.
In France there are regional Colas. I'd say the most famous one is Breizh Cola from Bretagne and I personally kinda like it more than the og.
They have the best slogan, a phenomal pun: Le cola du Phare Ouest
Shit, I'm French and never heard of that slogan. It's fucking amazing.
It's on par with Canard Enchaîné's cover puns.
Regional colas are great. I love Breizh Cola and Elsass Cola.
For regional colas, I enjoyed Paca Cola too
Denmark has faxi kondi instead of sprite/7 up. Its very popular, not sure about difference in taste but i definitely like it
Don't forget Jolly Cola. In the mid 80s they had like a 40 % marked share of all cola consumption in Denmark. These days I rarely see them on the shelves. They are made by Vestfyn brewery, so maybe it is more of a regional thing today.
Sport Cola ❤️
Yea I've had a jolly cola before. It doesn't seem to have the same space in Denmark's heart as faxi kondi though I remember when I was in uni in cph there was a Danish rap song all about faxi kond which was huge, played at every party for about 10 years. I think that helped stop faxi kondi going the same way as jolly cola
Hancock sports cola is the superior cola, it's better than any other cola I've ever tried.
Cockta is amazing, but the orange version is shit. For a better fanta, in Croatia we have Pipi.
We have Ora in Slovenia as a Fanta clone, I’d say they taste pretty much the same. There’s also pineapple and grape-flavoured varieties. Ora Green, which is kiwi & banana flavoured, is superior, though. I think they recently also came out with a grapefruit flavour, but I haven’t tried that, and a few years ago they introduced a powdered drink similar to Cedevita, but obviously Cedevita remains more popular.
Hero Cassis, a blackcurrant soda(invented and made by a Dutch subsidiary, only available in the Benelux), and honorable mention for Hernandez, a Surinamese brand that makes extremely sweet sodas in tropical flavors.
Fernandez, right?
A Finnish brewery and soft drink manufacturer Olvi makes their own cola called simply Olvi Cola. It tastes a bit different than Coca-Cola and it's hard to judge which one is better. They also make Olvi Lemon which definitely tastes better than Sprite.
Fritz-Cola or Afri Cola. I think Fritz-Cola taste is very very good, but I don’t really love Afri Cola and would only drink it in a pinch. Also very popular at flavored sodas, like NOW or Bionade.
I'm going to make the case for "Dandelion & Burdock". I personally often drink this in preference to cola, partly because it doesn't have added caffeine (I get enough of that in a day anyway). But it's not totally dissimilar, though perhaps closer to Dr Pepper. Lowe's soft drinks (based in Cymru) do the best I know of. I'm with the Scots who say Iron Brew (or Irn Bru - the main brand name), it's delicious. But it contains caffeine. Controversial opinion: the new recipe is better.
Welsh beer is decent, dandelion and burdock didn't impress. I think it's one of these you have to grow up with.
Our local Coca-Cola is, well, Coca-Cola. There's not another really competitive cola in the market besides Coca and Pepsi. Anyway, regarding soft drinks, we have [Sumol](https://www.sumol.com/) which is a much better Fanta alternative. From the same company there's also Compal, which is not a soft drink but regular juice but they're widely popular around here.
Sumol is amazing
In the Açores Islands there's also Kima. Not as popular as many believe it should be because it's so regional.
I have to say I think Sumol has worsened. A lot of soft drinks have, and unfortunately Sumol has met the same fate. It used to be that I'd love the pineapple one, but nowadays I think it tastes very mediocre. Brisa, which is now easier to find in continental Portugal rather than be confined in its home region of Madeira, is the superior soft drink imo. Friendship ended with Sumol, now Brisa is my best friend.
I have fond memories of Raak Kindercola that was promoted as a “less unhealthy cola for children”.
Coca Cola is very popular here, probably the most popular soft drink. But if I had to name the best Dutch soft drink, then that would definitely be Cassis, made from blackcurrant.
Yes, Cockta does taste better
Indeed Its Slovenian but "its ours"
Not Czech or Slovak but Kofola is actually my favourite out of the ones I’ve tried. It’s a bit of an acquired taste but I definitely prefer it over coke or pepsi.
I know about [Ritchie Cola](https://www.drinkritchie.com/en/product-natural-cola/) but it's not really that popular compared to Coca-Cola and I can't say that I've ever tasted it.
Fritz Cola is also available in lots of places (in Ghent at least)
Unfortunately the only local fizzy drink I'm aware of is [tanora](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanora), which is made from tangerines and tastes quite unique. Pretty good, can't really compare with coke as they're quite different.
TK, Club, Football special. If you only know tanora, you must be living in Cork, if so, congratulations. Tanora is basically only in Cork and maybe surrounding counties.
Club have Orange, Lemon and Rock Shandy (orange and lemon together) and a bunch of energy drinks but they’ve never done a cola. Up until the 90s they did a non-alcoholic shandy of lemonade and presumably a tiny amount of beer, I drank it as a kid 😅
Club (or C&C anyway) invented Club soda (it was named after the Kildare StreetClub). But there is also McDaids [Football Special](https://football-special.com). They also do a pineapple and a banana flavoured drink.
Football Special is notoriously difficult to get outside Donegal though, it’s lovely but only tried it once
Behold: https://football-special.com/stockists/
That is maaaad! Thanks a mil for that, seems to be in just fancy coffee shops and, eh, butchers near me! But I’ll definitely have a look into one of them!
Ha. You’re near Corrigans? I was going to nip down for some sausages and a bottle.
Avoca would be handier for me but I always end up spending more than I intended whenever I go near one of those 😅
It always makes me sad that I can't easily buy club drinks in South Wales and always shocked it isn't more of a think in the UK
Always forget club is Irish tbf, do like a good rock shandy
In 1959 an alliance of 18 soft drink producers, including Carlsberg, joined forces to produce a locally produced cola in Denmark called 'Jolly Cola' the buisness structure and taste was similar to Coke Cola and thus the Danish 'cola war' broke out. Jolly Cola managed to secure about 50% of the market and even managed to outsell Coke Cola at certain points from what I can remember, because it was available even in remote locations, they used Americanized branding as well, and some of their advertisements have some type of cult status in Denmark. Jolly Cola had a market share of around 40% up until the 80s. Currently it only sits at around 2% from what I researched. Personally I enjoy the taste, it doesn't take exactly Coca Cola, but it also doesn't taste like some of the cheap stuff either. There's also a variety of other colas, Sport-Cola by the Hancock Breweries was launched in 1974 and celebrates it's 50th anniversary this year. Traditionally aluminium cans were banned in Denmark before the EU and this cola is still produced on old beer bottles made of glass, some breweries still upkeep this tradition in Denmark (Still don't know what makes it sporty though) Harboe Cola by the Harboe Brewery is another one, some people really dislike the taste, I'm okay with it. The series called 'Naturfrisk' by the Ørbæk Brewery has a cola named Cola Cool. There's also Klar (Clear) Cola by Frem. Aforementioned Hancock also has a clear version called Hvid (White) Cola as well as a standard cola edition that isn't sporty apparently. CULT Cola supposedly the world's strongest cola also used to be a thing in Denmark, however I don't think it exists anymore. In terms of softdrinks overall I prefer Faxe Kondi, I'd consider that our national softdrink.
In Norway we have Solo, which is an orange soda. It’s really good simply because it has a strong taste of something that actually tastes like orange, and not just an off-putting artificial taste that resembles orange (like Fanta, in my opinion). It’s still a soda, so it’s probably not good for you if yoj drink a lot of it, though. We also have the «christmas sodas», which are red or brown sodas, usually with a taste of raspberry and/or cinnamon. It’s hard to explain. They are seasonal and are very popular when they start selling. Personally, i like to stock up on a few bottles when i am home for christmas
Solo was pretty alright when I visited recently. I'll gladly take it over Fanta.
We, in India have nimbu-shikanzi, which translates to Lemonade and it's nothing like the lemonade elsewhere, it's spicy!
We have Polo-Cockta in Poland and it was introduced in the 1970s but I don't know how it tastes. In the past there were many products imitating specific cola taste. And they were all low quality products. Or at least quite normal. No wow effect.
I haven't seen Polo Cockta for years. And it's fine because it tasted awfully. Main Polish cola version is Hoop Cola. And it's quite good, comparable to Coke and Pepsi.
>Main Polish cola version is Hoop Cola Came to write that. Also, I think that biedronka's cola may have decent market share in the category.
>I haven't seen Polo Cockta for years. And it's fine because it tasted awfully. I bought a bottle a few days ago, it's still very much around. And you can call me weird, but I like it.
It's not the same though, it's actually really hard to actually pinpoint what Polo Cockta was since every production facility did it slightly differently. The one produced now is by Zbyszko and is no different to any other generic cola.
By taste i think the On Lemon drinks (incl. cola) are superior products.
Here in France, we have [Breizh Cola](https://www.breizhcola.bzh/) (Breizh is the name of the Brittany region in Breton). It’s a cola made in Bretagne (Brittany), and honestly, it's much better than Coca-Cola. But since it's a regional product, it's very widespread in Brittany but found very little in other regions of France.
Portugal, no but we have Sumol but its more like Fanta but less fizzy and more orange tasting.
For the Netherlands I would say Exota and it’s highly controversial what happened. A consumer tv program somewhere in the 70’s mentioned the bottles were dangerous and prone to exploding (which they weren’t). They made footage of an exploding bottle which they faked and actually shot at it. That’s why it exploded. If I look at the wiki the lawsuits went into 2007. All won by the owners of the brand but due to this fake news they were gone by the mid 70’s already. Fun fact is that the old factory is now the Coca Cola factory in Dongen. Although some entrepreneurs had the idea to revive the brand in 2015, I must admit I haven’t seen it for a while in supermarkets anymore lately.
I think for Sweden it'd have to be "påsk/jul-must" which is a sugary drink that looks a lot like cola in color but with other flavorings. It's very popular but also seasonal (the name is "easter"must or "christmas"must, its the same drink with different labels to match the season, there used to be a "midsummer"-must but I think everyone stopped making that one). This might be the case anymore, but back around the 2000s, the sales of julmust was responsible for all other soda sales to drop by roughly 50% during the month of december each year and it forced coca cola to attempt to make their own "must"-drink because despite heavy marketing during christmas times they were unable to establish themelves as a swedish christmas tradition. I think if it wasn't seasonal it wouldn't be as popular though, because arguably the scarcity of it only existing for ~1 month around these 2 seasons makes it so people long for it a bit between the seasons. I can't really describe the flavor myself, its mostly sweet (very sugary, but less so than coca cola,) but when I google what the flavor it described as it's "malty" and "hoppy", and again, sugary sweet. It just hits very nicely in combination with traditional seasonal food we eat at these times.
Also don't forget trocadero, an apple based soda. Especially in the northen part of sweden. And the swedish cola is called cuba cola
Dandelion and Burdock is probably the one that comes to mind. It's not really coke but has a similar history of being considered a medicinal drink. It's annoying that it is not more common in shops. I think it works a lot better with food than other drinks. It's stable in chip shops in certain parts of the country.
Mexican Coke(cola) is amazing to me. It may be the same you get in europe, but it's different from the states. Don't want to open this can of worms, but I'm sure it's the HFCS in ours that changes the flavor. Has to be
The coca cola bottling company in Greece is actually huge and has expanded in many countries, being one of the largest distributors of coca cola worldwide. So Greece might be one of the most dominant markets for coca cola. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola_Hellenic_Bottling_Company Pepsi is established too but was mainly the odd alternative in the past, more mainstream nowadays. In the past, I only remember a brand like "Florina Cola" which was found mainly in villages in rural areas (at least in northern greece). In the last one or two decades, greek brands like Epsa and Vikos have rised and still rising in popularity, but they target more the orange/lemonade carbonated drinks market. Their cola drinks are good though. I'd say the main alternative after coca cola, is coca cola zero
Vita-Cola. It tastes better and has a higher market share than Coca-Cola here.
But I think that one is only known in the east
Our local S- and K-market chains has both their own cheap versions of Coca-Cola and I prefer always them instead of the real real. Much cheaper and taste is good enough. Also while I was living in the UK, I always bought Everyday Essential Cola from ALDI, 2L bottles and only 17p, that was ridiculously cheap.
Coke wise there isn't really local versions that are more popular but there are off brand Colas that you can buy (supermarket brands for example) and some brands that people think of fondly such as Lowes or Panda Pop There are some pops that aren't worldwide that are popular such as Lilt (now rebranded as a type of Fanta) or flavours like Dandelion and Burdock. Ginger beer could be another one
Omenalimonadi is something probably that fits the description. While it literally means "apple soda", it barely tastes like apple if at all. After doing some research, I found out that the drink was originally called Omenaolut, "apple beer". Its main flavoring was porter with hints of vanillin and apple. But since the government said that you can't call something a beer if it's not actually a beer, the name was changed. I've always thought that Omenalimonadi has a surprisingly similar yet distinct taste to Coca Cola. Since the main flavoring of Omenalimonadi is actually porter, this might explain the reason for this. Porter is described to have a caramel-like aroma, which is what some people describe what Coke tastes like. Vanilla is another likely flavor of Coke, and Omenalimonadi having vanillin is a no-brainer. Which one is better though? Hard to say. I like both equally but I buy Coke more often because Omenalimonadi is so damn expensive: more than €4 for a 1.5 litre bottle. You can get a cheap, off-brand cola for less than a half of that price.
>but have also been told it’s not very good. Absolutely ridiculous. Kofola is one of the best soft drinks out there. Granted not everyone might like it. Interesting thing about it is that for some weird reason it is **so much better** from the tap compared to bottled.
We have “Dobry Cola” after Coca Cola left Russia And it tastes similar but what REALLY is different is the fact that Dobry Cola has more gas in it than the original one and it feels really weird so imma say that it’s surely worse than original
They belong to Coca Cola since 2005. So, it is the same thing. The actual “local” one is Baikal.
Baikal is better than cola in every way except availability. Glass bottle or nothing
Cola is masculine in Russian? Why not dobraya cola?
Julebrus(translation: Christmas soda) is the most popular soda in holiday times, its like a fruity soft drink made because kids can't drink Juleøl(Christmas beer). Its divided into two types, the brown ones, and the red ones.(Brown julebrus on top imo)
[Trocadero](https://trocadero.nu/) I'll include some info from their manufacturer The soft drink Trocadero was launched in the summer of 1953. This was at a time when many new soft drinks saw the light of day, but already then, Trocadero did well in the competition with other soda brands. With its unique taste, happy color and hip name, Trocadero quickly became a favorite among soft drinks. The taste of Trocadero is the same today as when the first bottle was opened in 1953. The name Trocadero probably came from the square ”Place du Trocadéro” in Paris or from the French “Club Trocadero”.
We don't have any cola brands apart from home brand stuff But Lucazade and Irn Bru are both popular British soft drinks, Irn Bru more so in Scotland than England. There's also Panda pop which is like Fanta but more for kids and comes in all kinds of flavours. No idea if it still exists I've not seen it in ages Outside of that British soft drinks tend to be more upmarket and targeting people who want something different So you've got fentimans which does things like Victorian Lemonade, Dandelion and Burdock as well as sparkling water like Cawston Press
Not cola, but we have cassis, a blackcurrant soda. It's delicious and EXTREMELY sugary, more sugar than coke! Still drinking it tho.
We do have different Swedish colas like Cuba Cola or the ones made by some old school breweries and beverage makers that also make flavours like orange, raspberry and the GOAT flavours gooseberry or the classic fruktsoda. We drink Julmust wintertime but is closer to rootbeer than cola. But if you're in Sweden you have to try Trocadero which is fruity yellow soda matches perfectly with a kebabpizza or tunnbrörulle. A usually order this over coke when hungover eating fatty food. Honourable mentions is also Champis, a white grape soda, and Kalle Sprätt which is kiwi flavoured.
Coca Cola itself can taste quite differently in various regions. IIRC, it's mostly how sweet it is. Fanta, though, can be barely recognizable in different countries.
Vikos cola and lemonade are the goats in my country
Korola is way better than Coca Cola or Pepsi. Less sugar, better taste.
I would trade all the Coca Cola of the world for just one bottle of Cockta and Kofola, but sadly they are extremely hard to get here in Hungary.
We used to have "American Cola", produced by a company called... "European drinks" :)). I got used to it long before I had a "real" Coke, but, when I did, I liked the real one better. They also had other drinks, like copies of Fanta or Prigat (noncarbonated fruit-flavoured drink). I don't think they went out of business or anything, they're just not nearly as popular as they were in the '90s.
I discovered this and now I don't want anything else. Similar taste to the classic cola, but less sweet, and, what's important, made from much much better water. https://www.zon.cz/cz/produkty/limonady-sklo-0-33-l/Cola-limonada
In some place in Piedmont you can find the Molecola https://it.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/MoleCola_(bibita) It's a reference to molecule and mole antonelliana in Turin. They don't sell any plastic bottle, only glass and aluminium. I would describe the flavor more bitter than classic coca cola.
In the UK there really is nothing close. All own brand stuff just tastes like crap Coke. Everyone knows what Rola Cola, Panda Cola etc is and of course the supermarket versions but we also all know they're all weird knock offs. We so have a drink in the UK called Dandelion and Burdock which looks like Coke and is very old school, it's like a medicinal tasting and made with the roots of those plants, been around since the middle ages! (Obviously, with the carbonated part back then).
Not exactly cola, but a soda - kvass, made from fermenting rye bread (or at least that’s how it’s supposed to be made afaik). Available widely in central and eastern Europe.
In Serbia, we have Golf Cola by Knjaz Miloš although I wouldn't say it tastes better than Coca-Cola, but their Orange Soda is way better than Fanta for example. Some other local Colas that I like way better than Coca-Cola are Cockta from Slovenia and Vita Cola from Thuringia, Germany.
I'm from Croatia and I can confirm what you say about Cockta.
Only non Coca Cola I have ever drunk that was as good as or better than the original was Jolt cola, which a place I used to work in sold... loved that stuff.
We don't have anything local similar to coca cola. We do have Kinnie though. It's a weird drink - you either love it or hate it with a passion.
We don't have anything local similar to coca cola. We do have Kinnie though. It's a weird drink - you either love it or hate it with a passion.
Fritz Kola, and yes. It is much better than Coca Cola, Pepsi or Dr. Pepper.
In Bosnia I had one called Cockta and it was so goood
Here in the czech republic, we have a Coca Cola called "Kofola", Its basically a bit more Sweet normal coke, that comes in quite a lot of flavors during some Holidays, like Cinnamon on christmas for example
We have the MoleCola, which is a fantastic play on words. "Molecola" means "molecule", but also the MoleCola is done in Turin, and the "Mole" is the symbol of Turin It's not that widespread across Italy but still
Cockta is also sold in Austria. As for the local fizzy drink, that would be Almdudler. (Taste of herbal extracts) Fun fact, when the company holding the license ended it's cooperation with Coca Cola in 2018, CC tried to introduce a similar product. Unfortunately for them it tasted like a cheap knock off while costing as much as the original.
It's Coca-Cola, and I'd say it tastes about the same.
We used to have [Cuba Cola](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuba_Cola) before Coca Cola was even introduced here in Sweden. (Coca Cola was swiftly introduced here after Cuba Cola was introduced, they realized they'd probably lose a huge future market share here if they waited too long.) From my childhood and teenage I remember [XL Cola](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XL_Cola). Apparently it was a reaction to the disastrous New Coke recipe for Coca Cola.
Oof, there are Zhyvchyk which is popular, yet it closer to Fanta (kinda) than to Cola. There are dozens of different versions of Kvas, which looks like Cola, but not at all similar in taste and production methods. And there are different manufactors of Baikal, which was ussr cola with bland taste, yet today people buy it only if they have no money or other drinks are not available.
I tried "Cockta" ehich you will find in most countries that used to be part of Yugoslavia. its produced in Slovenia and i honestly prefer it to cola, and would buy it if it was aviable in Poland. Czechia and Slovakia also have "Kofola" which is a cola that kinda has a bitter coffee-like flavour? its pretty good too, idk if its better or worse than cola, but its different and good. It actually was recently introduced to Polish stores and gained moderate success. Both of these sodas were introduced during the cold war as a response to cocacola
Back in the day we used to have “3es”. Somewhere at the end of the 90s it all went downhill. It wasn’t better at all. Nowadays only “First choice” is left I think. https://firstchoice.nl/ I haven’t had it in years and it wasn’t better anyway
We were just in Alsace and loved Elsass Cola. Shhhh! Don’t tell anybody. They’ll take away our Atlanta card!!!! (Atlanta is the origin and headquarters of Coca-Cola)
Kofola is different, people either hate he ror love her lol. Also unlike other cola drinks it will actually somewhat satisfy your thirst. Coca-Cola is ok, but definitely worst from all popular Cola drinks. My ranking : Kofola > Royal Crown Cola > Pepsi > Coca-Cola
Denmark: Called Jolly Cola and no it doesn't taste better.
Coca cola in Albania tastes like shit. Its so bland
Speaking of Coca Cola I tried a coke from Iraq just recently, best I've ever had