by Ed Mannix
Anyone who’s skied in Switzerland will have noticed a unique item in the Swiss soft drinks market – Rivella. Each to their own taste, but I find this Swiss speciality infinitely preferable to Coke and almost anything else fizzy and non-alcoholic.
Surprisingly, the principle ingredient of this iconic beverage is milk serum, more commonly known as whey!
‘Brewed’ in Switzerland since 1952
Ever since 1952 when Dr Robert Bath started ‘brewing’ Rivella in a small factory near Zurich, its popularity in Switzerland has grown at an astonishing rate. Now some hundred million litres of the alpine nation’s favourite soft drink are produced every year.
Despite this popularity, Rivella has never found a market elsewhere, despite multiple campaigns over the years to introduce it to a wider pubic. The only exception to this being our milk-loving friends in the Netherlands.
Choose your colour
While the original Rivella, with its red label, is a bit sweet for some adult tastes, the low-sugar blue-labelled version is much more palatable and less calorific.
More modern tastes have been catered for with ‘Rivella Verte’, based on a green tea recipe. And more recently, variants with fruit and herb flavourings have been produced, even if they have been slow to gain public acceptance.
When travel gets back to normal again, give Rivella a try this winter and enjoy the full Swiss experience.
A shorter version of this article originally appeared on Matterhorn Chalets website
Categories: Switzerland