Kinnie is an unusual soft drink that originated in the Mediterranean island of Malta back in 1952. It was first produced and created by, Simonds Farsons Cisk.
Kinnie is different to other mainstream soft drinks on the market today, because of its bitter sweet flavour. Kinnie tastes like a sophisticated bitter-sweet long drink yet contains no alcohol. Kinnie looks and tastes like an Italian style alcoholic aperitif but without the excessive bitterness of 'San Bitter' or the medicinal flavour of most Italian chinottos.
History
Over the years, Kinnie has made inroads in various countries, due no doubt to the millions of tourists from Europe that have visited the Mediterranean island of Malta. It is said that many tourists remain hooked to the peculiar yet refreshing taste of Kinnie.
According to the corporate website of Simonds Farsons Cisk (often simply referred to as Farsons), Kinnie was first produced in 1952 as an alternative to the innumerable cola that had proliferated post-war Europe. Most visitors to Malta will immediately be told that Kinnie is considered to be the 'national' drink of Malta and something of a must for visitors to try out.
Taste
A can and glass of Kinnie
Kinnie's distinctive amber colour makes it look like a fine cognac. It is difficult to describe the taste of such a beverage, however it is sometimes referred to as a sparkling, non-alcoholic hybrid version of Jaegermeister and Campari. The original and innovative taste of the product resulted in Kinnie being awarded the prestigious L'épi d'Or de la Qualité Internationale by the internationally renowned Paris institution, Comité International d'Action Gastronomique et Touristique.
According to the Kinnie website, the beverage can be enjoyed in many ways. It is most often served with ice and a twist of orange, but sometimes mixed with popular spirits. Kinnie’s bitter-sweet taste lends itself well to mixing and enhances the flavour of most alcoholic drinks such as Vodka, Whisky, Rum and wine among others. It can also be used as a top-up in a various cocktails.
Kinnie Recipe
Like Coca-Cola, Kinnie's recipe is a tightly kept secret even if the official website provides further information about its ingredients where it suggests that Kinnie owes its unique bitter-sweet taste to the blend Mediterranean chinotto bitter oranges, combined with an infusion from a dozen different aromatic herbs and spices such as anise, ginseng, vanilla, rhubarb and liquorice. Moreover, according to the Kinnie lable, only natural ingredients are used.
Although others such as the Coca-Cola company have tried (not very successfully) to replicate the taste of Kinnie, Kinnie is still around some 50 years after the first bottle was released on the market.
Evolution
As the health awareness increased over recent decades, a Diet version for Kinnie appeared in 1984. In 2007, a new low calorie version of Kinnie called Kinnie Zest was made available. This has a slightly darker colour and a stronger orange flavour, and is advertised as only having one calorie per bottle.
Where to find Kinnie
At present, Simonds Farsons Cisk is exporting Kinnie to Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Albania, Libya, Hungary, and Canada. Kinnie is also available for direct purchase by consumers in Europe via on-line distribution partners based in Germany and Italy.
In recent years, Simonds Farsons Cisk also started to franchise Kinnie production overseas. As a result, Kinnie is now produced under license from Farsons in Australia and it is rumoured that Kinnie franchise deals are being struck with partners in Eastern Europe and South Africa. In addition, it seems that Farsons is now also looking for Kinnie franchisees in Asia, particularly in China and Japan, as well as Latin America
Gallery
A Kinnie advertising poster, 1969.
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A modern Kinnie advertising poster.
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See also
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Brands of citrus soda |
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| Citrus soda lines |
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| Citrus sodas |
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| Lemon-lime sodas |
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| Orange sodas |
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| Grapefruit sodas |
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External links
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