And this channel of expectation remains the other part of the problem. Fever-Tree’s goal was to create a cola that was less sweet than the others, driven by top quality Madagascan vanilla. And, as with all their other products, the sweetness would come from cane sugar. So I expected a not-quite-so-sweet version of Mexican coke. I was not expecting the flavours to combine in my mouth to create a taste akin to aspartame. I first learned of Fever-Tree’s Madagascan Cola when I interviewed Charles Rolls and Tim Warrillow around this time last year. The mere idea of it was enough to make me feel really rather excited because I have long been on a quest for The Grown-Up Soft Drink™.

de Rozelieures Poire de Lorraine & „La Poire de Bénédictines” | Galumbi on Pure Spirits: G. Rozelieures Origine Collection &“Tea Time in Lorraine”In my opinion, a good Cola can be a sweet and spicy enrichment for any bar, and anyone who follows my blog for a while will have noticed that I have also released a recipe every once in a while in which Cola has taken a small place (or at least a cola syrup): For example the Rye & Cola Julep, the classic Cuba Libre or the Cubata, the Dr. Kebler’s Wild & Crazy, the Blood like Lemonade or the Mr. Hyde’s Fixxer Upper. For me, The Grown-Up Soft Drink™ is, or rather should be, the ideal drink to have at a pub or a restaurant when you’re the designated driver. Not water. Not too sweet, which pretty much all soft drinks are. Something satisfying and refreshing. Something delicious. Taste: The Fever Tree Madagascan Coke, which comes along with quite a strong carbonation, actually lives up to its name: It can be recognized flawlessly as a Cola (which is not self-evident for all drinks sold under the name Cola) and has a non-dominant, fresh citrus taste and a nice vanilla character. Who should think of the Vanilla Coke of the world market leader now, is wrong: The vanilla of the Fever Tree Madagascan Cola is much more subtle and less dominant, but more authentic and much “rounder” in the overall picture. Other spice notes complete the taste impression, there are almost some associations of Christmas punch, but then again they’re not intense enough to be really referred to as Christmassy. In short: Fever Tree really convinced me with this Cola! Part of the problem lies in the very challenge of making a cola in the first place. As Tim told me when we spoke, you’re inherently entering into competition not just with Coca Cola, but with people’s very idea of what a cola is supposed to taste like.

Aroma: The Cola smells appealing, (not as intense as quality booze would do, but that’s completely normal for Colas, of course), yet more complex than many other Colas. You can scent clear citrus tones and subtle spicy notes that make me think a little bit of cinnamon and vanilla. And with good reason. I am a big fan of the Fever-Tree MO. They have since their launch thoroughly disrupted the mixer market by committing themselves to absolute quality. Their ginger ale and ginger beer contain three different types of ginger to ensure the full breadth of ginger flavours in the bottle. Their Lemon Tonic and Lemonade contain lemon oils of such quality that the only other people prepared to pay for them in their products work in the perfume industry. Ferrand Cognac 10 Générations Port Cask & Carlton Banks | Galumbi on Pure Spirits: Luxardo Sangue Morlacco & Il Fumo di Morlacco Although the Fever-Tree chaps see themselves as being in the mixer business as opposed to the soft drinks business, they currently make what I consider to be the Aristotelean Ideal of The Grown-Up Soft Drink™. So when they told me about their then soon-to-be-launched cola, I hoped that it would be a worthy contender for the top spot. Yes, you read that right: this tastes of watery diet coke. I had to spit it out. And those are two sentences I have never wanted to write less.They have set a high bar for themselves, a bar that their competition consistently fails to clear. And in this case, so have they. Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao Yuzu & Honeymoon in Japan | Galumbi on Travelling Bars (1): The Le Lion in Hamburg