Thursday, August 06, 2009

You Can Do it, We Can Help!


Are you Lilt fan?

Personally, I can't think of anything less appetising. I've never been a fan of fizzy drinks. Diet Coke if it's a lunchtime pub thing, or ginger beer or root beer if that pub's a gastro. I'm not averse to Doctor Pepper now and then, too. But otherwise I'm not a fan of the fizzy drink. I never liked them as a child. My grandma bought Cherry Corona for us every week, and it was so sickly I couldn't keep it down. I'm sure her carpet was a swirl of old pinkish sick stains. And as for Cresta; do you remember those E numbers? Yikes!

For me it was no squash, no milk, no Nesquik, no Ribena, no barley water, no PLJ, no nothing. Just tap water.

But when Lilt launched - in 1975 if you can believe that - with its totally tropical taste of pineapple, mango, orange etc., infused with Caribbean sunshine, I thought I'd give it a go.

But it was vile. Sugary, fake coloured and way, way too sweet. It's the sweetness I can't stand, not the effervesence. I'm savoury, you see. I've not touched it since.

Anyhoo, I didn't even know it was still going until I stumbled across it on one of those Wikipedia journeys you take. I found myself on the Coca-Cola page, where I found a list of all its products and its rivals. Who knew Sprite was invented in 1961? Or Seven-Up in 1929? Have ever heard of Vault? Me neither.

And how come Mountain Dew never took off here? (Perhaps because it tastes like sugary paraffin). And any drink called Mello Yello deserves to fail (though it didn't). It was fascinating. Remember Tab? I quite liked the font and the colour, and always thought it was forerunner of Diet Coke, but that's not mentioned anywhere.

Now there's Coke Black Cherry Vanilla, Mountain Dew Code Red, Mello Yello Melon, Diet Coke Raspberry and so on. None of them appealing.

What does it for you?

15 comments:

Dan W said...

Since the marathon I am addicted to Lucozade Orange Sports Drink. It has extra energy in it, and it tastes quite good. Although only after sport. Other than that it's only sprite as it's lemonade or ginger beer - but only on cold days as it's hot.

Jon Peake said...

I'm not averse to Lucozade, though I miss the cellophane-wrapped bottle of yore.

Matthew Rudd said...

Lemonade floats my boat if I have to be fizzy. I gave up Diet Coke a while back.

Lilt is vile. 7-Up used to be okay though.

Cocktails said...

I don't particularly like any of these, but I do have 'fond' memories of an 80s ad for Mello Yello.

'Look out mouth, watch out hips, I'm bringing the worlds best soft drink to my lips...'

Then a sexy bikini clad beach babe chuggs down the whole can to the great admiration of loads of beefy blokes.

It's classy.

Was that on here too? It wouldn't suprise me if it was unique to Australia...

Kolley Kibber said...

I used to like Fresca, though the massive amounts of aspartame it contained have probably given me a slow=growing cancer.

Lilt is disgusting. I don't understand how it has survived for so long.

And Mello Yello - was it banana flavoured? Fantastic slogan, even if the drink was bilge.

Jon Peake said...

Ooh Fresca - that was grapefruit flavoured wasn't it?

We didn't get Mello Yello on these shores, Cocktails. It's probably meant for sunnier climes.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Panda Pops Cream Soda.

"It's frothy, man."

Chris Hughes said...

Lilt is nice. It's the totally tropical taste.

(Although I preferred the later adverts with 'the Lilt man'. Now there's a job I would have liked.)

BPP said...

I love Lilt. It's the next best thing to being in Barbados.

I remember being very bitter when they stopped selling Quatro (off of the '80s).

Simon said...

Oh yes, BPP, I'd give my right arm (well, not quite) for a can of Quattro about now. Not had Lilt for years though.

I do like a nice can of Coke although prefer Cherry when I can get it and miss Vanilla. Has to be normal not diet though - I find the sweetneners leave me feeling just as thirsty when I've finished a can as when I started. And having had Black Cherry Vanilla in the states three years ago I can just about recall it being pretty darn good actually.

Jon Peake said...

I'm a big fan of fake cherry flavoured-things, so I'd be up for all cherry Coke derivatives.

I never had Quattro. It always looked most unappealing. Perhaps that's why it was canned (ha!) >

Bright Ambassador said...

I had a barbecue last year and, in a moment of what Radio 1's Scott Mills would call 'randomness', bought a 2 litre bottle of Lilt. It was the first thing to go. So you're all wrong.

I still drink it regularly when it's hot as it's refreshing wihout being overly fizzy, like Coke or Dr Pepper.

Jon Peake said...

Perhaps the Newark tastebud is better disposed towards it, who knows? Or it's about as tropical as life gets in those parts.

Bright Ambassador said...

Well, we are quite sophisticated here in Newark, you know. Some of the Lilt barbecue participants were from as far afield as Grantham and Lincoln.

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