Red Kola is a carbonated soft drink

Soft drink

A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...

 made from fruit extracts, and may include flavouring from the kola nut

Kola nut

Kola Nut is the nut of the kola tree, a genus of trees native to the tropical rainforests of Africa, classified in the family Malvaceae, subfamily Sterculioideae . It is related to the South American genus Theobroma, or cocoa...

. The main manufacturer and supplier is Barr's, the other being Currie's (an Ayrshire

Ayrshire

Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...

 based supplier from Dunn's Food and Drink).

Despite the name, it bears no resemblance to more traditional cola

Cola

Cola is a carbonated beverage that was typically flavored by the kola nut as well as vanilla and other flavorings, however, some colas are now flavored artificially. It became popular worldwide after druggist John Pemberton invented Coca-Cola in 1886...

 drinks in either flavour or appearance. It is bright red in colour and has a unique taste, significantly sharper than cola and with a strong fruit base.

Availability

As with other Currie's and Barr's products, it is widely sold throughout Scotland and can be purchased in various containers, including returnable glass bottles. It is virtually impossible to find in English shops (ASDA supermarkets and some Costcutters stock it), though cans have been known; Lidl supermarkets do stock it on an occasional basis.

Ingredients

Currie's Red Kola : Carbonated Water, Sugar, Tartaric Acid, Flavourings, Sweeteners (*Aspartame

Aspartame

Aspartame is an artificial, non-saccharide sweetener used as a sugar substitute in some foods and beverages. In the European Union, it is codified as E951. Aspartame is a methyl ester of the aspartic acid/phenylalanine dipeptide. It was first sold under the brand name NutraSweet; since 2009 it...

, Sodium Saccharin

Saccharin

Saccharin is an artificial sweetener. The basic substance, benzoic sulfilimine, has effectively no food energy and is much sweeter than sucrose, but has a bitter or metallic aftertaste, especially at high concentrations...

), Acidity Regulator (Sodium Citrate), Preservative (Sodium Benzoate

Sodium benzoate

Sodium benzoate has the chemical formula NaC6H5CO2; it is a widely used food preservative, with E number E211. It is the sodium salt of benzoic acid and exists in this form when dissolved in water. It can be produced by reacting sodium hydroxide with benzoic acid.-Uses:Sodium benzoate is a...

), Colours (E104, E122)