Mezzo Mix
330 mL can
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History The Bavarian brewery Riegele patented a 50-50 mix of cola and orange soda in 1957. The drink was marketed under the name "Spezi", a Bavarian colloquial term for friend. Perhaps its no coincidence that the mix was invented not far from where the Radler, a summer-weather 50-50 mix of lager or other light beer and lemonade was popularized in the early 1900s. Nowadays a Radler is often made with bar tap lemon-lime soda. Another newer permutation, the Diesel, is a 50-50 mix of beer and cola. Coca-Cola's West-German subsidiary responded to the growing popularity of these mixed drinks by creating their own cola-orange brand Mezzo Mix in 1973. The mix of flavors would have been a natural extension of their Coca-Cola and Fanta brands. Perhaps in response to the new big-name competitor, Riegele signed a licensing agreement in 1974 with Paulaner Brewery to expand its production. The contract also allowed Paulaner to sell its own recipe of the cola-orange drink under the Spezi name. In 2022, Riegele sued Paulaner to break the contract and win back exclusive control of the name of its creation, but lost. In popular use, the name "Spezi" has become a generic description of all cola-orange sodas. Review Refreshingly sharp cola bitterness is the first impression. I didn't notice the orange soda half of the drink at first, but after a few sips it's apparent in the lingering flavor on my tongue. This is a surprisingly good combo of soda pop flavors. The harshness of the cola is balanced by juicy orange, which would be overbearingly sweet and boring on its own.
Ingredients Water, sugar, orange juice from orange juice concentrate (1.5%), carbonic acid, citric acid, coloring E150d, flavors including caffeine, stabilizer guar gum. Made by Coca-Cola HBC Austria GmbH |
