Fresca
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Fresca is a brand of citrus soft drink made by the Coca-Cola company. First introduced in the United States in 1966, the drink is now sold throughout the world. It is a rarity in Coke products, in that it does not have a Pepsi equivalent.
Since its inception, Fresca has been marketed in the United States as a calorie-free, grapefruit-flavored soft drink, ostensibly catering to discriminating adult tastes. In 1985, the drink was given its one major ingredient change, in that it was now being sweetened with aspartame.
Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin wrote that Fresca was the favorite drink of U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, who had a soda tap installed at the desk in the White House's Oval Office.
However in Latin America, Coca-Cola markets an entirely different soft drink under the Fresca brand name. This drink is grapefruit-flavored, but contains sugar. It is similar to the Squirt soft drink marketed in the United States by another company. In 1997 Coca-Cola, which had had requests for "Mexican Fresca" from immigrant communities launched the soft drink throughout the U.S. as Citra. However this was not successful and that drink is now sold as the Citrus flavor in the Fanta line in areas with a large hispanic population. The name may have been confusing for Latin American consumers, as "agua fresca" is a common local beverage.
In 2005, Coca-Cola released plans for a new, more contemporary look to Fresca, the first makeover since 1996. Two new flavours were also announced: Sparkling Peach Citrus Fresca and Sparkling Black Cherry Fresca.
External links
- Coca Cola's official Fresca page (http://www2.coca-cola.com/brands/brands_fresca.html)
- Trivia on Lyndon B. Johnson (http://www.geocities.com/presfacts/bjohnson.html) (including love of Fresca)