Kinnie
Template:Short description {{#invoke:other uses|otheruses}} Template:Infobox Beverage
Kinnie ({{#invoke:IPA|main}}) is a Maltese bittersweet carbonated soft drink brewed from bitter oranges and extracts of wormwood. It was first introduced in 1952 by the brewery Simonds Farsons Cisk, and continues to be produced by Farsons in Mrieħel, Birkirkara, Malta.<ref name="ANWB">Template:Cite book</ref>
Kinnie is brown, and is drunk straight or mixed with alcohol.<ref name="ANWB" /> It holds a reputation for being Malta's favourite non-alcoholic beverage,<ref name="Insight">Template:Cite book</ref> sometimes even called the 'national soft drink'.<ref name="auto">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="SudDeutsche">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
HistoryEdit
Kinnie was invented by Simonds Farsons Cisk's managing director Anthony Miceli Farrugia and was first produced in 1952 as an alternative to the cola drinks that proliferated in post-war Europe,<ref name="Kinnie60Times">Template:Cite news</ref> specifically Coca-Cola.<ref name="SudDeutsche" /> Its taste was deliberately kept different from its international competition due to branding reasons. In 1975, it became the soft drink of the year of the French Comité International d'Action Gastronomique et Touristique.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Kinnie's recipe is kept secret, though it is speculated to contain ginseng and rhubarb.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
A Diet version for Kinnie appeared in 1984.<ref name="Kinnie60Times" /> In 2007, a new low calorie version of Kinnie called Kinnie Zest was made available. This has a stronger orange flavour,<ref name="auto"/> and is advertised as only having one calorie per bottle. Simonds started selling Kinnie Vita in 2014,<ref name="Insight" /> which is sweetened using a blend of sugar and stevia leaf extract.Template:Citation needed In April 2021, Kinnie launched an alcoholic version of the drink called 'Kinnie Spritz'.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Sales locationsEdit
Kinnie is exported to the UK, Italy, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Libya, and Canada,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> while also being available in Japan.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Kinnie is produced in Birkirkara, Malta by Maltese Beverages Pty Limited, under a licence from Farsons.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In March 2009, it was announced that Farsons were going to start exporting Kinnie into Russia.<ref>Farsons to export Kinnie to Russia Times of Malta, 12 March 2009.</ref> In the summer of 2010, Farsons and Kinnie UK Limited soft-launched Kinnie and its two variants in London's West End, reaching almost 100 trial outlets by September 2010.<ref>Kinnie goes on sale in London Times of Malta, 17 September 2010.</ref>