Brio (soft drink)

Last updated
Brio (soft drink)
Brio chinotto soda can.png
A can of Brio's chinotto soda
Type Chinotto
ManufacturerNational Dry Beverages
Country of origin  Canada
Region of origin Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Introduced1959
Alcohol by volume  5.5% (Hard brio only)
Colour Caramel colour
Flavour Chinotto
IngredientsCarbonated water, sugar and/or glucose-fructose, caramel colour, natural flavour, phosphoric acid, sodium benzoate
Website drinkbriosoda.ca

Brio or Brio chinotto soda is a Canadian version of a chinotto soft drink manufactured by National Dry Beverages. Brio is a sweeter version of the traditional italian drink. [1]

Contents

Chinotto is a bittersweet flavoured carbonated soft drink originating in Italy in the 1930s. [2]

History

Brio was created by three Italian immigrants in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 1959—Elio Madonia, who immigrated to Canada in 1950 from Corleone, Sicily, and his partners Giuseppe Panacci and Angelo Pirrello that he had met during his time as an insurance salesman. [3] [4] Panacci and Pirrello had met as competing door-to-door salesmen for Punch Dry and New Jersey brand colas. [5] The three partners created a number of beverages, including Mio, a lemon-lime gazzosa, and Brio, and purchased a used bottling line in downtown Toronto for $4,500 in 1959. [5] The company moved to North York in the mid 1960s. [5]

In April 2018, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario launched an alcoholic version of Brio mixed with vodka. [6]

Ingredients

Brio is made of Carbonated water, sugar, caramel colour, imported chinotto extract from italy, [4] phosphoric acid and, sodium benzoate. [7] It is bottled in Canada [4] by National Dry Beverages, previously known as Mio Manufacturing, established by the three partners. [5]

Impact

Brio has become a popular beverage in Ontario, particularly among Italian immigrants, serving as a marker of identity for the Italian emigrant population in Canada. [8]

Design

The graphic design of the can has remained similar to the original mid-century design, using red and green lowercase sans-serif type on a white background reminiscent of the Flag of Italy. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soft drink</span> Sweetened non-alcoholic drink, often carbonated

A soft drink is any water-based flavored drink, usually but not necessarily carbonated, and typically including added sweetener. Flavors used can be natural or artificial. The sweetener may be a sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice, a sugar substitute, or some combination of these. Soft drinks may also contain caffeine, colorings, preservatives and other ingredients.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ginger ale</span> Soft drink flavoured with ginger

Ginger ale is a carbonated soft drink flavoured with ginger. It is consumed on its own or used as a mixer, often with spirit-based drinks. There are two main types of ginger ale. The golden style is credited to the Irish doctor Thomas Joseph Cantrell. The dry style, a paler drink with a much milder ginger flavour, was created by Canadian John McLaughlin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spritzer</span> Type of alcoholic drink

A spritzer is a tall, chilled drink, usually made with white wine and carbonated water or sparkling mineral water. Fermented simple syrup can be used instead of white wine to keep it sweet but flavor neutral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carbonated water</span> Water containing dissolved carbon dioxide gas

Carbonated water is water containing dissolved carbon dioxide gas, either artificially injected under pressure or occurring due to natural geological processes. Carbonation causes small bubbles to form, giving the water an effervescent quality. Common forms include sparkling natural mineral water, club soda, and commercially produced sparkling water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cream soda</span> Soft drink

Cream soda is a sweet soft drink. Generally flavored with vanilla and based on the taste of an ice cream float, a wide range of variations can be found worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crush (drink)</span> Line of fruit flavored carbonated beverages

Crush is a brand of carbonated soft drinks owned and marketed internationally by Keurig Dr Pepper, originally created as an orange soda, Orange Crush. Crush competes with Coca-Cola's Fanta. It was created in 1911 by beverage and extract chemist Neil C. Ward. Most flavors of Crush are caffeine-free.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hires Root Beer</span> Root beer flavored soft drink

Hires Root Beer was an American brand of root beer that was manufactured by Keurig Dr Pepper. Introduced in 1876, it was one of the longest continuously made soft drinks in the United States.

Campari is an Italian alcoholic liqueur, considered an apéritif, of the amaro variety, obtained from the infusion of herbs and fruit in alcohol and water. It is a type of bitters, characterised by its dark red colour. It is produced by the Davide Campari Group, a multinational company based in Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shasta (drink)</span> American soft drink brand

Shasta Beverages is an American soft drink manufacturer that markets a value-priced soft drink line with a wide variety of soda flavors, as well as a few drink mixers, under the brand name Shasta. The company name is derived from Mount Shasta in northern California and the associated Shasta Springs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birch beer</span> Carbonated soft drink

Birch beer is a beverage, commonly found as a carbonated soft drink made from herbal extracts and birch bark. There are dozens of brands of birch beer available.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slushy</span> Flavored frozen drink

A slushy is a type of beverage made of flavored ice and a drink, similar to granitas but with a more liquid composition. It is also commonly called a slush, slurpee, frozen beverage, or frozen drink. A slushie can either be carbonated or non-carbonated; the carbonated version is sometimes called a frozen carbonated drink or frozen carbonated beverage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ting (drink)</span> Jamaican carbonated beverage

Ting is a carbonated beverage popular in the Caribbean. It is flavored with Jamaican grapefruit juice and is both tart and sweet. Ting comes in a green glass bottle, green plastic bottle or a green and yellow can. Like Orangina, the beverage contains a small amount of sediment consisting of grapefruit juice pulp. Ting is produced in the United Kingdom under license by Refresco Beverages. Ting also now makes Pink Ting Soda, Orange Ting, Diet Ting Soda, and ginger beer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soda siphon</span> Device used to store and dispense carbonated beverages

The soda siphon, also known as the seltzer bottle, siphon seltzer bottle, or just siphon) is a device for storing and dispensing carbonated beverages while maintaining the internal pressure, thereby preventing it from going flat. The carbonated beverage is dispensed using the internal pressure of the bottle, so the setup is not a true siphon in its operation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cherry cola</span>

Cherry cola, a distinctive soft drink blend of cherry-flavored syrup and cola, traces its roots to the United States, where it gained prominence in the realm of soda beverages. The origins of this concoction can be situated within the nostalgic ambiance of old-fashioned soda fountains, where it has been consumed by consumers for years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunkist (soft drink)</span> Line of fruit-flavored carbonated beverages

Sunkist is a brand of primarily orange-flavored soft drinks that launched in 1979. Sunkist primarily competes with The Coca-Cola Company's Fanta brand and Keurig Dr Pepper's Orange Crush brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinotto (drink)</span> Type of soft drink

Chinotto is a carbonated soft drink produced from the juice of the fruit of the myrtle-leaved orange tree. The beverage is dark in color. Its appearance is similar to that of cola, but it is not as sweet, having a bittersweet taste.

References

  1. "14 Cool Canadian Soda Pops | Food Network Canada". foodnetwork.ca. Retrieved 2018-05-31.
  2. Zahuranec, Diana (2016-06-04). "The cult of Chinotto, Italy's national soda - The Grand Wine Tour". The Grand Wine Tour. Retrieved 2018-05-31.
  3. Imagiamedia.ca (January 16, 2017). "Elio Madonia - Community builder - Panoram Italia". www.panoramitalia.com. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 "OUR STORY". Brio Italian Soda Drink. Retrieved 2018-05-31.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Liu, Karon (29 June 2023). "Brio is an iconic Italian soda. Its origins are surprising". Toronto Star . Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  6. "Brio hard soda with vodka". www.lcbo.com. Retrieved 2018-05-31.
  7. “Chinotto Italian Soft Drink 355 Ml X12 - Soft Drink | Mayrand.” Mayrand Entrepôt d’Alimentation | Mayrand, https://www.mayrand.ca/en/our-products/drink/soft-drink/soda-italien-chinotto-brio-24321/ . Accessed 6 Sept. 2024.
  8. "How lager conquered the world: Food historian argues it globally dominated because it's 'clean'". National Post. 2016-03-11. Retrieved 2018-05-31.