Back in the days before the Iron Curtain fell, most Western goods were prohibitively expensive in the Czech Republic, including Western luxury goods such as blue jeans and popular soda drinks, such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi. So what was the solution for some enterprising Easterners? Create our own version!<\/p>\n
Though many can dispute its appeal and taste, Kofola continues to be a beloved, nostalgic beverage among many who remember the days before Prague resembled an Americanized Disney vacationland.<\/p>\n
Although it resembles a stout beer, Kofola is non-alcoholic, and originates from the second half of the 20th Century when Czechoslovakia was a Soviet satellite state. Created as an alternative to Coca-Cola and Pepsi at a time when Western goods were prohibitively expensive, the drink has since gone on to become a national favourite in the now-independent countries of Slovakia and the Czech Republic.<\/p>\n
The syrup that forms the foundation of Kofola was invented in the late 1950s by Zden\u011bk Bla\u017eek, a scientist who had been commissioned by the state to create an alternative to American cola brands, using ingredients available in Czechoslovakia. The result was Kofo syrup, a mixture of fruit and herbal extracts that forms the base of Kofola. Some historical accounts say that Bla\u017eek and his team came up with the recipe for Kofo syrup (which remains secret to this day) when experimenting with ways to use the waste generated from roasting coffee, but while Kofola is caffeinated, these accounts are unsubstantiated.<\/p>\n
The beverage is still served on tap in most of Bratislava\u2019s bars and restaurants, and the company that makes it boasts a following of half a million people on Facebook, making it one of the most popular Czech\/Slovak brands on the social networking website.<\/p>\n
As the four of us left Marek\u2019s family home and gave thanks for a wonderful evening, his mum passed each of us a huge slice of poppy seed cake wrapped in foil, and we promised to try \u2018proper draught Kofola\u2019 on our next visit to a pub.<\/p>\n
Despite its association with the Soviet era, Kofola is still a popular drink in the Czech Republic and Slovakia (Credit: Credit: Jose Okolo\/Alamy)
\nDespite its association with the Soviet era, Kofola is still a popular drink in the Czech Republic and Slovakia (Credit: Jose Okolo\/Alamy)
\nKofola has become so popular that knock-off versions of it have been produced in Slovakia. Linda Metesov\u00e1, who gives food tours of Bratislava, laughed when she told me that after analogous brands like Lok\u00e1lka became available, \u201cpubs in Bratislava put up signs to advertise that they sell authentic Kofola.\u201d Most people on her tours have not previously heard of Kofola, let alone Lok\u00e1lka, and so when she gives her food tours she is keen for them to try the original version. She hears \u201cit tastes like J\u00e4germeister\u201d a lot, noting that people are often surprised to discover that it\u2019s not alcoholic.<\/p>\n
As we drove away from Marek\u2019s mum\u2019s house, I reflected that the word \u2018fake\u2019 didn\u2019t come up once during our conversation about the rich beverage. Kofola is perceived not as an imitation of Coca-Cola or Pepsi, but rather as a unique drink with a set of nostalgic associations that are deeply embedded in the two cultures. For Czechs and Slovaks, Kofola has come to represent a very specific period of their shared history.<\/p>\n
A cold glass of Kofola offered refreshment without scandal<\/p>\n
It was against a backdrop of scarcity that Kofola became popular in Czechoslovakia. During the Soviet era, Western goods such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi were only available in Bratislava\u2019s state-owned Tuzex stores for heavily inflated prices, and could be bought with bony coupons \u2013 which were produced by the state and were like golden tickets to a world of luxury items unavailable to most. There were apparently local girls (known disparagingly as \u2018Tuzex girls\u2019) who dated foreigners who could afford to purchase bony. There was even a burgeoning black-market trade in these coupons during the 1970s and \u201880s, and you would hear \u201cneed some bony?\u201d whispered in hushed tones by suppliers on Bratislava\u2019s street corners.<\/p>\n
A cold glass of Kofola, on the other hand, offered refreshment without scandal.<\/p>\n
Kofola is made using Kofo syrup, a mixture of fruit and herbal extracts (Credit: Credit: Matus Korman\/Alamy)
\nKofola is made using Kofo syrup, a mixture of fruit and herbal extracts (Credit: Matus Korman\/Alamy)
\nKofola was by no means the only alternative to American cola that proliferated behind the Iron Curtain. In East Germany, consumers could choose from brands such as Vita Cola, Quick Cola, Kaffee Cola and at least 14 others. The Polish People’s Republic had their own variant, Polo Cockta, as did the USSR, with a drink called Baikal. Yugoslavia\u2019s Cockta, which is still available today, is flavoured with caramel and rose hip.<\/p>\n
Yet Kofola\u2019s distinct herbal taste has been key to its lasting success. Many of the other Cold War-era imitations matched the original product too accurately, and so could not compete with the originals when trade opened up after the fall of the Soviet Union. \u201cMy mum and her colleague managed to buy an expensive bottle of Fanta once in the 1980s,\u201d Metesov\u00e1 recalled. \u201cBut after sharing it they were disappointed to find it tasted just the same as the fizzy orange [drink] sold in Czechoslovakia.\u201d Kofola, on the other hand, which is noticeably less sweet than other cola drinks, offered a different refreshment experience altogether.<\/p>\n
Although its flavour recalls a difficult period of Czech and Slovak history, Kofola\u2019s present-day popularity is rooted firmly in nostalgia. When I asked Bratislavans about Kofola, it was their happy childhood memories that came to the fore. \u201cI remember going with my dad to the pub and drinking draught Kofola with the other kids; we felt like adults,\u201d said Martin Z\u00e1humensk\u00fd, a Slovak chef and judge on MasterChef Slovensko.<\/p>\n
Kofola is still served on tap in many bars and restaurants in Bratislava, Slovakia (Credit: Credit: Pete Hill\/Alamy)
\nKofola is still served on tap in many bars and restaurants in Bratislava, Slovakia (Credit: Pete Hill\/Alamy)
\nToday Kofola\u2019s aromatic taste is still a beloved alternative to the sugary flavour of Coke or Pepsi, and demand for the drink now extends beyond the boundaries of Eastern Europe. There is demand for the drink amongst Czechs and Slovaks living in the UK, according to Anish Shah, director of Halusky, a supplier that specialises in the food and drink of these two nations. \u201cWe initially started selling just a few bottles in 2004, when the countries joined the EU. Today we sell pallet loads, perhaps 3,000 litres a month,\u201d he told me. There is clearly money to be made keeping the diaspora in good supply.<\/p>\n
While Kofola purports to be healthier than mainstream colas (it contains roughly 30% less sugar than its big competitors, with no phosphoric acid at all), it is surely the sense of nostalgia and brand loyalty felt among its consumers that helped the company survive when the newly independent Czech and Slovak markets opened up to Western competitors in the 1990s. Kofola is now available in a variety of flavours, including lemon and vanilla.<\/p>\n
When the four of us finally made it to the pub to sample proper Kofola on tap, it was colder and more refreshing than the bottled version we had previously tried. The heavy glasses accentuated the deep brown colour, and the herbal taste was much more pronounced. This was a small taste of life in Bratislava for four young men, two of whom not born here, and the other two too young to remember what it was like when Kofola was the only option.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Back in the days before the Iron Curtain fell, most Western goods were prohibitively expensive in the Czech Republic, including Western luxury goods such as blue jeans and popular soda drinks, such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi. So what was the solution for some enterprising Easterners? Create our own version! Though many can dispute its appeal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1211,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n