My Ode To Fresca

It is a dark and dreary day in The Big Apple, rain is lightly falling and the forecast is for it to continue into the early evening hours. My show tonight is at 7:00pm and, of course, I will be there regardless of the weather.

But right now I am antsy because the Yankee game is not until tonight and I have no interest in the US Open. I could, of course, work on unpacking some of the boxes I still have stashed in the large main closet, or ... I could work on something to enlighten and entertain you, my loyal and faithful readers ...

Hummmmmmm ... which will it be, I wonder?

I have been a loyal and devoted fan of the soft-drink Fresca for many years. From the time I stopped drinking alcoholic beverages back in March 1990 Fresca has been my drink of choice at home, including meals.

It is not easy to find and when stores stock it there is usually only 2 or 3 12-can cartons available. That is, until Billi Pod makes his appearance, then the demand begins to soar. Unfortunately, Fresca is almost never available in restaurants, so when I am dining out my drink of choice is Diet Coke with a slice of lime or lemon.

But Fresca remains my drink of choice. Luckily for me the Food Emporium across the street from PHC is now well-stocked,

As I write this short (for me) posting I am drinking a
Fresca.

I will now share with you, my loyal and faithful readers, the results of my research into the history of this wonderful nonalcoholic calorie-free fruity beverage --

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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 1963, the drink is now sold throughout the world, although it is not widely available outside of North America. Unlike other Coke products, 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. Fresca underwent its major ingredient change in 1985, when its non-caloric sweetener saccharin was replaced by aspartame.

Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin wrote that Fresca was the favorite drink of U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, who had a button installed on the desk in the White House's Oval Office which would summon his military aide to bring the drink. In addition, Fresca was the favorite drink of the expansion teams in the NHL during the 1967 season; therefore, Fresca was originally slated to be the sponsor to the NHL the following year. However, the NHL board of governors rejected the proposed sponsorship; this may have played a role in Fresca's failure to break through to the mainstream.

For years, Fresca maintained somewhat of a cult following, similar to Tab, consisting of people who had grown up with the drink, yet it didn't obtain major market appeal. Around the turn of the century (2000), however, Fresca grew in popularity somewhat organically, enough so that it was sufficiently popular for Coca-Cola to take notice.

In 2005, Coca-Cola gave Fresca a more contemporary look, Fresca's first makeover since 1995. Fresca advertising continues to emphasize sophistication. During this redesign, two new flavors were introduced (Sparkling Peach Citrus and Sparkling Black Cherry Citrus) and the original grapefruit flavor was renamed Sparkling Citrus. Subsequently, "Sparkling" was dropped from the name of the first two flavors and the original flavor renamed Original Citrus.

Fresca means "fresh" (feminine form) in Portuguese, Spanish and Italian.”
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You are so very welcome. I report - you decide.

Billi Pod
“Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.”