Whenever I visit an Italian restaurant, I enjoy drinking Chinotto. Chinotto is a carbonated soft drink made from the juice of the fruit of the myrtle-leaved orange tree This tree is believed to be a mutation from the sour orange. The result is a dark coloured drink which looks similar to Coca Cola but with a completely unique bitter-sweet taste.
The main brands of Chintto are
• San Pellegrino, who claim to have invented the drink in the 1950s
• Fanta Chinotto in Italy
• Fanta Amara in Malta
• Kinnie in Malta is a variation
• Brio of Canada
When I encourage/advise/cajole my friends into trying Chinotto, either love it or absolutely detest it. I am wondering is it a similar situation to Vegemite -my friends either love or hate it. Is there a correlation between Vegemite loving and Chinotto loving?
I have also noticed, I can get Chinotto at Italian restaurants in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK but not in the USA. Is that because the taste is not sweet?
What do you think of Chinotto?
Have you tried it? Did you like it?
I usually claim I am the only North American who likes chinotto. I can’t be quite the only one because my local Wegman’s sells it from time to time and I know I don’t buy the entire supply, but it is definitely not popular here.