Ramune

Hi everyone! Today I'm going to show you a Japanese soda called Ramune, have you heard of it? It's a hot and humid day today, so this will be the perfect refreshment!

Let's take a closer look at the bottle.

As you might notice, the packaging is in Japanese, but this bottle shape actually has its origins from England. This is called a Codd-neck bottle, made of glass and sealed with a marble, named after its inventor Hiram Codd. He invented this to help reduce the need for corks in bottling production.

Then, a Scottish-born pharmacist named Alexander Cameron Sim introduced the drink to Kobe, Japan in 1884. Since then, there have been at least 50 flavors of Ramune, with some interesting flavors such as:

- chili oil
- teriyaki
- octopus
- mystery flavor

I should suggest a salmon flavor, huh?

Here are the instructions for opening the bottle. Hmm, it is all in Japanese...

Oh, here are the instructions in English!

I've removed the seal from the top and now I can see the marble holding the seal together. But what do I do next?

Inside the cap, there is a piece that looks like it can be separated.

POP!!

Yes, that's perfect! I was able to pop the middle piece out.

It fits right on top of the marble like a plunger. Now, I'm going to push it down hard so the marble drops down into the bottle.

POP!! PLINK!! FIZZ!!

Look at that! The marble went down, and it is caught in the thin neck of the bottle and kinda spins around.

And what does it taste like, you might be wondering? This is the original flavor, and it tastes a bit like a mix of Sprite and ginger ale. It's the perfect treat for a summer day!