Brits have been waxing nostalgic over a classic 90s bevvy, with many gobsmacked to discover it’s still around.
Tizer, the zesty citrus pop which is red as a London bus, first hit the scene in 1924 and has been under the wing of soft drinks giant, A. G. Barr PLC since 19772.
Back in 2007, Tizer gave its mascot ‘Ed the Head’ the boot and spruced up its image with the tagline ‘Original Great Taste’, tweaking the brew to rid it of additives and E numbers.
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You might snag a bottle of this retro thirst-quencher if you’re eagle-eyed enough, but don’t expect to see it lounging on the big supermarket shelves. It’s a rare gem compared to Barr’s other classics, including Irn-Bru and Dandelion ‘n’ Burdock.
A snap of a can of Tizer popped up on Reddit’s CasualUK subreddit recently, sparking a debate among punters who’ve had a swig lately – and they reckon you’re not missing much. One miffed drinker moaned: “Used to taste lovely, but all the E numbers being taken out have ruined it.”
Another chimed in with a bit of a history lesson: “Around 20 years ago, they rebranded and changed the recipe. It was no longer a bright red colour – the colour was a lot softer. Then it seemed to disappear from round my way – couldn’t find it anywhere for ages. A few years back, it started showing up in my area. Back in its bright red form, but nowhere near as good as it used to be.”
A third chimed in, lamenting the good old days: “It was good back in 90s. It’s not so good now. They taken the good out of it and now it taste s**t.”
And a fourth just laid it out straight: “DON’T DRINK IT! It tastes of fruit now and ruined my childhood memories of fizzy chemicals.”
(Image: Daily Record)
In 2017, meanwhile, A. G. Barr PLC undertook a substantial modification to the recipe of Irn-Bru, wiping out half of its sugar content – its biggest alteration to the brand’s covert formula in a century. Its recipe remains a tightly guarded secret known only to three individuals.
Offering reassurance that the unique identity of Irn-Bru would remain untouched, a representative for the company elaborated at the time: “It is a long and complicated process to ensure that the essence of Irn-Bru does not change and all that is tweaked is the sugar. But we are sure we’ve got a great match.”
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