The Shower of Horror
No, not everything was better in the old days! I have to admit that, because I recently came across a packet of Ahoj Brause. Fond memories of my childhood in the 1980s came flooding back.
To my mum – even though I’m now well into my fifties – I’m probably still that little boy who gets excited about sweets. Anyway, when I visited her recently, there was a packet of Ahoj fizzy sweets in the kitchen. She’d spotted them whilst out shopping and picked them up for me.
A double wave of happiness washed over me: my mother’s love and the joyful memory of how, as little Martin, I used to scoop the powder straight out of the sachet with a wet finger and make it fizz by adding a bit of spit. Or how I’d simply tip it into the palm of my hand and lick it out. Without washing my hands first, of course.
I almost just tore the packet open again and indulged myself like an eight-year-old. But, being older and more mature – and having developed a critical eye through decades as a journalist – I held myself back. I asked myself: what on earth is this stuff?
And after a quick bit of research, that joyful, tingling sense of excitement was soon over.
The invention of Ahoj-Brause
Ahoj-Brause is wonderfully old-fashioned these days. It’s been around since 1925 – so for around 100 years. The recipe for success was the same then as it is now: a «fizzy lemonade powder for all walks of life». In the past, there were two separate tablets that were added to a glass of water: one containing bicarbonate of soda, the other containing tartaric acid as well as flavourings and colourings. In 1930, the sachet of powder was introduced. And for the first time, the fizzy drink was also called ‘ «’ Ahoj». Nobody knows the reason any more, as a factory manager once explained in 2010 in an interview with the «Süddeutsche Zeitung».
Frigeo remained true to its name nonetheless – and was otherwise largely unaffected by trends of any kind. The original flavours of lemon and orange were later joined by raspberry and woodruff, a very German herb. But that was it. There were attempts at flavours such as piña colada, mojito and caipirinha. But these were a flop.
And so the original four flavours remain to this day. A cartoon sailor still holds the ship’s wheel in one hand and the Ahoj Brause flag in the other.
The takeover by Katjes
In 2002, Frigeo’s history as a company came to an end. The company was taken over by Katjes. The fizzy lemonade kings had tried in vain to gain a foothold in the chocolate empire and had overextended themselves financially.
In the confectionery business, as everywhere else, consolidation is on the rise. Large firms are buying up smaller ones and securing cult brands that can no longer survive on their own. So it is Katjes, of all companies, that now reigns over Ahoj-Brause. According to its website, the company uses natural flavourings and colourings, produces without animal gelatine and promotes ‘ «’ mindful snacking».
Ahoj-Brause, however, is the bloodthirsty predator in Katjes’ petting zoo of sweets. I scanned the barcode on a sachet of fizzy sweets using my Yuka app. This decodes the ingredients and reveals their effects on health. The app would play an alarm sound if it had that feature. The analysis of the ingredients gives a score of 0 out of a possible 100 points. Zero! If wood shavings were a food, they’d probably score higher. By way of comparison: a mini marble cake wrapped in plastic, full of fat, sugar and additives, scores five points. So the Frigeo powder is the fizzy drink from hell.
67 per cent of the powder is sugar; the rest consists of artificial sweeteners, acidity regulators, (at least natural) colourings and sodium hydrogen carbonate – for the fizz. Surprisingly, there’s a best-before date printed on the packet. That must be down to the sodium hydrogen carbonate. The powder has virtually an indefinite shelf life, but could lose some of its fizz if stored for a long time. And what would Ahoj-Brause be if it no longer fizzed?
These days, a Google search always spits out a text the length of half a Brockhaus encyclopaedia. That’s actually quite fascinating at times. For instance, Dr AI-Gemini tells me that «is unsuitable» as a daily drink. Oh really?! And further on: «occasional consumption» – for example, «as a party gag» – is fine. I see, just like coke, then. My colleague Simon recalls that, back in the day, Ahoj fizzy drink used to be passed round at parties and consumed alongside vodka shots. Fizzy drink in your mouth, vodka straight after, shake your head, then swallow. «It was called ‘Wodka-Ahoi’». Somehow, that all passed me by. Thank goodness.
Turning the cult phenomenon into cash
The retro fizzy drink has a certain cult status. T-shirts, jumpers and caps featuring the Ahoj sailor have been around for ages. Less flattering, however, are the costumes that Frigeo sells – or at least offers – in its own online shop. 40 francs or euros for a costume in the shape of an ‘Ahoj’ fizzy drink packet – you’d really have to want it. At least they’re available in adult sizes («One size») or for children. «That way, the whole family can turn heads in their fizzy drink outfits at the Rose Monday parade», or so they say. Yeah…
Source: Frigeo
These days they even sell the fizzy drink ready-mixed in tins. Come on, where’s the fun in mixing it yourself? No, you won’t be getting me! Not even if the product description text clearly sprang from an AI prompt with a bubble overload:
Fizzy drink fans, take note: nothing now stands in the way of your fizzy experience, even when you’re on the go 🤸♀️! The Profi Brause Raspberry, with its cool retro design, fits in any bag and goes perfectly with your hipster outfit too 😎. This fizzy drink is a brilliant refreshment on hot summer’s days 🌞 – and simply at any time. With the familiar and much-loved Ahoj-Brause raspberry flavour, Profi Brause is ideal for both true Ahoj-Brause fans and anyone who wants to become one 👍. Give it a go – you’ll love it!
As a spelling hipster, I’d have preferred it if you’d used fewer emojis and more commas and hyphens instead.
And how does it taste?
I can’t bring this article to a close without answering the most important question of all: what does Ahoj-Brause taste like? I’m ready, dear readers, to give up a comforting childhood memory for you.
I get four glasses of mineral water ready, each 0.2 litres, just as the preparation instructions say. Now in goes one variety of the surprisingly colourless powder into each glass. The range of colours, from urine-yellow to poison-green, only unfolds once in the glass.
Then I take a sip of each variety. My brain immediately forgets everything I’d just learnt about sugar and additives. It doesn’t taste half bad. I feel young again. Thanks, Mum.
Journalist since 1997. Stopovers in Franconia (or the Franken region), Lake Constance, Obwalden, Nidwalden and Zurich. Father since 2014. Expert in editorial organisation and motivation. Focus on sustainability, home office tools, beautiful things for the home, creative toys and sports equipment.
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