Kopparberg Alcohol-Free Cider with Mixed Fruits

There was a red, sticky-sweet tonic I used to be spooned as a child, called Fosfor Syrup. A gloopy red sherbet-sweet concoction that only a child could love. I couldn’t get enough of it. Too long has passed for me to swear Kopparberg Alcohol-Free Cider with Mixed Fruits tastes just like it; but, apart from the syrupiness – the fizzy dance of Kopparberg in the mouth is actually very refreshing – my sense memory tells me that it does. Other flavours that come to mind are Ribena, wine gums, Drumstick lollies and Love Hearts. Maybe even alcopop – although I never tried an alcopop that tasted as nice as Kopparberg. One thing Kopparberg does not speak to me of, though, is… cider. I get no sense of apples at all, although an undercurrent of astringency clearly balances out the waves of fruit-juicy sweetness and the ingredients attest that it contains fermented apples, juice (apple, blackcurrant, elderberry, raspberry) sugar, etc. And the intense fizz gives it a refreshing fillip and an enjoyably vivid mouthfeel – as long as it is suitably chilled.  So, while it might not be one for the full-on cider purist, this is certainly a very drinkable, even quite refreshing cider.