Iftar and Vimto, a magic combination
The burgundy cordial has been consumed for more than a century, and is hugely popular in the UAE Talk to us
There are a few things that we always associate with Ramadan. Dates, sumptuous iftar meals with family, the sound of the taraweeh prayers. And then there’s the wonderfully burgundy drink Vimto.
A fruit cordial with a distinct flavour of black currant, there are those who love it, and some who harbour rather strong sentiments against it.
But, usually stacked in the form of a pyramid, these bottles seem to be the show-stopper for many grocery stores in the UAE during the month of Ramadan. This year, the drink first created in Manchester, UK, celebrates 110 years. Not a mean feat, indeed.
According to the brand’s official website, John Nichols worked as a stockbroker’s clerk and later as a soap factory manager in England, before he decided to enter “the world of flavours, herbs and spices”.
This is when he decided to set up a small wholesale herbalist business and in 1908, he created Vimto. It was originally meant to be a herbal tonic, “that gave the drinker ‘vim and vigour’”. In fact, in 1912, the name Vimto was registered as a medicine. But, just a year later, Vimto was re-registered as just a beverage, not alcoholic and not medicated.
The product’s reach soon expanded due to trade, travelling with sailors to China, India and Africa.
It wasn’t until 1928 that the drink first arrived in the Gulf region, imported by Aujan Group Holding, then known as Abdulla Aujan and Brothers. In 1978, Vimto was first produced in a factory in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
Rasha Sakr, marketing manager of Vimto, told Gulf News: “Over the years and from one generation to another, Vimto became phenomenally popular in the region, and synonymous with Ramadan, and has become the unique and irreplaceable drink of choice on the iftar table. This year, Vimto celebrates its 92nd Ramadan season, marking the centennial countdown.” While this drink is available all year round, during Ramadan, it is promoted at a whole different level. Billboards and ads are visible all around the country and most supermarkets bring out stocks closer to the entrance. So, why is it that it is so popular in Ramadan? Sakr said: “Vimto is a delicious and refreshing thirst quenching iftar ritual associated with providing a rewarding boost, soothing the body after a day of fasting. It grew to become Ramadan’s symbol of ‘sweet togetherness’ ... characterised by its symbolic deep colour and the Vimto cloud created when it infuses with water.”
More than 25 million bottles of the cordial were sold during Ramadan last year. Markets in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Iraq are among the biggest for the drink in the world.
THE TEST OF TIME
Ben Szczypek, a British national based in Dubai, used to consume the drink in the UK, when he was growing up. And he was grateful to have found it when he moved to the UAE around three years ago. “I prefer it to the fizzy drinks. It’s sweet, but also fruity. Back in the UK, it doesn’t taste exactly the same. But, when I moved here, I immediately bought a bottle. It was like a flashback.”
While the drink has survived for over a century, lived through two world wars, and gone from being a simple cordial to an aerated drink in a ‘Squeezy’ packaging, fans have stood by it; some have even passed on the love down generations.
Shanaz Karim, a Pakistani national based in Dubai, has memories of her aunt preparing the drink for her when she was a child. Since then, it is the first thing that she has when she ends her fast during Ramadan. When she visits her friends, even Emiratis, during Ramadan, she sees them preparing the drink for iftar. “There are many people in my home who think it tastes like medicine, but I disagree,” she said.
“There are many drinks in the market, but I only like this one. The taste is good and there are memories attached to it. I prepare it exactly how my aunt used to all those years ago. Nothing has changed. And now my children also love the drink. So, it is carrying forward through generations.”