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Soft drinks from memory
Canada Dry, Sinalco and Mandarin: what is their story?

Episode date: Length: 1 min 59 s Page published: · Last checked:

Who doesn't remember those old ads? Classic soft drinks are back on Syrian shelves, so the Mukhtar looked up the story behind each one.

The short answer

Canada Dry was created by Canadian pharmacist John McLaughlin; his ginger ale was called "dry" because it was less sweet, and the brand is now under Dr Pepper. Sinalco is one of the oldest soft drinks, launched in 1902, its name from the Latin for "without alcohol". Mandarin is a Syrian brand that the episode says was founded in 1933.

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What is the story of Canada Dry?

Canadian pharmacist John McLaughlin created it. His ginger ale was "dry", meaning less sweet than others. The company changed hands several times and is now under Dr Pepper. In Syria its distributor has changed over the years.

What is the story of Sinalco?

Sinalco is one of the oldest soft drinks, launched in Germany in 1902. Its name comes from the Latin "sine alcohol", without alcohol. The episode says it entered Syria in the 1970s, stopped, and later returned.

What is the story of Mandarin?

Mandarin is a local Syrian brand that the episode says was founded in 1933. Its maker belongs to a group that is also Pepsi's agent in Syria. After the market opened up, many of these drinks came back to the shelves.

Questions people ask

What does the name Sinalco mean?

It comes from the Latin "sine alcohol", without alcohol. The drink launched in 1902.

Why is it called Canada Dry?

Because the ginger ale made by Canadian pharmacist John McLaughlin was "dry", less sweet than others.

Is Mandarin a Syrian soft drink?

Yes. Mandarin is a local Syrian brand; the episode says it was founded in 1933.

We ask sellers in the market and record every price with its date, in US dollars and new Syrian pounds. How we work

The Mukhtar Al Souq team: produced by (the show on his site) · written by Ahmad Nahas, Mazen Shbib, Ranim Shabani and Dania Halbouni · edited by Abdulrahman Al-Nassar and Abdulrahman Mulla · graphics by Wael Fayyad