Everyone loves Ramune, aka Japanese soda, but have you heard about Calpico? Calpico is a delicious Japanese beverage with a long history that dates back over 100 years ago, so if you want to learn more about your new favorite Japanese drink, keep reading on.
What Is Calpico?
If you didn’t know, Calpico is a Japanese milk-based soft drink that has been described as tasting like a very sweet and mildly sour thick yogurt syrup mixed with buttermilk. Calpico was actually created by accident; as the founder of Calpis Kaiun Mishima and his factory manager Yoshizou Kataoka were trying to figure out how to incorporate lactic acid bacterium into food and drinks, Kataoka mixed their underperforming original product, called Daigomi, with sugar in a test tube, and left it there for several days.
The result was Calpis, and when Calpico first hit the market in 1919, it became the first beverage to be made with lactic acid bacterium.
Calpico is non-carbonated, and is made from lactic acid and nonfat dairy milk to get its vanilla yogurt-y flavor. While Calpico can be enjoyed on its own, it also can be combined with other drinks to create exciting cocktails, like the Yuzu-Calpico Fizz and the Strawberry Soju Cocktail, as well as milkshakes and smoothies.
The Japanese drink is also available in a non-concentrated form called Calpis that needs to be diluted with milk or water before serving, and both sips come in a carbonated version, too.
Now that you’ve got some background on the popular sip, it’s time to try it out for yourself. Bokksu Market has a variety of Calpico flavors to choose from, and we broke them down one by one so you can pick the Calpico that’s best for you!
Despite its similarities to yogurt, Calpico is surprisingly refreshing – especially if you choose a fruit-inspired flavor. Enter Asahi Calpico: Original, which boasts a sweet and slightly tangy flavor, and even features a hint of citrus, too! You can never go wrong with a classic.
Speaking of fruits, everyone knows summer is the season of strawberries, which is why the Asahi Calpico: Strawberry makes for the perfect summer drink! Though the adorable opaque pink coloring is sure to catch your eye, it’s the real strawberry taste that keeps customers coming back for more! Plus, it contains no high fructose corn syrup or carbonation, so you’re free to let your kids sip all summer long!
You don’t have to take a trip to the Caribbean to enjoy the tropical flavors of the Asahi Calpico: Mango! This sweet and smooth drink is made with real mango, and can be enjoyed on the go or while you’re relaxing by the pool with a glass over ice.
If you’ve never tried lychee before, let the Asahi Calpico: Lychee be your official introduction! Lychee is a tropical fruit originally from China that tastes like a mix of strawberry, watermelon, and citrus, and this sip has got all the sweet flavor of lychee and tangy Calpico yogurt that you could want!
Japan is known for its white peaches, and when you mix the beloved flavor of real peach juice with Calpico, you get a spectacularly sweet sip, aka the Asahi Calpico: White Peach!
Finally, if you want to experiment with Calpico at home, now you can with Calpico Concentrate! All you need to do is add water to the mixture and adjust your thickness to concoct your very own Calpico creation. Plus, you can make it your own by adding it to your at-home cocktails, shaved ice desserts, and so much more!
Take a trip to your favorite Asian grocery store without ever leaving your couch! Bokksu Market carries all your favorite Japanese drinks, brands, and condiments, so now you can order groceries online all from the same place.
