‘Count me in, I love it!’: U.S. Rep Ocasio-Cortez raves over Scottish soda Irn-Bru
1:55 am Thursday, November 11th, 2021
(Reuters) – U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gave a thumbs-up to the cherished caffeinated Scottish soft drink Irn-Bru personally delivered to her by Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the United Nations COP26 climate summit in Glasgow.
Advertised as Scotland’s other national drink, the first being whisky, Irn-Bru is 100 years old and is colloquially known as a hangover cure.
“I like it! Will bring some cans home to NY (New York) for sure!,” the U.S. congresswoman wrote in an Instagram post on Wednesday, alongside a video of her trying the bright orange fizzy soda.
Ocasio-Cortez said earlier on the social media platform that she was trying to get her hands on the drink, in response to a question on whether she had tried any Irn-Bru during her visit to Glasgow for the climate summit.
“Where do I find it?? Do y’all have bodegas here??” she added jokingly.
Sturgeon then joined in the fun by posting on Twitter a picture of herself handing Ocasio-Cortez a can of Irn-Bru.
Irn-Bru has 32 flavouring agents, its maker A.G. Barr PLC says on its website, and even has its own orange and blue tartan.
The tartan is a symbol of Scotland and its historical roots, with the country’s various clans each having a separate pattern.
In the video, Ocasio-Cortez says the drink reminds her of Kola Champagne, another soda popular in Latin America.
“I was so shocked at having something in Glasgow that tasted like HOME,” she wrote on the Instagram post. “Count me in, I love it!”
(Reporting by Pola Grzanka and Aiden Nulty; Writing by Karishma Singh; Editing by Ana Nicolaci da Costa)
