Julmust facts for kids
Julmust is a popular soft drink from Sweden. People mostly drink it around Christmas. The word "Julmust" comes from "jul," meaning "yule" or Christmas, and "must," which means unfermented fruit juice. However, Julmust doesn't actually contain fruit juice!
You can usually only find Julmust in stores during the Christmas season. At Easter, it's sold under a different name, Påskmust. "Påsk" means Easter in Swedish. Even though the name changes, it's the same drink inside the bottle. Julmust is much more famous for Christmas than for Easter.
This special drink was invented in 1910 by Harry Roberts and his father, Robert Roberts. They wanted to create a non-alcoholic drink that could be an alternative to beer. It became very popular! In December, people in Sweden drink about 45 million liters of Julmust. That's about half of all the soft drinks sold in December!
What is Julmust Made Of?
The special syrup for Julmust is made by a company called Roberts AB in Örebro, Sweden. This company sells the syrup to many different drink makers. Each company then adds other ingredients and bottles the drink in their own way. This is why Julmust from one brand might taste a little different from another, even though they use the same basic syrup.
Julmust is made with carbonated water, sugar, and extracts from hops and malt. It also has spices, caramel coloring, citric acid, and preservatives. The hops and malt give Julmust a taste that some people compare to root beer.
You can even store Julmust in a glass bottle for a long time. Some people buy it in December and save it for a whole year before drinking it!
Julmust and Coca-Cola
In Sweden, Julmust is so popular that it actually sells more than Coca-Cola during the Christmas holidays! When Julmust sales go up, Coca-Cola sales can drop by as much as 50%.
Because of this, The Coca-Cola Company changed how they sold their drinks in Sweden. They even tried making their own Julmust for a while. They bought the syrup from Roberts AB, just like other companies. However, their Julmust was not widely advertised at first. By 2008, it had mostly disappeared from stores. It did return for Christmas in 2011.
Where Else Can You Find Julmust?
Julmust is mainly a Swedish drink, but you can find it in other countries too, especially around Christmas.
- In 2004 and 2006, PepsiCo sold a drink called "Pepsi Holiday Spice" in the United States. It tasted a bit like Julmust.
- Stores like Cost Plus World Market in the United States sell Julmust during the Christmas season.
- IKEA stores around the world, including in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and many other countries, sell their own version called "Dryck Julmust" at Christmas. This version often uses sweetener instead of sugar. It's now called "Vintersaga" (winter saga) Swedish festive drink. They also sell "Dryck Påskmust" at Easter in some countries.
- You can find Julmust in special shops in the United Kingdom and Belgium.
- It's also popular in Finland around Christmas, especially among the Swedish-speaking people there.
See also
In Spanish: Julmust para niños
