# Coca-Cola Orange (and other interesting soft drinks)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coca-cola-orange-and-other-interesting-soft-drinks/761215>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Tags:** soda-softdrinks\
**Created:** [July 29, 2016, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coca-cola-orange-and-other-interesting-soft-drinks/761215 "2016-07-29T19:24:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 4

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Remember\_me](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/82dd89/32.png) [@Remember\_me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Remember_me)\
**Post date:** [November 15, 2016, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coca-cola-orange-and-other-interesting-soft-drinks/761215/61 "2016-11-15T15:08:32Z")

</div>

The general name for a mixture of a cola and orange soft drink is called [Spezi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spezi) in Germany and Austria. “Spezi” means something like buddy, pal or bro in southern German dialects. The equivalent product by Coca-Cola Germany is called [Mezzo Mix](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mezzo_Mix). Other companies call it “Cola-Mix” or “Schwipp-Schwapp”.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\
**Post date:** [November 15, 2016, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coca-cola-orange-and-other-interesting-soft-drinks/761215/62 "2016-11-15T16:03:17Z")

</div>

> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#):
>
> The combos are pre-programmed; you cannot make your own combo. There’s a button for “Coke Zero Cherry” and a button for “Coke Zero Lime”, for instance, not buttons for “Coke Zero” and then “Grape” or “Lime” or “Schnozzberry”.

But apparently they used to work like that. And someone decided to change it. Which means someone first had to decide that they would limit the choices offered, and then had to spend time deciding which choices to eliminate. Why? It’s the sort of thing that is unlikely to happen in a large, complex corporation like Coca-Cola without someone thinking they had a good reason for it and being able to convince the people at the next level up that they did.

I seriously cannot imagine what that meeting could possibly have been like.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\
**Post date:** [November 15, 2016, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coca-cola-orange-and-other-interesting-soft-drinks/761215/63 "2016-11-15T16:05:17Z")

</div>

> [@Alan\_Smithee](#):
>
> But apparently they used to work like that. And someone decided to change it. Which means someone first had to decide that they would limit the choices offered, and then had to spend time deciding which choices to eliminate. Why? It’s the sort of thing that is unlikely to happen in a large, complex corporation like Coca-Cola without someone thinking they had a good reason for it and being able to convince the people at the next level up that they did.
> 
> I seriously cannot imagine what that meeting could possibly have been like.

“This is America, and Americans want freedom! People can make their own choices!”  
“I agree! By the way, what do you think of the election so far this year?”

😃

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coca-cola-orange-and-other-interesting-soft-drinks/761215.md?page=3)