If you’ve been to a Japanese restaurant, chances are you would’ve seen this drink on the menu. The iconic soda, with its distinctive shape, contains a glistening pearl and the collective memories of many across the globe. But how did this marble soda, or Ramune, come to be?
In fact, Ramune wasn’t originally a Japanese creation. The creator of the drink, Scottish-born pharmacist Alexander Cameron Sim, initially conceived of it while living in Kobe’s foreigner settlement, and the name Ramune actually comes from a Japanese spin on the English word “lemonade”. Although many claim that the drink resembles your average lemon-lime soda, it has a unique taste. Over the years, it has evolved to become a flavour itself, with creations such as Ramune candies or Ramune soda variations. These days, there are over 55 different flavors of Ramune—including curry, teriyaki and wasabi, to name a few!
What if I told you the weirdly shaped Ramune bottle had a purpose, and wasn't just for marketing? If you didn’t know, the marble inside the bottle is supposed to seal it, preventing carbonation gas from leaking to give it a longer shelf life. To open a bottle of Ramune, you need to push the marble into the bottle using the opener. This is where a chamber at the neck of the container catches the marble so it doesn’t go into your drink. To prevent a blocked bottleneck, two dents were introduced to hold the marble in place—I've always thought they resembled eyes.
Nowadays, Ramune is a popular drink during hot days, consumed during summer festivals. Children love this drink since they can play with the marble after drinking, but it might be rather difficult to get the marble out without breaking something. Seriously, how do you get the marble out of the bottle without breaking the bottle?
Some types of ramune bottle caps cap be opened if twisted clockwise ( yeah, different from the usual way ). Thank god I found out, or else I might actually have broken the bottle 😅