Snapshots from the UK: Ribena, and the Guinness and Black
Those of you who listen to the radio will recognize the line: "Ribena, I know what you're drinking" from the "American Boy" duet between Kanye West and Estelle. Kanye, the American boy, seduces Estelle, the English girl, by buying her a Ribena. As a girl who has been separated from the sweet, condensed black currant "squash" by the Atlantic Ocean, that pick-up line just might work on me.
Kanye may know what Ribena is, but I would venture that most Americans don't. It's a condensed black currant (the Concord grape of England) juice meant to be diluted with water that is shoved under kid's noses when they are young so that they will grow into sweet, black-currant adoring adults. There are Ribena juice boxes and Ribena flavors. Ribena is everywhere in England, justified by the fact that it is made from British black currants. I was initiated into the Ribena club late in life, but I am no less adoring, I assure you.
I doubt that Kanye really would have bought Estelle a simple Ribena, though. Chances are it was one of the many Ribena-based English cocktails, the most British of which—and my personal favorite—is the Guinness and Black, short for Guinness and black currant. It is a frothy and bittersweet mess of stout and fruity Ribena that leaves the head on the notoriously manly Guinness a pale and sardonic pink. Guinness and Black is a more niche and palatable alternative to the Black Velvet (Guinness and Champagne), and Ribena is that spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down—in the most delightful way.
What do you think of Ribena? Do you have a favorite Ribena cocktail?
Related
Snapshots from the UK: Cadbury Creme Egg Twisted
Snapshots from the UK: The English Foodstuff Lexicon
Snapshots from the UK: Earl Grey Sorbet
Snapshots from the UK: How the English Eat
Snapshots from the UK: Turkish Delight
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
24 Comments:
When I was at university, it was Snakebite and Black, i.e. half lager, half cider, and blackcurrant. Or you could have a Snakebite and Black with Venom, which meant a shot or two of vodka added to the mix. Very elegant.
I grew up on Ribena. Very popular in the former colonies. I also enjoy Robinson's blackcurrant pastilles, which are little jellied blackcurrant lozenges, coated in granulated sugar. Exceedingly delicious.
http://www.rowntrees.co.uk/range/fruitpastilles.aspx
Michele Humes at 7:32PM on 12/11/08
Well, I suppose you have to add something to Guinness to give it flavor. There must be a reason why Guinness is the beer most used to blend with other stuff.
beersnob at 8:02PM on 12/11/08
Many college bars in Oxford refused to sell the snakebite and its variants, supposedly because they were far too easily overindulged upon and the addition of Ribena meant that the "fruits" of said overindulgence would stain everything an indelible shade of sickly pink-purple.
shoneyjoe at 8:19PM on 12/11/08
ribena + soda water = yum
I second Rowntree's Fruit Pastilles as one of the best candies ever.
onedaylingers at 8:21PM on 12/11/08
Oh man. When I lived in Yorkshire, I drank a lot of Ribena squash, and A LOT of Guinness. Amazingly, I never mixed the two...
cxg231 at 8:30PM on 12/11/08
This is never what you get when you ask for a guinness and black, the stuff in the pub is just gross, compared to ribena!
I think I used to drink 'rum and black' when I was younger. ick.
jennywenny at 8:48PM on 12/11/08
Hey beersnob, Guinness has plenty of flavor on it's own.
DanielJ at 8:57PM on 12/11/08
We used to drink Ribena all the time growing up. Now in the states, my mom will sometimes grab a load of goodies (Crunchie bars, mushie peas, cheese and onion crisps), and send them my way- there's always a bottle of Ribena tucked in! (:
Aclunney at 9:33PM on 12/11/08
My boyfriend is British. The first day I got off the plane I had Ribena at a Welcome Break along the M1. I love it! I really wish we had something like this in the US - something tasty with loads of vitamin C and anti-oxidants to get kids addicted to instead of soda!
AnnaOnTheMoon at 9:43PM on 12/11/08
With Hong Kong being a former British colony, Ribena is very popular here too and I drank it (and had Rowntree's blackcurrant pastilles) growing up too. Ribena's undergoing a bit of a revival right now; Ribena with lemon is the current new drink in HK.
@AnnaOntheMoon - It's been proven that Ribena is not loaded with antioxidants and vitamin C, and the company's already gotten in trouble for false advertising. It's the blackcurrant fruit that has all these vitamins, but Ribena itself is mostly sugar (it's a syrup, after all). So NO, you don't want kids in the States addicted to this stuff.
Vincci at 11:05PM on 12/11/08
Welch's grape juice is full of vitamins and antioxidants, and no added sugar.
Ribena is sold in the international foods section of many large grocery stores, even out in the podunk town I'm living in right now.I'll admit I learned what it was watching Vicar of Dibley. My daughter spent a summer at Cambridge in '05, never tried it, but she did try something that was considered popular, Irn Bru. She developed a taste for Pimms cup, especially after the long hikes she'd take with friends to King's Lynn and other similar places, or after going punting on the Cam. They'd end up in a pub, very thirsty.
Mares at 11:36PM on 12/11/08
When I've had half-cider/half-lager with a shot of Ribena, it was called a Red Snakebite - all in Irish bars in Germany, though.
Mares, are you talking about American grocery stores? I don't think I've ever seen it, I'm going to start looking!
nomulence at 11:57PM on 12/11/08
They sell ribena in most of the asian grocery stores in nyc. I grew up with that stuff, most likely from my parents having grown up w/ it in hong kong.
xospecialk at 10:38AM on 12/12/08
never heard of ribena before.
i like mixing my guiness with lambic framboise.
gastronomeg at 10:47AM on 12/12/08
When I was living in the Czech Republic the Tescos used to sell these amazing Ribena flavored ice cream bars. My god, they were good. Alas, the last time I went back they were gone.
meglo91 at 11:22AM on 12/12/08
I love Ribena + seltzer too! It's such a delicious treat!!
Ambitous at 11:54AM on 12/12/08
ah, thank you for explaining what 'squash' is. a particular lily allen lyric has been puzzling me with it for months.
redzerostar at 1:40PM on 12/12/08
While visiting a friend in Leeds (England) I was informed at a pub, that it ladies didn't drink "lagers"..
"Oh no I asked, what do they drink?"
"A cider and black"
After two pints of sickly sweet pink cider (Pint of Strongbow with an ounce.. A WHOLE OUNCE.. of Ribena) I switched to beer, not caring if the boys found me unlady like.
Though strangly I do love Rowntree's Fruit Pastilles.
doyouloveanapple at 1:46PM on 12/12/08
Ribena is pretty gross - it's so sweet! I often drink snakebites in England but I always have to stress "No Black". The bartender looks at me like I'm crazy, but really, a snakebite and black is just too much.
I was in Germany once and the bartender made me a Guiness with Banana Juice. I didn't even know banana juice existed. Boy was that delicious. Who knew!
chrismc at 2:33PM on 12/12/08
The first time I went to England my friend made me drink Ribena. And then I realized that it was THE BEST THING EVER..
...Not so good that I've looked for it here though. I see it in Asian grocery stores from time to time.
Granted, in England I also decided that every biscuit and every chocolate bar was the Best Thing Ever, so I think I was just in love with everything not American.
roboppy at 2:36PM on 12/12/08
Sometimes there's nothing nicer than a good snakebite and black - my youth was spent making really strong snakebite n black and freezing it into a slush - yummy!
@Chrismc - I had weiss bier in Germany made with banana juice and I've never tasted anything so gross - maybe I should've tried it in a stout!
Ribena is a lovely squah - I have a fantastic cuddly ribena berry sitting on top of my work computer - when you squish it is does the wuhu sound of ribena berrys!
Iheartcupcakes at 5:53PM on 12/12/08
Didn't know such a thing existed, but I love Ribena(and those black currant pastilles). This opens a new world of Ribena based alcohol drinks now, like Ribena and soju.
You should be able to get Ribena in some of the bigger Chinese supermarkets in NYC area or buy it from Amazon. Those black currant pastilles are like $4 a tube at some of those supermarkets too. If only I can still get glass bottled Lucozade.
Something else that's like Ribena would be Sambucol but that's actually medicinal and tastes slightly nasty.
maportofu at 8:25PM on 12/12/08
One look at the Ribena bottle and I instantly flashed back to Snake Bites* in Edinburgh! Too many nights, too many Snake Bites ... just makes my head hurt thinking about them!
*Ribena mixed with a lager beer = HANGOVER
Top Sheff at 8:31PM on 12/12/08
I too grew up drinking Ribena thanks to my Hong-Kong born mother, and just bought a bottle of Ribena syrup last night!
I tend to drink it more diluted than what you get in the ready-made Ribena packages however. I use it most often to flavour a bit of water or mixed with club soda to make an Italian soda, as suggested above.
Definitely check Chinese grocery stores if you can't find it in the international section of your regular grocery store.
And ditto the recommendation for Rowntree's Fruit Pastilles. If I could live off of the blackcurrant ones without going into sugar shock, I would.
anonymoose at 4:56PM on 12/15/08