Soft drinks bottled under the Jarritos brand are widely available in the United States as well as Mexico, in flavors whose names are translated very directly, with one exception: Mexican cola (370 ml., $1.50). Evidently this is meant to signal authenticity-seeking North-of-the-border soda drinkers that the sweetener is cane sugar and not high fructose corn syrup (the ingredients label confirms). I can't imagine that in the Jarritos hometown of Jalisco one would ask for a "Mexican" cola, but I haven't found a Spanish-only label to support that supposition.
El Guerrero Deli Grocery
448 East 138th St. (Willis Ave.-Brown Pl.), Mott Haven, Bronx
718-401-1337
Why not? There's this.
Posted by: No/Deli | May 09, 2012 at 06:38 PM
"Mexican Cola" seems to be conveying some information about the ingredients, but only to potential customers who understand that this soda from afar is different from their own. In that regard, I'd expect that south of the border, finding this product under this name would be as likely as finding "New York pizza" in the five boroughs. It may exist, but you'd be more likely to find such a product in, say, Miami. There "New York pizza" has an aura of old times left behind for better weather; here it could probably close a sale only in the most touristed parts of town.
Note, too, that of all the Jarritos flavors, only the cola carries the "Mexican" moniker.
The name "American Cola," by contrast, makes a patriotic appeal to value-conscious domestic customers. You'd expect to find such a name in the United States but not abroad, where the Coca-Cola brand has far more selling power.
Posted by: Dave Cook | May 09, 2012 at 11:38 PM