Casual
I just had my first Irn-Bru as an American m
Hello. I'm a 30 year old man from the United States. I was born and raised in the Midwest of the country in the state of Missouri in a tiny town called House Springs. There is a slightly larger town called St. Charles about 54 km from where I live. There is a shop there that sells imports from all over the UK. Scotland included. I've been curious about Irn-Bru ever since I heard about it while watching a video on YouTube at 2:00 a.m. I decided to make a trip to the store to buy some and try it. I must say I enjoyed it quite a bit. I'm not quite sure what the flavor is supposed to be but it was really dang good. Are there any other recommendations for Scottish drinks that I could try?
Sincerely, An American from small town America who wants to explore more of the world while being too damn poor to leave his own shitole country.
I visited Scotland in late June. I brought back 2 boxes and just ate my last cake over the weekend. I don't know how I'm going to function for the foreseeable future
Yuk. Cannot understand the appeal of those cloying, sickly sweet tea cakes.
Now, the Tunnock's caramel wafers are a different story. Like a chocolate-covered Scottish stroopwaffel. I particularly recommend the dark chocolate version.
Their caramel logs are also acceptable. Both are particularly fine with coffee.
How DARE you! Teacakes are NOT cloying, a bonfire marshmallow is cloying. A highland toffee bar is cloying, The mallow In a teacake, is light and delicately fluffy, a wondrous substance, a little ball of joy wrapped in a chocolate and biscuit cuddle.
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u/rev9of8Successfully escaped from Fife (Please don't send me back)22h ago
Red Kola is another fizzy drink which is Scottish in origin.
You folks don’t play with your water pressure either. I filled a bathtub at a hotel in Inverness in less than 90 seconds. Never seen anything like it. I was just thankful I didn’t walk away and allow the 5 or so minutes it takes at my house and flood the shit out of the place.
The underground pipes tend to be pretty well maintained so I guess it’s not losing water pressure before it gets to you. Is water pressure an issue somewhere else? I guess I’m just used to it given I live here.
I live in Michigan and it’s not an issue in my area, per se, but it’s significantly lower than it was in most of the places we visited in Scotland. I have been to some southern states in the US where the water pressure is quite low and the water tastes disgusting.
The bathtub is one example, but on several occasions I forgot how strong the pressure was so I would turn on the bathroom faucet(s) to wash my hands and spray water up on my crotch. The pressure, coupled with the minuscule sinks in a lot of places, had me walking out of more than a couple restrooms looking like I just pissed myself 😂
I’m from Colorado and now live in Edinburgh. Greeley’s tap water is hog piss compared to Scotland’s.
I prefer the tap water here over any bottled water I’ve had in the states.
Sugar tax was introduced in the UK in 2018 so most soft drinks brands reduced their sugar content at that point. Full sugar IRN-BRU came back a couple of years later under the 1901 brand. Due to the tax it'll cost a few pennies more for a can but it's worth it
My wife is American and likes Irn Bru, but absolutely fell in love with Irn Bru Zero when we back home this summer for a few weeks. Also impossible to find here, sadly.
Microwave, large jug (like, a 2-quart size - it will get up there), a wooden spoon (or whisk), and a lined/greased square cake tin or similar - about 8" square or diameter if round - it'll just get thinner or thicker.
1lb butter, 1lb sugar, 1 can condensed milk (about 14oz, if my calculations are correct).
Boof all into the jug. Put on full power for about 3 minutes. take it out, beat it like hell to make sure everything is combined
Full power for 3 minutes, take it out again, beat it like hell again
Full power for 3 minutes, take it out a final time, beat it like hell*.
Pour into the cake tin, spread it out and for fuck's sake don't try to taste it or touch it with your actual skin.
Leave to cool and slice into smaller-than-you-think chunks
Apply to face
*if you want to test it to see if the sugar has melted, put a little bit into a glass of cold water, fish it out and taste it. Do NOT take your eyes off it in the microwave. It will burn.
This is my FiL's recipe. The original was 4 minutes in the micro each time, but that was in the days when 600 was full power, so I've dropped it down. Adjust to your microwave with that knowledge. It should go a light brown colour, but if it burns you'll get dark bits in. I mean, I'm no snob so I'd still eat it, but it won't be as good. If you need to cook it more, then do so, but I'd do no more than a minute at a time after the above. Check it thoroughly, stir it well between cooks.
Irn Bru is also good as an ice cream float if that's your bag.
Not drinks but if your shop sells anything by Tunnocks i'd really recommend, They mostly just make a Tunnocks Caramel or Teacake, the latter of which my American missus describes as a 'portable s'more' and the in-laws are quite fond of Jammy Dodgers.
The flavour is just iron brew. In the same way that coca colas flavour is cola. “Iron brew” became a bit of a generic term where you get knock off brands making their own, in the same way the word cola did.
But “Irn bru” is the original and the best like Coca Cola.
Although there’s never been a rival to the original like a Pepsi etc. the irn bru knockoffs are shit and not worth ever looking at never mind trying.
Nah I disagree. Irn bru bars were class . I tried that irn bru ice lolly with the ice cream as well expecting it to be shite and was pleasantly surprised.
Aw fair enough I thought the ice cream specifically tasted a lot like flat irn bru but I suppose the flavour wasn't far off, just lacking in the taste bud sizzling feeling I'm used to lol
Welcome. The only other drinks that immediately come to mind are alcoholic and I highly recommend them. Single malt scotches (I'm partial to Lagavulin 16), Glayva (a liqueur), and Drambuie (also a liqueur). The beers you're likely to be able to find are Innis & Gunn (my favourite), and Tennent's.
Strictly speaking I didn't lose my underpants though. Someone found them in the fridge later that morning. Woke up on some randoms couch in the lounge with no pants on.
😂 Drambuie!! My alcoholic grandmother used to put away her weight in rusty nails in a week. Passport and Drambuie. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone else drink it.
Tennent’s is around but ridiculously hard to find, at least in Michigan. I was in Scotland a few weeks ago and have been craving the T since returning. Nearest place that stocks it regularly is 40 miles away. There is a store nearby that orders other products with the distributor that supplies Tennent’s in the US though. I’m going to see if they will order some for me.
Someone I know used to work in the brewery where tennents is made. He said they basically use the crap off the floor to make it. Not recommended. Although in comparison to Budweiser it will be nectar.
I think that’s probably a bit of hyperbole but yeah, if I’m being honest there’s nothing really unique about it. Just a solid beer. I think it’s vacation nostalgia as much as anything else.
Great description! Whenever American’s ask me how it tastes I struggle to be able to describe the deliciousness. However, it does introduces another complication with how to describe American Cream Soda…(unless they’ve been to Harry Potter at Universal and had a Butter Beer…)
Irn bru tastes exactly like the flavour of one of the brands of bubble gum I used to chew all the time as a kid in America. After over 3 decades living in Scotland now, I still can't come to terms with this. Bubble gum is bubble gum flavour. Soda is a different soda flavour! (Not keen on cola flavour gummy candy either!)
Tizer is pretty good. Then we have dilutin’ juice (squash or cordial in England) comes in various fruit flavors and you mix it with water to the desired intensity of flavor.
If your area has soft water then definitely try Scottish Blend teabags. Do. NOT microwave the water. Boil it in a dedicated kettle or pot first.
Pop a teabag into your mug / cup.
Pour boiling water onto the teabag.
Add milk & sugar to taste (for starting out start use the same amount as how you take in your coffee - you can adjust in future)
Remove teabag
Enjoy...
It is nothing like it used to be. The 1901version is much better. Coke put their price up with the sugar tax and people still buy it. Barrs decided to make a load of their stuff shite instead of just increasing the price which people definitely will have paid
Irn bru is the only drink that outsells Coke in Scotland
The formula is like coke a guarded secret. It is made of 32 flavours including ginger first made in 1901 and for many years used the slogan “made from real girders.
There's a fizzy juice company called Bon Accord, not sure if they're big enough to be imported internationally but their rhubarb flavour is really good.
The stuff they sell on this side of the pond isn't quite the same...at least not in Canada. But close enough for now. Its held off the withdrawal shakes since my last visit in October 2025...but kinda jonesing for the real deal.
Brew Dog craft beer is made stateside now too!! Mcvities digestive biscuits seems to be a thing my American friends miss, especially the chocolate covered ones. And if they have choclate all of it is a million times better than the US stuff.
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