Fresh Fizz Date Cola

Sweetened with date syrup and flavored with a mixture of citrus and spices, Fresh Fizz Date Cola was introduced in May 2024 by Fresh Fizz Sodas, a small American soda producer that grew out of a project in a private kitchen in Brooklyn.

Fresh Fizz was founded by husband-and-wife team Rebecca and Yoni Schwartz. Yoni was already involved in the beverage business through Promised Land Beverage Co., LLC, which had previously marketed a cider as an alternative to beer. Rebecca, meanwhile, had been making a sparkling mint lemonade for friends and family for years. When the couple started Fresh Fizz, her lemonade became the starting point for a range that expanded with flavors such as Hibiscus Ginger Ale and Sparkling Jalapeño Limeade. As production outgrew their Brooklyn apartment, it was moved to a production facility in Island Park on Long Island.

A central part of the Fresh Fizz philosophy is what the company calls “real food ingredients, not lab-made ‘flavors’.” This is more than a slogan on the website. Fresh Fizz publishes full ingredient lists, describes many of the fruits and spices it uses, and even provides information about some of the farms and plantations where its ingredients originate. The company explicitly describes transparency as part of its approach.

Date Cola is a particularly straightforward example. Its ingredient list consists of carbonated water, organic lemon juice, organic date syrup, orange peel, coriander, nutmeg, allspice, star anise, and vanilla bean. The date syrup is the only listed added sweetener, and the cola contains approximately 4.3 grams of sugar per 100 ml. No caffeine is added.

Date Cola was not Fresh Fizz’s first experiment with cola. Black Cherry Cola appeared in 2022 and had a substantially different recipe, including black cherry juice, maple syrup, and kola nut. A short-lived Blood Orange Cola was sold in 2023. Neither remained in the range