According to reports by the BBC, the Islamic State (IS) is being mocked online in a video recording by a defector who claims the Islamic State extremists are using a popular British soft-drink in their propaganda videos to represent blood. BBC Monitoring reports the defector says in the video that IS fighters were smeared with Vimto and pretended to be slain Houthi rebels.
The claims have not been verified about the use of Vimto, whose marketing tag line is “seriously mixed up fruit,” however, the video caused uproar on Twitter by rival jihadists and other IS opponents.
Vimto, a favourite soft-drink in the North of England was invented in 1908 by John Noel Nichols at Granby Row, Manchester and was introduced to the Middle East in 1928.
The soft-drink, a purple-reddish cordial, is concocted from a secret recipe of grapes, raspberries and blackcurrants and 23 other fruit essences with added herbs and spices. When it was first produced it was promoted as a ‘health drink’ that provided ‘vim’ and vigour and at first was named, ‘Vim Tonic’. After a while, the ‘nic’ was dropped and it became known as “Vimto.”
Vimto celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2008. Visitors to the University of Manchester’s Sackville Street Building will pass by a giant statue dedicated to the drink, carved out of stained oak by artist, Kerry Morrison.
Vimto, now an international product worth £200 million, sells around 12 million bottles of Vimto cordial, 26 million bottles of fizzy Vimto and 92 million cans a year.
