What is "spezi"

Spezi is a classic soft drink made in Germany by mixing cola with orange soda. Locally, orange soda is also widely known as Fanta. Spezi is a genericized trademark; owner of the trademark is Brauhaus Riegele in Augsburg, Germany. When the brand was registered in 1956, Riegele at first was selling beer under the trademark. When Spezi is bottled by other breweries, it usually runs under the official title "Cola-Mix" or "Mezzo-Mix".

In most of Germany and Austria, Spezi is a generic term for a mixture of cola and orange soda. Riegele registered the trademark and tried to monopolize the use of the term, but did not achieve that goal. Most large beverage manufacturers sell similar products, though most of them only in Germany. Examples are Schwip Schwap by PepsiCo or Mezzo Mix by the Coca-Cola Company. Nowadays, these two competitors sell far better than the original Spezi. Like other colas, Spezi contains caffeine; other ingredients include water, sugar, carbonic acid, orange juice and lemon juice.

Riegele Spezi is sold mostly in half liter glass bottles, but 0.33l and 1.5l bottles are available as well. There is also a diet version. The slogan is: "Spezi ist Spitze - trink das Original!" ("Spezi is great - drink the original!").

In some regions of northern Germany (Emsland), Spezi stands for a mixture of traditional German Schnapps and cola.