Ironbeer is a soft drink that originated in Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

 in 1917 and was created by Manuel Rabanal. It has been described as tasting like "a fruitier Dr Pepper

Dr Pepper

Dr Pepper is a soft drink, marketed as having a unique flavor. The drink was created in the 1880s by Charles Alderton of Waco, Texas and first served around 1885. Dr Pepper was first nationally marketed in the United States in 1904 and is now also sold in Europe, Asia, Canada, Mexico, Australia ...

" or like Ironport

Ironport (beverage)

Ironport is an old-fashioned carbonated soft drink from the early part of the 20th century that was served at soda fountains. It can still be found in parts of Utah, Southern Idaho, Western Wyoming, and Eastern Nevada...

 soda. http://www.delicioussparklingtemperancedrinks.net/Ironbeer.html After Fidel Castro

Fidel Castro

Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...

 became Cuba's dictator and nationalized all private property in 1960, "Inverciones Rabanal" run by Jesus Larrazabal (husband of Teresa Rabanal - Manuel's daughter) along with the Ironbeer of Cuba families (Rabanal, Larrazabal, Rojas) were exiled in Miami.

In the mid-1990s, the United States version of the brand (no longer affiliated with Ironbeer of Cuba and without the 500 lb weights in the flexed arm logo) called Ironbeer Soft Drink Inc. was involved in a legal battle with Tropicana Products

Tropicana Products

Tropicana Products is an American based company, and was founded in 1947 by Anthony T. Rossi in Bradenton, Florida, U.S.A. Since 1998, it has been owned by PepsiCo, Inc. Tropicana's headquarters are in Chicago, Illinois.-Anthony T. Rossi:...

.

Ironbeer cans give the following story about its origins:

On a summers afternoon, in 1917 a mule

Mule

A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Horses and donkeys are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes. Of the two F1 hybrids between these two species, a mule is easier to obtain than a hinny...

-drawn, wooden wagon arrived at a popular cafeteria in Havana

Havana

Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...

, Cuba. It delivered the first four cases of a new soft drink that would soon be called "The National Beverage". Now more than 80 years later, IRONBEER is still enjoyed for its refreshing flavor with just a hint of island spices. A lot can change over the years - but not the original flavor of IRONBEER!

External links

• "Beaten to a Pulp: Ironbeer entrepreneur Pedro Blanco thought he had a fruitful contract to can Tropicana juice. Now all he's got is a bankrupt business."
• "Strong Brew: A costly battle with giant juice company Tropicana turned into a blessing for soft drink maker Ironbeer, whose revenues have since tripled."
• BevBoard Ironbeer discussion
• "Tropical soft drink: Tastes of home in every sip"
• Delicious Sparkling Temperance Drinks review of Ironbeer