Empire Rising: Spain

“Overall, it’s not too different from the drink I imagined. I believe it will be well-received once it hits the market,” Carlo said with a smile.

While drinking a beverage brings joy only to oneself, turning these drinks into products sold throughout Spain or even all over Europe would bring joy to all Europeans.

Of course, Carlo would not deny that his real target was the vast beverage market. This original form of cola is not too troublesome to make, and the cost isn’t high either.

It’s no exaggeration to say that most of the cost of cola in glass bottles lies in the glass bottle itself, while the cost of the cola inside isn’t very high.

But the advent of plastic bottles will still take a long time, and until then, bottling in glass is the cleaner and more convenient way for transportation.

“Let’s get some ice cubes, and that’s about it,” Carlo continued to instruct.

Carbonated drinks should ideally be enjoyed with ice cubes to fully capture the essence of the beverage.

Steward Loren nodded and personally went to prepare the ice cubes Carlo needed.

Speaking of ice cubes, one cannot help but appreciate how technology has enhanced daily life.

Before the invention of ice-making machines, people had other methods to make ice. However, those methods came with various drawbacks, primarily low production and difficulty in storage.

This meant that during summer, only the wealthy and high nobility could enjoy ice cubes.

Since the invention of ice machines, even ordinary people can enjoy a glass of iced water in the summer, something unimaginable before.

For Carlo, ice cubes made by the ice machine are certainly purer and provide a more reassuring drink experience.

It took only a few minutes for Steward Loren to bring a large basin of ice cubes, emitting cold vapor in the scorching summer heat.

Anna and Alice needed no prompting and quickly stepped forward to take the ice cubes, adding them to the glasses of Carlo and Queen Sophie.

Watching as ice cubes were placed one by one into the glasses, refilling the drinks that were only half left, Carlo smiled and turned his gaze towards Queen Sophie: “Try it, this is a new beverage, perfect for drinking in the summer.”

Queen Sophie nodded. Earlier, she wanted to taste the unknown beverage, but hearing Carlo say it was better with ice, she decided to wait for the ice to arrive.

Seeing the cola with added ice cubes emitting visible cold air, and a layer of mist forming on the cup’s exterior, Queen Sophie hesitated no more, lifting a glass of cola to sip slowly.

“It’s really good! Carlo, what is this? Why have I never seen it before?” Queen Sophie’s eyes immediately lit up, casting a curious gaze towards Carlo as she asked eagerly.

“Cola, or you can call it Coca-Cola.” Since the Coca-Cola brand hadn’t yet been invented, Carlo didn’t mind borrowing the name directly.

The name Coca-Cola is quite fitting. The drink is very tasty, and made from cola nuts, so the name Coca-Cola perfectly describes its characteristics.

“Coca-Cola?” Queen Sophie nodded.

“What do you think? Doesn’t iced Coca-Cola go perfectly with summer?” Carlo said with a smile.

“It’s absolutely fantastic. If this thing can be mass-produced, I believe it would be welcomed by many.” Queen Sophie nodded in agreement with Carlo’s earlier statement about Coca-Cola being better with ice.