Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, often an intense and controversial figure, struck a bubblier note during part of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) when she got her hands on Scotland’s unofficial national beverage, Irn-Bru.
The 32-year-old representative from New York told her Instagram followers on Wednesday that she finally got the coveted beverage, which she had been searching for since her arrival the previous day.
‘Okay, so it’s orange,’ she said before taking a sip. ‘This tastes like the Latino soda – Kola Champagne.’
‘Oh, my god, love it, love it,’ she gushed. ‘Irn-Bru, count me in.’
The liberal politician added that she was ‘so shocked at having something in Glasgow that tasted like home’ in the caption to her Instagram post.
The Scottish soda, pronounced ‘Iron brew’, tastes like ‘magic’, according to creators and has been also referred to as liquid cotton candy.
The nationally-acclaimed soda first launched in 1901, using a secret recipe with more than 30 flavoring agents. It is often described as ‘Scotland’s other national drink’, it’s first being whisky.
Ocasio-Cortez had earlier said she hoped to try Irn-Bru, but had been too busy to find any.
‘I am trying to get my hands on some!’ she had said. ‘So far it’s been nonstop work with no real independent time so I am hoping for a window to find some.’
Luckily, Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was able to snag some for the New Yorker. The two took to Twitter to share the news that the congresswoman was about to take her first sip of the beloved beverage.
‘Amidst all the serious business at COP26 today, I’m pleased to also report that AOC now has a supply of Irn Bru,’ Sturgeon said.
Ocasio Cortez replied by saying, ‘Talk about Scottish hospitality! Thank you for the (very special) delivery, Madam first minister’.
‘The BRU got through,’ the soda brand tweeted in response to AOC.
‘It’s phenomenal that Scotland’s ginger nectar has made such a splash with delegates from across the globe,’ an Irn-Bru spokesperson told DailyMail.
Irn-Bru and Diet Irn-Bru have been formulated to fit US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards since 2002, though the soda is solely imported to Charlotte, North Carolina, where distributers can buy it in bulk to sell.
Americans can also purchase the soda on Amazon.
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