Firecracker! Cola
The Taste That Pops!
About Firecracker! Cola
Firecracker! Cola is an Old World drink that has a hot sweet cinnamon candy flavor and distinctive red coloring. The best real world comparison for the flavor would be Red Hots candy, if they were liquid and carbonated. Firecracker! was distributed in glass bottles and sold individually as well as in six packs. Six packs were reusable crates made of recycled wood scrap owing to the fact that new and recycled cardboard, paper, and plastics were increasingly expensive options in the Old World.
In-Game History
Before The Fall a bottled drink called Firecracker! Cola was at the height of its popularity, seeing wide circulation in many of the lands and cities of the Old World. The world was a rapidly changing place before The Fall, which lead many people to long for the good times that came before. This longing drove many manufacturers to produce classic themed goods and Firecracker! was no different. Adopting a classic style in both bottle and advertisement art, Firecracker! attempted to play into people's desire for nostalgia in order to boost popularity of the beverage further. While much of what has survived is classic in appearance, many pieces of Firecracker! art have been uncovered with varying styles. Some advertisements were notable for featuring an obese man dressed in red attire who seemed to be hoarding boxes, possibly making him a forefather of the Wasteland scavenger life. His affinity for the drink has lead some Wastelanders to feel that it grants luck when scavenging.
As the world descended into chaos and scarcity the Firecracker! Company attempted to adapt to the changing times but ultimately were forced to close, sealing warehouses and factories before The Fall. This resulted in many sources of the drink being discovered by Wastelanders while they searched ruins and excavated the caverns of the Old World structures. Several Wastelanders have found such caches leading to Firecracker! Cola being fairly readily available in the Wastelands.
A variety of slogans were in use over the course of the drinks history, the most common being "The Taste That Pops!" with "A Flavor Explosion!" being a close second in popularity.
The Formula
Firecracker! Cola was originally produced with a high fructose corn syrup base, later known as Firecracker! Cola Classic. As the world fell further into the dark times and corn became too precious to waste on a soda pop drink it was produced for a short time using cane sugar. The sugar based Firecracker! was considered by many to be superior to the original flavor, though some backlash from Firecracker! enthusiasts was well publicized in the Old World press. All versions of the drink included cinnamon and capsaicin extract for flavor as well as a number of dyes for color. Several attempts have been made to clone the recipe using ingredients found commonly in the Wastelands but none of the attempts have yet been successful; Dok Aeg has thus far refused to help with the process.
Behind the Scenes
Firecracker! Cola was conceived to give The Wastelands a unique and original soda drink with no ties to a real world product or existing pop culture IP.
Gallery
A Collection of Firecracker! Cola Bottles
Firecracker! Cola Advertisement
Firecracker! Cola Pin-up
Firecracker! Cola Button
Firecracker! Cola Trailer
