Pepsi has announced a new product that they claim is its “most ambitious feat yet,” Nitro Pepsi. Billed as the first-ever nitrogen-infused cola, Pepsi says it has a “smoother” and “creamier taste” than regularly carbonated sodas. The release will be with two flavors, regular and vanilla, and it will show up on shelves on March 28th.
What makes Nitrogen so interesting? It’s previously turned up in coffee drinks and beer because in gas form, nitrogen gives beverages a foamy, silky texture, but Pepsi had to figure out how to get the same result in a can. They did it by borrowing the idea of a “widget” from Guinness - a capsule at the bottom of the can to create a “frothy, foamy, smooth texture unique to Nitro Pepsi.”
And PS? The Guinness widget was actually patented around 50 years ago. Since Nitro Pepsi produces a foamy head when you open the can, Pepsi recommends serving it without ice and without a straw.