I have always been a big fan of the Brio carbonated beverage. Contrary to what I’d always thought, it seems that Brio, despite its Italian-style packaging, is only sold in Canada — in Italy it’s called Chino, after the small bitter citrus fruit that provides its distinctive taste.
It’s hard to describe the taste of the chinotto fruit, and it’s certainly not something that everyone enjoys. It’s sort of like drinking mild paint thinner, but in a pleasant way.
A few weeks ago I was happy to find a Prince Edward Island source of a chinotto beverage — the San Pellegrino Chinotto brand made in Italy and imported into Canada by Nestle Waters.
Because the Chinotto is sold in non-refillable cans and is carbonated, it’s technically illegal under Prince Edward Island’s Litter Control Regulations. As such, I’ll leave it to you to figure out where to get your clandestine Chinotto high.
Comments
Chinotto is also the name of Coca-Cola’s lemon-lime soda in some South American countries (i.e. Venezuela). It’s almost identical to Sprite.
I’ve found cases of Chinotto SanPellegrino at Longo’s Grocery stores in Toronto Ontario. The Taste is something you certainly have to get use to. I really didnt’ like it at first, but very much like Homer Simpson I kept drinking it, and it has kind of grown on me.