Kool-Aid

Kool-Aid is a brand of flavored drink mix owned by Kraft Foods.

History

Kool-Aid was invented by Edwin Perkins in Hastings, Nebraska. All of his experiments took place in his mother's kitchen. Its predecessor was a liquid concentrate called Fruit Smack. To reduce shipping costs, in 1927, Perkins discovered a way to remove the liquid from Fruit Smack, leaving only a powder. This powder was named Kool-Aid. Perkins moved his production to Chicago in 1931 and Kool-Aid was sold to General Foods in 1953. Hastings still celebrates a yearly summer festival called Kool-Aid Days on the second weekend in August, in honor of their city's claim to fame. Kool-Aid is known as Nebraska's official soft drink.

An agreement between Kraft Foods and SodaStream International in 2012 made Kool-Aid's various flavors available for consumer purchases and use with SodaStream's home soda maker machine.

Production

Kool-Aid is usually sold in powder form, in either packets or small tubs. The drink is prepared by mixing the powder with sugar and water (typically by the pitcher-full). The drink is usually served with ice or refrigerated and served chilled. Additionally, there are some sugar-free varieties. Kool-Aid is/was also sold as single-serving packets designed to be poured into bottled water, as small plastic bottles with pre-mixed drink, or as novelties (ice cream, fizzing tablets, etc.)

Kool-Aid (album)

Kool-Aid is an album by Big Audio Dynamite II. It was their first album under this name and with this line-up, which had been totally changed by the band leader Mick Jones himself in 1990. This was a UK-only release. Several of the songs appeared on the group's next worldwide release, The Globe, albeit in reworked form. Among them is this album's lead-off song Change of Atmosphere, which was reworked into the group's number 1 hit Rush.

Track listing

Personnel

References