Lilt is being scrapped after 50 years on our shelves

There are few drinks out there that really hit the spot on a hot summer's day, but Lilt somehow always manages to do just that.

The refreshing tropical drink, in its silvery-blue can, offered up the exotic flavours of pineapple and grapefruit as something a bit different from the most popular fizzy drinks - you know what they are.

Refreshing and tangy, it's one of those drinks that you might forget about until the second you take a sip, then you wonder why you went so long without it.

But Lilt will inevitably be forgotten in years to come, because the iconic drink brand is being axed after almost 50 years.

We'll have to say goodbye to the drink as we know it - but thankfully you won't have to say goodbye to that 'totally tropical taste'.

Ben Gingell / Alamy Stock Photo

Coca-Cola, which owns Lilt, has decided to relaunch the refreshing beverage under a new recognisable brand - Fanta.

Fanta is already home to a range of flavours including strawberry, grape, and the holiday-classic lemon, not to mention the much-loved orange, but it will be adopting the flavours of Lilt with a new name - Fanta Pineapple & Grapefruit.

Set to hit shops tomorrow (14 February), the new Fanta will be available in 330ml cans, 500ml bottles and two-litre bottles, all of which promise to bring the 'same totally tropical taste' that fans of Lilt already know and love.

The packaging will feature Fanta's branding, but it will acknowledge its roots with a 'a graphic nod to the totally tropical taste' of Lilt.

Johnny Greig UK / Alamy Stock Photo

A zero-sugar version of the drink will also be launched as part of the rollout, which may not come as much of a surprise to some fizzy drink fans.

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) commented: "Keen Lilt fans may have spotted a gradual transition as the drink has made its way into the Fanta family over the past few months, with changes to its packaging and logo.

“Some have even hypothesised on social media that Lilt may be becoming part of the Fanta brand, and one even went as far as producing their own news broadcast-style video.”

Martin Attock, CCEP GB VP of commercial development, explained that the main priority of the announcement is to 'reassure Lilt’s loyal fanbase that absolutely nothing has changed when it comes to the iconic taste of the drink they know and love'.

“It’s still bursting with tangy tropical flavours. It’s just got itself a new name," he said.

The news comes just a couple of years before Lilt was set to celebrate its 50th anniversary following its release in 1975.

Topics: Food And Drink, News

Emily Brown

Emily Brown is the Community Desk Lead at LADbible Group. Emily first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route. She went on to graduate with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University before contributing to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems. She joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features, and now works as Community Desk Lead to commission and write human interest stories from across the globe.