L&P TikTok hack: Can the Kiwiana classic really be made with Coke, Sprite and lemon juice?

A viral TikTok trend has left some Kiwi soft drink fans wondering what L&P actually is, with users claiming to have recreated the Kiwiana classic at home through a concoction of Coca-Cola, Sprite and lemon juice.

Coca-Cola, which bought the brand in 1989, has kept the answer close to its chest, with a spokesperson refusing to say whether the claims hold weight.

Originally made by infusing naturally carbonated mineral water from Paeroa with lemon juice and flavours, proponents of the trend allege the recipe has evolved from its humble roots into something else entirely.

TikTok users claim modern-day L&P can be made at home by filling a glass with three common ingredients: one part Coke to nine parts Sprite, topped with a dash of lemon juice.

This morning, Ryan Bridge TODAY panellists Dave Letele and Chelsea Daniels took part in a blind taste test to see if they could tell the homemade blend from the original.

While Letele and Daniels correctly identified the original, host Bridge did not, saying it was “quite hard” to spot the difference.

@jasminerozelle

Mind blown! 🤯 Apparently it’s a thing a lot of bartenders know about but I had NO IDEA! #fyp #mindblowingfacts #lemonandpaeroa

♬ original sound - Jasmine Forbes

Similar reactions were observed from those attempting the hack, with some convinced the recipe had been cracked.

“This feels wrong, but the colour’s right,” said Tokyo-based New Zealander Xoe Hashi, who put the trend to the test after seeing it online.

“I feel a little lied to because we grew up thinking it was lemon and Paeroa, aka the spring water there.”

At Pak’nSave Wairau Rd, one worker urged Kiwis to try it for themselves after being won over by their own attempt.

“It actually does taste like L&P. Not even joking,” they said.

“That’s so crazy, it tastes the exact same.”

@tokyoxoe

How do I unsee this #landp #recipe #paeroa #nz #kiwi

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A spokesperson for L&P neither confirmed nor denied the hack’s veracity, saying the recipe “has always been a closely held secret” since its beginnings in Paeroa in the 1900s.

“What we can confirm is that it continues to be made to the same standards and delivers the same distinctive lemony fizz Kiwis know and love,” they said.

“Taste can be pretty subjective, especially in blind tests, but L&P remains a New Zealand lemon soft drink with its own unique, lemon-forward flavour.”

L&P recently ditched its iconic brown-bottled look for clear bottles, marking the first packaging change in the drink’s 119-year history.

At the time, Coca-Cola said it was implementing the change to improve the recyclability of L&P bottles, as brown plastic was harder to recycle and not as valuable.

But while the bottle now looks different, the spokesperson reiterated that “it’s still the same L&P on the inside”.

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