Coca-Cola Sarsi is the last of the sarsaparilla soft drinks in South-east Asian countries that D and I found in our local Asian groceries.

The drink was a translucent dark brown colour with a sharp and clean liquorice nose and moderate carbonation. Served chilled, prominent notes of liquorice came through in the head and into the body before an overly sweet corn syrup takes prominence towards the end of the body and into the finish.

This sarsi distinguishes itself from other South-east Asian brands like A&W, F&N, HeySong and A S Watson by being the only one without an overwhelming wintergreen flavour, making it the most pleasant. Despite its focus on liquorice, though, the overall flavour lacked the depth of flavour that’s found in the Schweppes Sarsaparilla, which rounds the sharpness of the liquorice with pleasant vanilla notes.

This Coca-Cola Sarsi contained 330 ml. It was bottled in the Philippines and was purchased in Sydney, Australia in 2017.