The story
In 1884 Alexander Cameron Sim, a Scottish pharmacist living in the foreign settlement of Kobe, began selling a fizzy lemonade there. Japanese drinkers soon took to it after it was advertised in a Tokyo newspaper, and its name, ramune, comes from the English word lemonade. The drink came in a Codd-neck bottle, sealed by a glass marble that the gas pressure pushes up against a rubber ring, and the bottle is now what defines it: almost any soda sold that way counts as ramune. Made by many small firms in many flavours, it has become a classic of Japanese summer festivals.
Also known as ラムネ, marble soda, Japanese marble soda.
On the Meridish menu
Ramune was the aperitif course on menu No. 17 on October 17, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
A lemon-lime soda sealed with a glass marble in the bottle's neck. A Scottish pharmacist first sold it in 1884 in this port's foreign settlement.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
