Calpis is a popular Japanese drink that is sweet and milky but at the same time light and refreshing. It’s a shame that it that never really took off in the United States. It’s probably because of it’s name, although in Japanese it’s pronounced “Ka-ru-pi-su.” Years after it was first introduced in the United States, it was given a name suitable for the US and is also known as Calpico. I’m guessing the marketing department of the company finally caught on.
It is available in many forms, a concentrate that can be mixed with water, premixed in soft drink cans, and premixed and carbonated. My favorite is carbonated calpis but concentrated calpis is the most versatile. You can even make carbonated calpis with it so I wanted to introduce it as an ingredient that can be used for many thing. It is also available in many fruit flavors such as grape, strawberry and mandarin orange.
Concentrated Calpis/Calpico.
Concentrated Calpis is a sweet milky white syrup.
The original Calpis drink mixed with carbonated water.
Calpis kakigouri (shaved ice) is also a great way to enjoy it during the summer. Just pour a little of it over shaved ice instead of the rainbow colored syrups.
Naomi Kuwabara was born and raised in California but spent many summers in Japan growing up. She has spent time living in Hokkaido and Osaka, both meccas for Japanese cuisine. Her passion is cooking and sharing her experiences cooking Japanese food with others. Her blog Umamitopia is about her experiences cooking Japanese food. Her greatest inspirations are from her mother and grandmother. Her cooking adventures can be found at http://umamitopia.com.
