Paso de los Toros ( en, Bulls' Crossing) is a

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

an commercial line of

carbonated Carbonation is the chemical reaction of carbon dioxide to give carbonates, bicarbonates, and carbonic acid. In chemistry, the term is sometimes used in place of carboxylation, which refers to the formation of carboxylic acids. In inorganic ch ...

soft drink A soft drink (see § Terminology for other names) is a drink that usually contains water (often carbonated), a sweetener, and a natural and/or artificial flavoring. The sweetener may be a sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice, a su ...

s named after the Uruguayan city

Paso de los Toros Paso de los Toros (''Bulls' Pass'') is a city of the Tacuarembó Department in Uruguay. History The Midland Uruguay Railway began operation in 1889 with a line that ran between Paso de los Toros and Salto. On 17 July 1903, the group of houses ...

. Originally produced by a local company owned by Rómulo Mangini, it is currently owned and marketed by

PepsiCo PepsiCo, Inc. is an American multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation headquartered in Harrison, New York, in the hamlet of Purchase. PepsiCo's business encompasses all aspects of the food and beverage market. It oversees the manuf ...

. Originally being a name for

tonic water Tonic water (or Indian tonic water) is a carbonated soft drink in which quinine is dissolved. Originally used as a prophylactic against malaria, tonic water usually has a significantly lower quinine content and is consumed for its distinctive b ...

, Paso de los Toros was expanded into a line in itself, with the inclusion of

lemon The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China. The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culin ...

and

grapefruit The grapefruit (''Citrus'' × ''paradisi'') is a subtropical citrus tree known for its relatively large, sour to semi-sweet, somewhat bitter fruit. The interior flesh is segmented and varies in color from pale yellow to dark pink. Grapefruit is ...

flavored drinks.

History

In the 1920s the city of Paso de Los Toros had a population of approximately 8,000 inhabitants. Among them was a Welshman, Jorge Jones, who moved there to work on the railroads. Rómulo Mangini, a chemistry student from

Montevideo Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

also moved there with his wife to work in his in-law's business. A short while later, the chemist opened a soda factory where he produced soap and later on soft drinks with fruit flavors. It was an afternoon in 1926 when these two men met at a club called "25 de Agosto". Jones challenged the young chemist to try to come up with a formula to produce tonic water similar to the one that was currently being sold in Uruguay, ''Bull Dog'', an English brand. Jones knew the components and Mangini would try to work out the exact proportions. Mangini accepted the challenge and for months tried out different formulas and with each new formula he would go to the club and have Jones try them out. Finally after several attempts, one day in 1929, they reached their objective. Originally named "Príncipe de Gales", the beverage was then renamed "Paso de los Toros". According to Jones' refined palate, the Uruguayan tonic water had successfully surpassed the one imported from

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. The drink was a success and quickly it outgrew its staff and facilities. In 1947 "Sociedad Anónima de Agua Tónica Paso de los Toros" was founded and shares were sold at ten pesos each. In 1950 as the demand for the drink increased, Mangini decided to open up a factory in Montevideo. In 1955, the majority of the stockholders had sold their shares to Pepsi Cola, which on February 14, 1955 took over the company. This was a hard blow for Mangini who died in 1957.Agua tónica al paso de los hombres toros
on ''La Nación'', 11 Jan 2005, by Rodolfo Reich Pepsi completed the acquisition in 1961. The Paso de los Toros plant closed in early 1960s. In 2020, it was revealed that the abandoned factory became a hotel after a local entrepreneur had bought and refurbished it. Its owner also planned to launch a

mineral water Mineral water is water from a mineral spring that contains various minerals, such as salts and sulfur compounds. Mineral water may usually be still or sparkling (carbonated/effervescent) according to the presence or absence of added gases. Tra ...

branded ''Don Rómulo''. As a result, PepsiCo sued him alleging trademark infringement.Paso de los Toros y quieren vender agua de su pozo sagrado
by MARIÁNGEL SOLOMITA] on El País, 13 Dec 2020

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Paso De Los Toros (Drink) Soft drinks Carbonated water Products introduced in 1929 Uruguayan inventions Paso de los Toros Food and drink companies of Uruguay