Where to Buy Ribena in the USA

Quick answer: Ribena is Britain's blackcurrant squash, and blackcurrant is a flavour most Americans have never tasted because of a century-old restriction on growing the plant. Buy the 850ml bottle from The British Vault, shipped from Britain with duties included.

Key facts at a glance

• Product: Ribena Blackcurrant Squash, 850ml concentrate.
• Diluted with water; the bottle makes far more finished drink than its size suggests.
• Price: $19.99. Add $79.01 to clear the $99 free-shipping threshold.
• Shipped from Britain, Delivered Duty Paid. First order: use NEW10 for 10% off.

Buy Ribena 850ml. There is also a no added sugar 1.5l bottle and a ready-to-drink 500ml, all in Squash & Cordial.

What is Ribena?

Ribena is a blackcurrant cordial, deep purple, sharp and sweet at once, diluted with water like any squash. It has been made in Britain since the 1930s and occupies a specific place in British childhood: it is the drink you were given when you were ill, the one in the lunchbox, the one at a birthday party.

The 850ml bottle is the standard concentrate size. As with all squash, you are buying syrup rather than a finished drink, so it goes a long way and imports efficiently.

Why Americans do not know blackcurrant

Blackcurrant is the flavour most British people would name first as a childhood drink, and it is close to unknown in the United States. The reason is agricultural history rather than taste. In the early twentieth century the growing of Ribes plants, blackcurrants among them, was restricted in the US because they host white pine blister rust, a disease that threatened the timber industry. The federal ban was lifted in the 1960s but state-level restrictions persisted in places for decades afterwards.

The practical consequence is that two or three generations of Americans grew up without blackcurrant in the way British children grew up with it. Grape filled the same slot instead. That is why blackcurrant squash reads as exotic in an American kitchen and utterly ordinary in a British one.

It is worth knowing this before you order for an American friend. The flavour will not read as nostalgic to them the way it does to you; it will read as new. That tends to make Ribena either a delight or a puzzle, with very little in between.

How to drink it

Cold water, roughly one part Ribena to seven or so parts water, though the bottle is the authority and most people make it stronger than the label suggests. Over ice in summer. Hot in winter, diluted with boiling water instead of cold, which is the traditional thing to give a British child with a cold.

It also works over vanilla ice cream, and as a mixer with sparkling water for something closer to a soda. Store in the cupboard until opened, then refrigerate.

Where to buy Ribena in the USA

Order from The British Vault. We source Ribena in the UK and ship straight to the United States, Delivered Duty Paid, so every import duty and tax is already in the price and nothing is charged on delivery. Orders dispatch within 1–2 business days and usually arrive 1–3 business days after that.

At $19.99 the bottle covers a fifth of the $99 free-shipping threshold. Shipping is a flat $29.99 below $99 and free above it, so build the order out from Squash & Cordial or Drinks. First order: NEW10 for 10% off.

Frequently asked questions

Why is blackcurrant rare in America?

Growing Ribes plants was restricted in the US from the early twentieth century because they host white pine blister rust. The federal ban ended in the 1960s but state restrictions lasted longer, and the flavour never became familiar.

Is Ribena a juice?

The 850ml bottle is a squash concentrate to dilute. There is also a ready-to-drink bottle if you want it without mixing.

Can you drink it hot?

Yes, and it is traditional. Dilute with boiling water instead of cold. It is what British households give someone with a cold.

Is there a lower sugar version?

Yes, the no added sugar 1.5l bottle.

Add Ribena to a UK haul

Shop Ribena 850ml from The British Vault and build the order past $99 for free shipping.

Related reading: British squash and cordial in the USA and building a first British grocery order.