Banta bottles: lemonade memories from your childhood in India, in Punjab

From the archive record

A Sikh man sells Banta in Punjab, India. The Codd-neck bottle, better known as banta, is 141 years old and forgotten in most parts of the world, but in India it refuses to retire. This drink is sold in thick glass bottles having Codd-shaped (Hiram Codd) necks & the mouth of the bottle is closed with a marble which you have to push down in order to open the bottle. Once you push down the marble, there is a fizz sound - that is the gas escaping which is when you are ready to taste the unique lemonade which you will love. It is a very refreshing drink & having it on a hot summer's day is simply heavenly. Coke & Pepsi definitely cannot crunch your thirst the way a bottle of Banta can. The best part is that a Banta bottle costs way less than a Pepsi or Coke. A bottle of Banta will cost anywhere