What Swedish soft drink is mainly consumed around Christmas?

The Swedish soft drink mainly consumed around Christmas is julmust.

Julmust is a dark, sweet, non-alcoholic Swedish soft drink whose name combines jul, meaning Christmas, with must, a traditional term for an unfermented drink. It is strongly associated with December and is one of Sweden’s distinctive seasonal beverages.

The drink was created in 1910 by Robert Roberts and his son Harry Roberts in Örebro as a non-alcoholic alternative to beer. Its flavor comes from a concentrated syrup mixed with carbonated water; the recipe is closely guarded, and the syrup is still produced by Roberts in Örebro. Descriptions commonly mention malt, hops, spices, and fruit-like notes, though exact formulations vary by producer.

Julmust has an unusual Easter counterpart: the same basic drink is marketed then as påskmust, from påsk, meaning Easter. Outside those seasons, it may simply be sold as must. It is often confused with glögg, which is a spiced mulled drink, or akvavit, a distilled alcoholic spirit. Julmust is a soft drink, and its popularity is large enough to challenge Coca-Cola sales during Sweden’s Christmas season.