Irn-Bru

Yes, it's orange. A sort of day-glo, neon, nuclear, not-found-in-nature orange.

And yes, it does have iron in it. Or at least ammonium ferric citrate.

Also citric acid, caffeine, and quinine.

Wow. And no wonder they say it's good for hangovers!

I had some in London (my friend's husband is Scottish). It's amazing stuff. Billed as "Scotland's other national drink", it's one of the few indigenous soft-drinks to hold off Coke on its home turf.

I'm glad I encountered it before beginning Brookmyre's Country of the Blind - I might have mistaken it for a beer and wondered when the cop starts drinking one on duty!