Cottee's cordial preparation debate sparks national discussion

It's Australia's favourite cordial, with an iconic jingle that Aussie kids have chanted since the late 1980s.

We all know that someone's dad picks the fruit that goes to Cottee's, but do we actually know the correct way to make the cordial that the little boy likes best?

We're not talking about the concentrate-to-water ratio (a debate for another day), but rather the order in which to add the water.

Brittney Saunders, a popular Australian influencer with nearly 500k followers on TikTok, recently posted a video highlighting this critical national issue.

"We need to settle this debate once and for all," Saunders begins the clip from her kitchen as she prepares her drink.

"How do we pour our cordial into the cup? I do water, ice, and then leave a gap at the top to put the cordial on top."

She admits that after sharing her method on Instagram recently, a follower reached out to tell her she was "doing it wrong".

"I'm like, 'No, you have to put the water in first so you can see the cordial go into the water and know when it's strong enough'," she justifies.

"If you put the cordial in the bottom, it just seems wrong to me," she adds, taking a sip of her drink.

The Cottee's cordial packaging advises mixing "one part cordial with seven parts water," but it doesn't specify the order.

The comments on her video - now with around 230k views - quickly descended into chaos, as both sides of the debate passionately argued their case.

The first camp agreed with Saunders, believing that water first is the "only correct way" to do it, though they were in the minority.

"Definitely water first! Cordial first is weird," one person wrote.

"Water is first, cordial is last. How dare others suggest otherwise!" remarked a fourth.

On the other hand, the majority favoured the traditional method: cordial first, then water.

"Cordial first. If you were a cordial kid growing up, you should have learned by age 10 how to eyeball how much cordial you need," expressed one user.

"Cordial first, so you don't have to mix it!" explained another.

"Cordial first, water, and ice, then you top up with cordial," a TikToker replied.

Another commenter added, "Cordial first, otherwise, it doesn't taste right".

Others labelled her method as "criminal", "cooked", and "blasphemous".

However, some of the water-first advocates said they could be convinced after seeing Saunders' approach.

"I've always done cordial first, but your way makes so much more sense," one declared.

"Oh wow. I mean, I feel really strongly about cordial first. BUT! Watching you do this, maybe I could be swayed?" said someone else.

"You have officially changed my mind," said another.

Meanwhile, others took issue with the fact that she didn't stir her cordial, opting to sip from her straw right after pouring it in.

"Whatever you do, just mix it!" said one commenter.

"Either way doesn't matter as long as it's in ratio and mixed properly," concluded another person.