Those used to washing down their Schwartz’s smoked meat sandwich with a Cotts Black Cherry Cola will have to get used to a new brand name if they want a sweet beverage. General manager Frank Silva said there might be a few cases of the beverage kicking around, but the Canada-U.S. tariff war seems to have claimed the drink as a victim. “We have no more,” said Silva. “The distributor told me they’re no longer producing it; that was back in March, and that was because of the cost of aluminum.” The iconic shop with its lines of customers running around the block will now stock Fleischer’s Black Cherry Soda, canned in Brossard on Montreal’s South Shore. “Some people think it tastses better,” said Silva. As of March 13, 2025, a 25 per cent tariff was placed on certain steel and aluminum products heading south. Those tariffs may change in the coming days as representatives of U.S. President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney meet on trade. Cott’s Black Cherry Cola, however, likely won’t be back on shelves any time soon. “We were the last ones, basically, that had black cherry,” said Silva. “If my supplier can’t get any, nobody can get any.” Silva said Schwartz’s was being sent about 12,000 cans of soda, bottled by Refresco in New York, a week that would sell out. The pairing of smoked meat and Cott’s Black Cherry goes back decades. Silva explained that they once carried other Cott beverages, but one by one they dropped them, keeping just the black cherry.
