With Pesach just around the corner, some people are licking their chops for more than just matzah ball soup. For soda connoisseurs it’s all about the Coke - kosher for Passover, that is.

Ever since Coca-Cola introduced the doomed New Coke recipe in 1985, Coke products have been sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) because it’s inexpensive. However, because corn syrup is not kosher for Passover, just before the holiday, two bottling companies, one near Chicago and the other near New York, produce a limited supply of Coke using the pre-1985 sweetener - sucrose. Basically, real sugar.

“So what?” you might say. But for Coke aficionados this is the real deal.

“Sucrose and cane sugar [which is used to make Coca-Cola outside the U.S.] taste clean,” says Jason Perlow, who writes the nationally acclaimed food blog “Off the Broiler.”

“Have you ever drank a soda and had that nasty, cloying sweetness aftertaste? That’s high fructose corn syrup.”

As a result, Passover Coke has reached cult status among Jews and non-Jews alike. Hardcore fans will drive miles to find the 2-liter bottles, which can be recognized either by their yellow caps or the letters OU-P or cRc P-06 stamped on the top, and then hoard the stuff throughout the year. “Wooohoo!!” writes poster Zap on a message board on bevnet.com, a beverage news Web site. “I’ve had to ration the remaining cans from last year’s stash, there are only about nine left.” After the holiday there’s even an eBay market for the product.

But kosher Coca-Cola isn’t the only sought after Passover sweat treat connoisseurs snap up. Dr. Pepper and Pepsi both produce limited supplies of sugar-sweetened soda, and U-bet chocolate syrup also alters its recipe. For Perlow, this makes for a special time of year.

“Kosher for Passover Coke with kosher for Passover U-bet chocolate syrup,” he says. “Those are my favorite things about Passover - aside from matzah ball soup, of course.”

- Jake Laub