is a Japanese uncarbonated soft drink, manufactured by , a subsidiary of Asahi Breweries headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo. The beverage has a light, somewhat milky, and slightly acidic flavour, similar to plain or vanilla flavoured yogurt or Yakult. Its ingredients include water, nonfat dry milk and lactic acid, and is produced by lactic acid fermentation. The drink is sold as a concentrate which is mixed with water or sometimes milk just before consumption. A pre-diluted version known as , or its carbonated variety, known as , are also available. It is also used to flavour kakigōri (shaved ice) and as a mixer for cocktails and chūhai. Name Mishima's first two attempts, Daigomi and Daigoso, were named after the word . Inspiration was taken from the Sanskrit word sarpir-maṇḍa (Sanskrit: ), which is regarded as the greatest of all flavours in Buddhism. He wanted to do the same for Calpis and initially named it Calpir, constructing a portmanteau by combining cal from calcium and pir from sarpir-maṇḍa. However, after consulting musician and Buddhist priest , Mishima chose pis from sarpiṣ (Sanskrit: ) instead. Primarily in North America, the name Calpis is changed to Calpico with カルピス in katakana either below or on the reverse side of the packaging—this alteration to the name ensures that any unintended associations with the English slang word for urine ("piss") are avoided. Packaging The polka dot packaging used to be white dots against a blue background until the colours were inverted in 1953. The design was intended to represent the Milky Way, in reference to the Japanese festival, Tanabata on 7 July, a tradition seen as the start of the summer. In 1919, Calpis held an international poster exhibition in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The contest was held to provide aid to struggling European painters due to the inflation caused by World War I. After German painter Otto Dünkelsbühler won 3rd place, Calpis began using a new logo in 1923. It featured an illustration of a black man with large lips and a Panama hat drinking from a glass using a straw. As the logo came to be considered offensive, the black/white was first reversed, and then the logo was subsequently dropped altogether in January 1990. The complaint was initially filed by 12-year-old Futoshi Arita, a member of The Association to Stop Racism Against Blacks (). History The founder of Calpis, Kaiun Mishima,