A CERTAIN United States soft drink giant may disagree, but Bolivia has come up with a fizzy beverage it says is the real thing.

The drink, Coca Colla, made from the coca leaf and named after the indigenous Colla people from Bolivia's highlands, went on sale this week across the country.

Coca Colla ... made from coca leaf.

It is black, sweet and comes in a bottle with a red label - but similarities to Coca-Cola end there. One is a symbol of US-led globalisation and corporate might; the other could be considered a socialist-tinged affront to Western imperialism.

The first batch of 12,000 bottles, priced at $US1.50 ($1.60) for half a litre, were distributed in the capital, La Paz, as well as Santa Cruz and Cochabamba.