In its quest for global domination, Coca-Cola achieved a remarkable feat – it created one of the best-known commodities in the world. While there may be slight differences in recipe, a child in Mumbai thirsts after the same sweet fizzy water as the son of a Manhattan millionaire.

Yet the pursuit of ever-higher volumes has meant that in developed markets such as the US, soft drinks are ubiquitous and cheap, meaning the same product is served in a similar way in the swankiest bar and the cheapest burger joint. However, results from bottler Coca Cola Enterprises on Wednesday suggest that this approach may be starting to change.