Prompted by the other thread asking whether Coke tastes different out of a Freestyle machine. One of the things I like about the Freestyle dispensers is the variety of choices available. As someone who drinks diet pop because I have to watch my sugar intake, one of my pet peeves is the lack of diet choices at a standard fountain machine. Most times the only “choice” is Diet Coke or Pepsi. If you’re lucky (depending on your definition of “lucky” 
) you may also have a choice of Diet Dr Pepper. There is never a diet caffeine free choice (Sprite or root beer or ginger ale). So when I have my choice at a Freestyle machine, my regular drink is a Diet Barq’s Root Beer with vanilla.
Cherry Mello Yello Zero
Half-peach Half-cherry Mello Yello Zero
Cherry-Vanilla Coke Zero(or Coke Zero Sugar)
Diet Coke w/vanilla + either orange or raspberry
FYI: Culver’s has a delicious diet root beer!!
I drink Diet Coke, every time. So I don’t really care about the digital 100-flavor soda fountains. Sometimes I’ll grab a Coke Zero or a Lime/Vanilla flavored Diet Coke at the store, but then that just reminds me why I usually don’t bother. Diet Coke already has a hint of vanilla, and tastes fine.
I only get the same thing I always get (it just takes longer). But I love the machine. Everyone can get what they want.
In Las Vegas in the Coke store across from NYNY, they used to have fountains with all the Coke products from across the world. You have never seen so many foreign-market specific flavors. Stuff I never even heard of, stuff I didn’t even know would work as flavors. It was quite the thing to see. (Even so, I got standard Coke.)
I finally saw one of these inside a McDonald’s when my father was visiting from out of town. For some reason, this particular McDonald’s keeps the iced tea in the drive through, and I had to ask an employee to fill my cup.
Hi-C Orange is my default for any soda dispenser, if available. My second default is Orange Fanta.
The Freestyle machine, however, I like to try whatever I’ve not seen before. My last Wendy’s visit I tried Raspberry Coke. It was just okay.
Diet Coke. It’s already perfect so why mess with it.
My son on the other hand always mixes about 8 different sodas together.
The KFC near the store I work at has diet Mountain Dew. Mixed half-and-half with unsweetened iced tea makes for one good drink.
Lime Sparkling Dasani!
Yeah, I know, boring. But it lets me further my La Croix addiction while eating out.
Mello-Yellow with orange.
50% Coke straight, 50% Coke with lime (full-up lime is too… limey)
The Fuddrucker’s nearby has their “proprietary” cream soda (it’s pink) and I drink that once in a while for a change of pace.
Cherry Powerade Zero. Unless I need caffeine, in which case it’s Diet Coke.
I feel like every Freestyle machine I’ve used doesn’t get cleaned properly and ends up with a limey taste from all the syrup. So I usually just get a Sprite so I don’t notice.
Diet. Dr. Pepper. Awww yeah.
Although I did have a Diet Barq’s at Wendy’s a few weeks ago and it was damned good. I’ll probably get that more if I am feeling sassy.
Beer.
(I don’t know what a Freestyle machine is, actually)
A Freestyle machine is a stand-alone, customer-operated soda dispenser with many, many flavors available. If you just want a Coke, Barq’s, etc. you push its button and dispense. But, you can mix any of the flavors available and there are a lot. But you know what you can’t get (besides beer)? Caffeine -free Coca-Cola–the flavor I most wish it had and cannot understand why it does not.
It’s a free-standing soda fountain that offers a large number of sodas, some with “flavorings” (cherry, vanilla, lime, etc) available for some sodas and not others – Mr. Pibb for example. Scroll about a third of the way down for a view of how many combinations there are.
I don’t like carbonation. I find it too acidic, and I don’t care for the after-effects of ingesting gas. Unsweetened iced tea is my first choice, but if it’s a school night, I go with water with lemon. Thankfully the water here, while not being as good as the well water I grew up with, is drinkable.
It’s pretty much always Diet Barq’s for me. You never come across that option in your more standard fountain dispensers. That said, I really ought to explore the possibilities next time around. I have such a dreadful habit of happening upon one thing that I really enjoy and just remaining in that rut forever instead of seeing what else is out there.
Never seen one. Interesting! Learn something on The Dope every day!
But my answer remains the same.