# Nostalgic American Beverages? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [March 21, 2021, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350 "2021-03-21T16:39:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/41 "2021-03-22T01:31:29Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > New York Seltzer Safeway carries this here. It was gone for a long time, then just showed up again. ---
**Author:** ![Galactus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galactus/32/3581_2.png) [@Galactus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galactus)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/42 "2021-03-22T01:49:52Z")
Cracker Barrel carries a lot of retro colas. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/43 "2021-03-22T02:25:26Z")
They sell Vernor’s at Hy-Vee in Iowa. I have some friends who are native Michiganders and would bring cases of it back with them whenever they went back to visit relatives, and were very happy to find out they didn’t have to do that any more. Haven’t read the whole thread, but I also saw Dog 'n Suds root beer at a local farm supply store. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/44 "2021-03-22T02:57:54Z")
You folks might be able to help me with something I’ve been looking for. We have an old-style soda fountain and candy shop near my house that sell “old style” sodas out of a vintage bottle Coke machine. I got one called (approximately) Dr. _somebody_’s Pepper Drink (or Soda). Googling is useless since you’re overwhelmed with Dr. Pepper links. I really liked the stuff, but my habit was to buy them there and drink them later and by the time I got around to trying it, the shop couldn’t remember how they ended up with a six pack. The owner vaguely remembered getting it on a trip to either the midwest or northeast, but couldn’t recall where. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/45 "2021-03-22T03:10:59Z")
Was it possibly Mr. Pibb ? If I remember correctly, it was supposed to be Dr Pepper- like and sold by Coca Cola ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/46 "2021-03-22T03:19:43Z")
Nope. It specifically had the words “Dr.” (might have been Doctor, but I don’t think so) and “Pepper” in the name. I would have known Mr. Pibb. I’m 52 and grew up in the South. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/47 "2021-03-22T03:50:35Z")
And in typical fashion, asking the question caused me to renew my search and I found it! It’s Dr. Jekyll’s Pepper Elixir. Which is actually NOT a “real” soda. It’s a Halloween-only version of MacFuddy Pepper Elixir by Orca Brewing in Washington (State). It does say it was popular in Michigan though so that must be where he got it and since it was a seasonal thing, hard to find. If you haven’t had it, it’s a regular-ish cola, but with a hot pepper finish. Damn good stuff. Now off to find some MacFuddy… ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/48 "2021-03-22T04:20:25Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > I often drank ~~rum~~ Bacardi 151 and ~~Coke~~ Jolt when I was in Hawai`i. Wow, perks you up and knocks you out. 😲 😱 ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/49 "2021-03-22T04:38:07Z")
Most if not all know SeaTac as the airport, not the city near the airport. I have lived in this area over 64 years. Before the airport was built, the only thing known as Seatac was an auto racing track located where the Fred Meyer is in Federal Way. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/50 "2021-03-22T04:53:18Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Archaic Canadian beverages include Sport Cola, New York Seltzer (occasionally re-released in limited flavours), Pop Shoppe, Tahiti Treat and PC Chocolate Soda. I’ve seen Tahiti Treat as recently as a couple of years ago, at stores supplying wholesale food for restaurants. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/51 "2021-03-22T05:36:16Z")
> [@racer72](#): > > I live about 5 minutes from the Green River in Auburn. **The river does not go anywhere near Seatac.** > [@racer72](#): > > Most if not all know SeaTac as the airport, not the city near the airport. I have lived in this area over 64 years. Before the airport was built, the only thing known as Seatac was an auto racing track located where the Fred Meyer is in Federal Way Green River is less than _3_ miles from SeaTac Airport. Several victims were found _at_ SeaTac Airport (north and south ends), and also in what is now the city of Seatac, as well as Kent/Green River. Enough of this idiotic hijack. ---
**Author:** ![Grestarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grestarian/32/3227_2.png) [@Grestarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grestarian)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/52 "2021-03-22T06:18:30Z")
Dr. Browns: I used to see their mini-bottles at delicatessens, particularly when Schlotzky’s opened in the southern Calfornia area and for a while in grocery stores as well. Cream Soda, Root Beer, and Black Cherry were widely available, but I also occasionally noticed some odd flavors that I didn’t bother touching. Vernors They used to be available widely enough throughout So. Cal. I could find it in any grocery store throghout the 1980’s through 2000’s, but I found they had too much burn for my liking. I preferred Thomas Kemper and Seagrams back then. Bundaberg and another brand (which I can’t remember) became popular enough to get into the regular grocery stores (Kroger types, Albertson family, et cetera) but they seem to have faded back to the specialty liquor chains (Total Wine & More, Beverages & More) and are found in their soda subsections. But recently Canada Dry has come out with its Bold variant and, as a Ginger Ale connoisseur I’m finding that’s almost as good as Thomas Kemper, slightly better than Seagrams, and way better than regular Canada Dry without burning my tongue off like Vernors used to do. Plus its easier on my wallet than Kember or Bundaberg. I’m still trying to figure out how a Saguaro cactus relates to oranges or pineapples. 🤨 One of the key attributes I remember from Bubble Up and the Pop Shoppe sodas was that they somehow packed a lot more fizz than other sodas and, if you tipped a bottle back too quickly while drinking, the bubbles would force you to ‘shotgun’ the soda. This was unexpected the first few times, resulting in a waste of soda across my shirt. 🤪 –G! Aside from Martinelli’s, who makes a good Apple soda? ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/53 "2021-03-22T07:38:09Z")
I now want to stop at Orca Beverage and get a mixed crate. Guess I’ll have to find who sells their products before I visit Seattle again. Two products. [Pennsylvania Dutch Birch Beer](http://www.daretogodutch.com/homepage.html) and [Barq’s Red Creme Soda](https://www.barqs.com/products/red-creme-soda), which is so much better in bottles than cans. Every time we visited my grandparents in Ohio I would drink only Barq’s Red Creme Soda, while my mother drank Vernor’s. I’ve seen Barq’s Root Beer in other regions, but Red Creme Soda still has a limited market. Of course, almost anything can be shipped now. I learned about birch beer when I went to college in the Lehigh Valley. Seems to be harder and harder to find good quality birch beer. And forget about finding one sweetened with sugar. An now that I’ve searched, I’ve found a site in the Netherlands which sells Boylan’s Birch Beer which has sugar. If I can’t get it shipped here, I could get it shipped to a colleague in Italy. At least he’d be able to explain to customs why the birch beer shouldn’t be part of his alcohol limit. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/54 "2021-03-22T08:52:47Z")
> [@Die\_Capacitrix](#): > > Every time we visited my grandparents in Ohio I would drink only Barq’s Red Creme Soda, while my mother drank Vernor’s. I’ve seen Barq’s Root Beer in other regions, but Red Creme Soda still has a limited market. Of course, almost anything can be shipped now. I’ve only seen barqs red crème soda in a Texas greyhound bus depot vending machine before coke bought them 30 years ago until the coke freestyle machines started having it … i drank 4 cups of it at a jack in the box …the counter chick said there were people who would come in just for the soda machine since it had hard to find and discontinued flavors… ---
**Author:** ![Newtosite](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/newtosite/32/8623_2.png) [@Newtosite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Newtosite)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/55 "2021-03-22T09:01:57Z")
If I remember correctly, there was a soda in 1970 called Simba. The tagline was “it goes for the throat.” ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/56 "2021-03-22T09:15:26Z")
actually i was banned from drinking jolt cola at my local JC becuase i drank so much it set off my heart problems while in a class … and it was discovered i was drinking 8 liters a day …luckily there were nursing students in my english class that day and they noticed i was having chest pains and my heart rate was 2 times the normal rate of course the empty bottles in my bag didnt help either …im told red bull and monster would kill me … ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/57 "2021-03-22T11:29:29Z")
> [@Die\_Capacitrix](#): > > An now that I’ve searched, I’ve found a site in the Netherlands which sells Boylan’s Birch Beer which has sugar. I can personally recommend the Boylan’s Birch. I’ve had their Ginger Ale, Creme, Root Beer, Birch Beer, and Cola (the little 'uns love their Orange). Oddly, the Cola is the least impressive in the batch. Looking at their site, I see they have a Creamy Red Birch Beer…on the list it goes! To the OP, anybody remember Faygo Rock & Rye? I had one this last weekend - there’s a great little soda shop in Clearwater Beach with over 250 varieties of bottled soda for sale and we were down there for a mini-vacation. And, of course, Cheerwine! That seems to have a comeback in the last few years and is now much more widely available, although I will always associate it the Mast General Stores in South Carolina. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/58 "2021-03-22T11:45:19Z")
When in the Caribbean, I always have a few bottles of Ting! ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/59 "2021-03-22T11:58:21Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > Which is actually NOT a “real” soda. It’s a Halloween-only version of MacFuddy Pepper Elixir by Orca Brewing in Washington (State) Orca Beverage produces a lot of retro sodas - they’re our regional distributor for Dad’s Root Beer, Moxie, Lemmy, the above-mentioned Kickapoo Joy Juice, Nesbitt’s Orange, and a number of other brands. A lot of stores around here sell them as singles for $1-2 each, and there are usually empty six-pack holders on hand and a discount if you buy six. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/60 "2021-03-22T12:11:32Z")
Probably should mention Moxie, although I’m not sure anyone regards it with nostalgia. As I recall, it tastes horrible. Still available and for some reason it’s the official soft drink of Maine. > **[Moxie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moxie)** > > Moxie is a brand of carbonated beverage that is among the first mass-produced soft drinks in the United States. It was created around 1876 by Augustin Thompson as a patent medicine called "Moxie Nerve Food" and was produced in Lowell, Massachusetts. The sweet soda is similar to root beer, with a bitter aftertaste. It is flavored with gentian root extract, an extremely bitter substance commonly used in herbal medicine. > Moxie was designated the official soft drink of Maine on May 10, 2005. It ... > [@Newtosite](#): > > If I remember correctly, there was a soda in 1970 called Simba. The tagline > was “it goes for the throat.” I’ve never heard of it, but that’s a really clever slogan. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350.md?page=4)