Too much sodium, or I’d join you for a glass.
I went for option 2, but in reality, my take is this: Coke and Pepsi taste quite different, but they’re both very good. If I ask for a Coke and am offered a Pepsi, I’ll gladly take a Pepsi. But if I’m offered a supermarket brand Cola or a Sam’s Choice cola, I’ll turn it down politely and ask for something else.
I’m somewhere in between the first and second options, though I suppose I’m closer to the first. I prefer Pepsi over Coke and RC (on the rare occasions I can get it) over either, but they’re all mostly just sugar water.
When I’m in a restaurant, I’ll just order “a cola”, since it’s quite rare that a restaurant will have multiple cola choices.
I have also noticed that RC is taking over in many restaurant in Chicagoland burbs. I was in LaGrange with my SO last summer and I asked for a Coke and the server said that they had RC instead. It’s not my favorite, but I drank it.
Myself, I usually drink Sprite or Sierra Mist. I rarely encounter 7-Up from dispensers, so that’s never an issue. Between Coke and Pepsi, I’d prefer Coke;but Pepsi will do in a pinch. Also,to me, in the bottle if Pepsi ice cold it does seem better tasting than Coke does.
My beverage of choice: Caffeine Free Diet Dr. Pepper.
Problems to deal with. 1. Can’t have Citric Acid. 2. Too much caffeine, can’t sleep 3. Trying to decrease calorie intake.
Citric Acid: no Pepsi products, no lemon-lime, no Diet Coke, never can remember which root beer products have citric acid and which don’t
Caffeine: rare to see caffeine free soft drinks offered
Calories: 150 calories in 12 ounces-I want those calories elsewhere, and who serves 12 ounce drinks?
So: Water, no lemon. Rarely: Dr. Pepper. Coke if I really want a fizzy drink and no Dr. Pepper available.
Sweet tea, y’all.
I just can’t get myself to work up a good outrage over friggin’ fizzy drinks. I’ll just drink whatever they have, and that’s fine.
Have you tried the blood of your enemies?
I’m a Diet Coke drinker. Not a fan of Coke Zero but I can drink it. Pepsi Max, not at all. Mostly I’ll just order a sparkling mineral water if there’s no Diet Coke available.
I sighed.
My drink of choice is Coke Zero which I vastly prefer to any diet version, but it’s not usually available so I go with Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi for the sugar-free caffeine.
My order of preference is:
Coke Zero
Pepsi Max
Diet Coke
Diet Pepsi
The only time I wouldn’t have a Coke/Pepsi would be if there weren’t any diet options available. Then I’d have water.
I never buy it except in cases of cans from the supermarket because I guess I never drink it with food. I buy whatever is on sale out of Diet Coke and Pepsi Max. One or the other always is.
The only time it matters for me is a breakfast - I avoid caffeine from lunchtime on and drink water. But I do like to start my day with a diet Coke, and most of our favorite breakfast places carry it. One local diner that we like is exclusively Pepsi, so I’ll have tea or water if we breakfast there.
Back when Tab was the only diet cola available, I drank that. When Diet Pepsi showed up, I switched. Then there was Diet Coke, and I switched again. I really don’t like anything else in the cola family. And, frankly, I should just stick with water, but I do like the early morning caffeine jolt. 
I am not fussy, as long as it’s the diet version then I’m happy. To be honest, I can’t tell the difference between coke and pepsi anyway so it matters not a jot.
My son used to make a game of that. I don’t know which places are which but some fast food places are 100% Coke and some 100% Pepsi. So he would ask for the opposite, “And a large Pepsi.”
“We only have Coke.”
“OK that will be fine.”
Or vice versa.
It was just some habitual rebellion. He was always unfailingly polite but never, ever asked for the right drink.
I prefer Diet Coke, but will drink Diet Pepsi if absolutely forced to. DP is definitely a step down from DC. But honestly, since any bar worth its salt will have your favorite whiskey or gin or rum in stock, why can’t they offer all the major soft drink brands? I realize that Pepsi and Coke will both offer better deals if you don’t stock their competitor, but really the cost of soft drinks is pitifully small so eat a little profit and give us a choice.
I can count on one hand the number of times I have consumed cola in the last five years. I rarely drink soda, but when I do, it is root beer, ginger ale or orange soda. But faced with the choice in the OP, I would just pick something else non-partisan.
Yep, Diet Dr. Pepper if they have it, diet whatever cola they have otherwise.
What bugs me is that a restaurant will have half a dozen choices of regular pop but only one diet - usually cola, no diet Sprite, Dr Pepper, root beer, etc. That’s one thing I like about going to Five Guys - they have those fancy Coke machines where you can get just about whatever you want (like diet root beer with vanilla… mmm…)
Diet drinks are the devil’s brew - really - they are NOT good for you. Not only that, but the taste of them is terrible to my palate.
That said, if I’m in the mood for it I will ask for a clear, non-diet soda such as 7up, Sprite, or Sierra Mist. Most times I’m going to ask for water with lemon, though.
If they don’t have Orangina I always throw myself on the floor and have to be dragged out of the restaurant screaming.
Diet Pepsi man here, and I’ll usually just take a Diet Coke.
That said, if the store is having an unbelievable sale on Diet Coke, I’ll let it pass. I have a great deal of brand loyalty, but the difference doesn’t seem to be that big out of the fountain.