# Will You Drink "Flat" Soda? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** soda-softdrinks\ **Created:** [January 12, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-drink-flat-soda/524705 "2010-01-12T20:14:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-drink-flat-soda/524705/1 "2010-01-12T20:14:43Z")
I found it makes little difference to me if the pop is flat or carbonated. I really don’t care. I know some people though will toss the pop even if it slightly goes flat. So which are you? ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-drink-flat-soda/524705/2 "2010-01-12T20:15:27Z")
It must have bubbles. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-drink-flat-soda/524705/3 "2010-01-12T20:17:01Z")
I’m not a big fan of soda to begin with, but flat soda is completely vile. ---
**Author:** ![Surly\_Chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Surly\_Chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surly_Chick)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-drink-flat-soda/524705/4 "2010-01-12T20:17:37Z")
I will but I don’t prefer it that way. Often I’ll leave an open Diet Coke in the car overnight and (if it’s not frozen solid) will drink it in the morning. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-drink-flat-soda/524705/5 "2010-01-12T20:21:40Z")
I voted “no” but it depends on **how** flat it is. I’ll drink an opened soda the next day if there’s still some kind of carbonation remaining, but not a totally flat one. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-drink-flat-soda/524705/6 "2010-01-12T20:22:55Z")
Flat Coke and flat root beer are the bomb! The flatter the better. ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-drink-flat-soda/524705/7 "2010-01-12T20:28:17Z")
Gah - no! I had no idea people really did that! Blerg. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-drink-flat-soda/524705/8 "2010-01-12T20:40:45Z")
Unlike my women, I like my soda cold and flat. I’ll often screw off the top of a 2-liter bottle (and then put it back on) before putting it in the fridge when I get home from the store. That way it’s got more “drinkability” when I’m ready to guzzle it…TRM ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-drink-flat-soda/524705/9 "2010-01-12T21:19:13Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > Unlike my women, I like my soda cold and flat. I’ll often screw off the top of a 2-liter bottle (and then put it back on) before putting it in the fridge when I get home from the store. That way it’s got more “drinkability” when I’m ready to guzzle it…TRM If you’re going to do something so weird, you should be a snob about it and insist that you’re letting the soda “breathe”. Or even “decant” it into a crystal decanter. ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-drink-flat-soda/524705/10 "2010-01-12T21:19:53Z")
I don’t drink soda anymore, but I do drink at least a liter of seltzer a day, and that stuff goes flat FAST … the upside is that when seltzer goes flat, it turns into — wait for it…WATER. The only soda I would not drink flat was ginger ale. Ginger ale without the fizz is sugar water, which is just gross. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-drink-flat-soda/524705/11 "2010-01-12T21:21:12Z")
Coke seems to hold up better than most when flat, 7-UP is _vile_ when flat. ---
**Author:** ![Surly\_Chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Surly\_Chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surly_Chick)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-drink-flat-soda/524705/12 "2010-01-12T21:23:05Z")
I also drink intentionally flat 7-Up when I have the stomach flu. I can’t stand ginger ale and 7-Up seems to help as long it’s flat. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-drink-flat-soda/524705/13 "2010-01-12T22:11:54Z")
It depends what type. A fruity flavor like orange or grape isn’t so bad, but any flat cola is vile. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-drink-flat-soda/524705/14 "2010-01-12T22:16:45Z")
I picked I’ll drink it but I don’t care much for it … but this is the kind of thing that is recent for me. When I was younger, flat was okay, but now I don’t care for it as much. I guess I am getting crankier and more high maintenance. My mom has told me stories of her time in high school, where it was apparently some crazy 50s teen craze to serve pop flat. If you were having the gang over after the sock hop on Friday night (or whatever those wacky kids were doing), you had to remember to open up all the pop bottles in the morning before school so it would go flat by the evening. ---
**Author:** ![3\_20\_59\_or\_bust](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/47e85d/32.png) [@3\_20\_59\_or\_bust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3_20_59_or_bust)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-drink-flat-soda/524705/15 "2010-01-12T22:32:39Z")
Flat soda should be tossed every single time…except if you’re putting it in a water bottle for your marathon. Hey, if it’s good enough for Frank Shorter, it’s good enough for me. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-drink-flat-soda/524705/16 "2010-01-12T22:51:47Z")
I’d rather drink lukewarm coffee. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Nene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/da6949/32.png) [@El\_Nene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Nene)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-drink-flat-soda/524705/17 "2010-01-12T22:54:18Z")
Now way. I won’t drink it if it has been sitting around for more than 30 minutes. My grandmother loves flat soda though. She’ll put it in the blender to get all the gas out. I gag when she does this. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-drink-flat-soda/524705/18 "2010-01-12T22:54:22Z")
Never. I send soda back at restaurants if it’s flat and I dump it at home. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-drink-flat-soda/524705/19 "2010-01-12T22:56:27Z")
One of the things I like about Diet Pepsi is that it actually tastes pretty good flat. Nothing much else does, though, and even flat DP is nasty if left too long. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-drink-flat-soda/524705/20 "2010-01-13T05:02:55Z")
If it’s clear (Diet 7up, Sprite, Sierra Mist) or pale (Fresca, cream or ginger ale), yes. Some root beers and orange sodas are okay when flat, but only if they’re very cold. Cola, nope. Unless it’s all I have in the house and I simply _must_ have soda with a meal, such as pizza which for me demands soda (I don’t drink beer). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-drink-flat-soda/524705.md?page=2)