What's the worst that could happen? (Dr Pepper)

Member Name: unnameable

Product:	Dr Pepper
Date:	10/09/04 (1393 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very tasty, something a little different

Disadvantages: tooth rotter!

Following on from my Irn Bru review (shameless plug I know!) I thought I'd write a little about one of my other favourite drinks.

Dr Pepper has increased in popularity here in the UK hugely over the past 7 or 8 years, and is now one of the nations favourite alternatives to the usual variety of soft drinks.

Do you remember your first Dr Pepper experience? I, for one, have been drinking it since I could crawl! (may have even drank it out of a baby bottle...I'll have to ask dear old Mum).

Brief History:

Although not that well known here until the mid 1980's, Dr Pepper has been a mainstay of American culture since the early 20th Century.

The recipe was created by pharmacist Charles Alderton in 1885 while working at Morrisons Drug Store in Waco, Texas. (I've always wondered why so many soft drinks were invented by pharmacists! Take Vimto for example...)

The drink proved popular in the small town, so Mr Morrison (strangely enough, the owner of the drug store!) and Alderton decided to give it a name. Morrison chose to call it Dr Pepper out of tribute to the man who gave him his first job, Dr Charles Pepper.

In 1904 the drink was taken to the Worlds Fair Exposition by Charles Alderton, and the rest, as they say, is history!

Packaging:

Dr Pepper can be bought in three packs, 330ml can, 500ml bottle, and 2 litre bottle.

All have the same simple, but effective wrapper/logo consisting of the words 'Dr Pepper' in striking white letters emblazoned diagonally over a blood red background.

Now if only they would do glass bottle verions they would win over more Scots! ;)

Nutrition/ingredients:

Same as ever with Coca-Cola made soft drinks, there is no nutritional information given on the packaging. I am reliably informed that Dr Pepper contains a very similar amount of sugar to Coca-Cola, which is a rather frightening 7 teaspoons full (no wond
er they don't show these figures!)

Looking at the actual ingredients, they are EXACTLY the same as Coca-Cola, so the difference in taste is purely down to the part that is ambiguously labelled as 'Flavourings'

Naturally, those who are caffeine intolerant should steer well clear of this!

Taste:

Now this is the difficult bit (although not as difficult as describing Irn Bru!)

When you first open a bottle you are hit by what seems to smell like cherry or something similar. But upon taking a swig you find that there are many flavours at work here such as cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and lime most probably! I'm sure there are hints of other fruit flavours, but it truly is hard to pinpoint them as they are so very subtle.

To be honest, the best way to describe the taste of Dr Pepper is to say it is a mixture of Cherry Coke, and Vimto!

Cost:

Pretty reasonable really, you can pick up a can for 39p, 500ml bottle for 69p, and a 2 litre bottle for £1.19 at most supermarkets, and for little more at newsagents and the like.

Contact info:

for those of you who would want to praise/complain, or simply chance your luck for a freebie...

Canned in the UK (under authority of DP Beverages LTD) by...

Coca-Cola Enterprises LTD
Uxbridge
UB8 1EZ

Consumer Care Line - 0800 22 77 11

To sum up:

Dr Pepper truly is a unique drink, and as such is an acquired taste. You either love it, or hate it. It is the Marmite of soft drinks!

Very refreshing when ice cold, and hugely fizzy, this drink really does hit the spot (for me anyway).

Adding a slice of lemon and crushed ice really gives it a bit of a kick too. (you can tell I used to be a barman can't you?)

Have you tried it with vodka or scotch instead of Coke? Go on, give it a go... what's the worst that could happen?


Thanks for reading

Mar
c

Summary: