I was not really aware of Dr Pepper growing up. It was an American drink. It is seen more often here now. It's okay. The most interesting thing about it is that it was invented before Coca Cola. Wikipedia has a long article. Part of it is reproduced here.
Dr P is a well known soft drink marketed in the Americas and Europe by the Dr Pepper Snapple Group. It was invented by Charles Alderton. The HQ is in Plano, Texas, a Dallas suburb. There is also a diet version, as well as a line of flavoured versions first introduced in the 2000s. W W Clements, former Dr P/7-Up CEO and president, described the taste as one of a kind, saying "I've always maintained you can't tell anyone what Dr Pepper tastes like because it's so different. It's not an apple, it's not an orange, it's not a strawberry, it's not a root beer, it's not even a cola. It's a different kind of drink with a unique taste all its own." (Sounds like fair comment to me - if you've ever tasted it).
The exact date of Dr P's conception is unknown, but the US Patent Office recognises December 1, 1885 as the first time Dr P was served. It was introduced nationally in the USA at the 1904 Lousiaian Purchase Expo as a new kind of cola, made with 23 flavours. Contrary to popular belief, Dr P was far from being the first carbonated soft drink, or even the first soft drink in the US for that matter. Vernors Ginger Ale and Hires Root Beer share the title for first American-born soft drink, both debuting in 1866. However, Dr P's introduction in 1885 did precede the introduction of Coca-Cola by one year.
It was formulated by German pharmacist Charles Alderton in Morrison's Old Corner Drug Store in Waco, Texas. To test his new drink, he first offered it to store owner Wade Morrison, who also found it to his liking. After repeated sample testing by the two, he was ready to offer his new drink to some of the fountain customers. Other patrons at Morrison's soda fountain soon learned of Alderton's new drink and began ordering a "Waco". Alderton gave the formula to Morrison. A popular belief is that the drink was named after Morrison's former employer in Texas, but this has been disputed by the Dr P company itself.
There is also a Dr P Museum in downtown Waco located in the downtown Artesian Manufacturing and Bottling Company building and opened to the public in 1991. The AMBC building was the first building to be built specifically to bottle Dr Pepper. The building was completed in 1906 and Dr Pepper was bottled there until the 1960s. The museum has three floors of exhibits, a working old-fashioned soda fountain, and a gift store full of Dr Pepper memorabilia.
Dr P almost became a Coca-Cola brand in the mid-to-late 1980s. Dr P became insolvent in the early 1980s, prompting an investment group to take the company private. Several years later, Coca-Cola attempted to acquire Dr P, but was blocked from doing so by the US FTC. Around the same time, 7-Up (watch this space) was acquired from Phillip Morris by the same investment company that bailed out Dr P. Upon the failure of the Coca-Cola merger, Dr P and 7-Up merged (creating Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc., or DPSU), giving up international branding rights in the process. After the DPSU merger, Coca-Cola obtained most non-US rights to the Dr P name (with PepsiCo taking the 7-Up rights).
It was formulated by German pharmacist Charles Alderton in Morrison's Old Corner Drug Store in Waco, Texas. To test his new drink, he first offered it to store owner Wade Morrison, who also found it to his liking. After repeated sample testing by the two, he was ready to offer his new drink to some of the fountain customers. Other patrons at Morrison's soda fountain soon learned of Alderton's new drink and began ordering a "Waco". Alderton gave the formula to Morrison. A popular belief is that the drink was named after Morrison's former employer in Texas, but this has been disputed by the Dr P company itself.
There is also a Dr P Museum in downtown Waco located in the downtown Artesian Manufacturing and Bottling Company building and opened to the public in 1991. The AMBC building was the first building to be built specifically to bottle Dr Pepper. The building was completed in 1906 and Dr Pepper was bottled there until the 1960s. The museum has three floors of exhibits, a working old-fashioned soda fountain, and a gift store full of Dr Pepper memorabilia.
Dr P almost became a Coca-Cola brand in the mid-to-late 1980s. Dr P became insolvent in the early 1980s, prompting an investment group to take the company private. Several years later, Coca-Cola attempted to acquire Dr P, but was blocked from doing so by the US FTC. Around the same time, 7-Up (watch this space) was acquired from Phillip Morris by the same investment company that bailed out Dr P. Upon the failure of the Coca-Cola merger, Dr P and 7-Up merged (creating Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc., or DPSU), giving up international branding rights in the process. After the DPSU merger, Coca-Cola obtained most non-US rights to the Dr P name (with PepsiCo taking the 7-Up rights).
No comments:
Post a Comment