Fruit-flavored soda is the fastest way to evoke nostalgic feelings. Nothing hits quite as hard as the first drink of a bright neon Orange Crush or a glass of Welch’s grape soda on a scorching afternoon. And while soda should not be consumed frequently, you can occasionally have a can to bring back memories of your youth. So let us look back at a few fruit-flavored drinks that have been discontinued and are probably no longer available. Some variants, such as limited-edition flavors, met with failure, while others were withdrawn because they were disliked and had low sales.
Slice is the first beverage that causes jitters for us. The lemon-lime soda was intended to be a Sprite rival when Pepsi Co. introduced it in 1984. Up until 2000, it enjoyed a successful run, but excessive competition forced the beverage to fade into obscurity. In addition, it may have been a little specialized for most tastes. Still, Coca-Cola Black Cherry Vanilla was a Coca-Cola flavor introduced alongside Diet Coke Black Cherry Vanilla in the US and Canada in the early 2000s. At the time, Cherry Coke and Vanilla Coke were also available. However, black Cherry perhaps wasn’t distinctive enough to pique consumers’ interest.
Various fruity tastes, including Tropical and Aruba Jam, were added to the original clear, lemony Sprite. These tropical sodas were discontinued in 2005, along with many other wacky varieties that first appeared on store shelves in the early 2000s. Dr. Pepper Berries & Cream, a distinctive berry-forward flavor, was first introduced in April 2006 and then withdrawn in December 2007. Pepsi was there again, this time with a wildly fruity soda. Pepsi Blue, this one had a mixed-berry flavor, so the story went. The fact that this drink was only available for two years is not surprising because blue is, in reality, one of the least palatable hues.