Top 10 Discontinued Sodas

Call it soda or call it pop, we're junkies and we'll freely admit it. While we usually rely on the most common brands to get us through the day (typically Coke, Dr. Pepper or Mountain Dew) there have been some sodas that went far and above the realm of the ordinary to bring us something special. They say that only the good die young, and these exceptional sodas were taken from us far too soon.

Today, we look back fondly at the top discontinued sodas we have loved.

10. Pepsi Blue.

Not only did the color of the soda match the can and the name, but the flavor of this soda captured the very essence of the color blue. If Pepsi Blue had been around in Gargamel's day, he would have given up his quest to capture the tiny blue people, for this soda was more delicious than the tastiest of Smurfs. Sort of berry, sort of bubblegum, sort of cotton candy. It took the once-in-a-while treat of a blue Slurpee and turned it into a several-times-a-day delight.

Closest modern-day equivalent: Mountain Dew Voltage.

 

9. Surge.

Maybe we were suckers for extreme colors, but this electric green brought back happy memories of the Nickelodeon green slime we loved so much as kids. We once visited a camp cafeteria that had Surge in the soda fountain, and we remember drinking this with increased hyperintensity until we had the best sugar crash of our lives. It was like a heightened version of Mountain Dew, and we couldn't get enough.

Closest modern-day equivalent: Vault.

 8. Crystal Pepsi.

While Crystal Pepsi was largely regarded to be a failure, people actually staged angry protests when this soda was pulled from the market. The taste of this clear "un-Cola" is difficult to explain, but for those of us who fell in love with Crystal Pepsi, it's a taste we've never been able to forget. Pepsi told us, "You've never seen a taste like this," and sadly, we never have again.

Closest modern-day equivalent: None we've discovered.

7. 7-Up Gold.

This was unique, because unlike the other members of the 7-Up family, this soda was amber instead of clear, and it also contained caffeine. But what really sold us on 7-Up Gold was the spice-laden bite that reminded us of a strong, mulled cider. It was almost like 7-Up that had been allowed to properly age in a good whiskey barrel.

Closest modern-day equivalent: Vernor's Ginger Ale.

6. Mountain Dew Pitch Black.

This soda burst onto the scene one Halloween season and we immediately fell in love. This soda was an extremely dark purple and somehow managed to capture the flavor of black grapes in a caffeinated soda. It stayed on the shelves until the Christmas merchandise moved in, and then it disappeared until the following year when it came back as Pitch Black II, a somewhat sourer version of its predecessor. After that second year, Pitch Black vanished like a ghost in the night, and each Halloween we find ourselves hoping it will make its haunting presence known once again.

Closest modern-day equivalent: Amp Traction.

5. Holiday Spice Pepsi.

Every time we see Santa pictured on a Coke can, our heart skips a beat as we think (for one mistaken moment) that perhaps a taste like Holiday Spice Pepsi has returned to the beverage aisle. This soda took regular Pepsi and injected it somehow with the flavor of Christmas itself. And this was the only soda we ever discovered that tasted amazing served heated in a mug. Its classic cola taste with spiced cider overtones made our holidays a little brighter, and Christmas isn't the same without it.

Closest modern-day equivalent: Four parts Coke, one part Vernor's.

4. Jolt.

Before the energy drink craze, there was Jolt Cola which boasted "all the flavor and twice the caffeine." This is how we stayed awake all night to play the Nintendo games we spotlighted yesterday. We discovered Jolt when our school's soda machine once stocked it by mistake, the result of a purchaser who was unaware of the drink's stimulative properties. It sold out in one lunch hour. While Jolt never came back to school, that first time was enough to hook us for life. Jolt has been reborn the past few years in energy drink form, but its manufacturer recently filed for bankruptcy.

Closest modern-day equivalent: Jolt Energy, while it lasts.

3. Josta.

This wasn't the first drink with guarana, but it was the first time we remember being able to taste it. Josta was supposed to be citrus-based, but the dominant flavor of the energy-laden guarana berries was what made us love this drink. We began to discover that more stimulants than just caffeine alone were capable of contributing to our all-night gamefests, and unlike Jolt, Josta managed to stay in our high school's soda machine for quite a while. Of all our favorite discontinued sodas, Josta might be the flavor we find ourselves craving most often.

Closest modern-day equivalent: Bawls. (Sort of.)

2. OK.

When we were kids and fill-it-yourself soda fountains were just starting to emerge in fast-food restaurants and convenience stores, we embarked on a most noble quest: to create the perfect "suicide" soda mixture. A good suicide was predominantly cola and Dr. Pepper, mixed with a splash of citrus and root beer. About the time that we perfected our suicide, the Coca-Cola company debuted OK Soda, that very same suicide in pre-mixed form. Not only did OK boast Coke's most interesting retro branding ever, but there was OK merchandise and even a toll-free number (1-800-I-FEEL-OK) that brought us countless hours of entertainment from the school cafeteria's payphones.

Closest modern-day equivalent: You have to mix it yourself.

1. ???

With so many other sodas that could have potentially made this list, we've decided to leave the top spot on the list open to our readers. Leave a comment below and tell us what discontinued soda tops your list.