Over the years intrepid soda pop manufacturers have tried to introduce new flavors to the market with what can only be described as mixed success. In this post, the team at Rocky Mountain Soda Co. shine a spotlight on some of the more memorable flavor variations that didn't win over the general public but deserve some kind of award for their audacity.
Fifteen of the Strangest Soda Flavors
While the odds were always stacked against them somebody, somewhere thought highly enough of these flavor ideas to greenlight their manufacture. Were those people visionaries who were simply ahead of their time or loose cannons who enjoyed trolling their bosses and their customer base? We'll let you decide as you read through this list of weird soda flavors.
#1: Turkey and Gravy Soda
During the holiday season of 2003, Turkey and Gravy Soda appeared briefly on store shelves in several Western US cities and sold out in a matter of days. Turns out it was a product of the Jones Soda Company of Seattle who, despite its success, never saw fit to produce another run. Nonetheless, cans of T&G flavored soda still turn up to this day on auction sites like eBay.
"If you took the broth from roasting the turkey, herbed the living daylights out of it, sweetened it just enough to sow discontent, and carbonated it instead of turning it into gravy, it would be a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad idea. And also it would be pretty close to this..."
—Heather Martin, The Today Show
#2: Pumpkin Pie Soda
Sticking with the holiday theme for a moment Lester Fixins Pumpkin Pie Soda appears annually around holiday time, mostly on sites like Amazon. It's never been a big hit, but apparently, enough of it moves to convince the manufacturer to keep pumping it out.
#3: Tree Bark Soda
Mauby Fizz Tree Bark Soda is fast approaching its 20th anniversary. While it's barely made a blip on the US soda radar screen, it's gained a large and loyal following in the Caribbean where the locals claim it will dissolve blood clots, eliminate toxins in the bloodstream, lower blood pressure, treat diabetes and act as an effective laxative.
#4: Celery Soda
Mmmmm...Who doesn't yearn for cool refreshing, icy-cold celery soda pop after a long hot afternoon playing hoops? We know we wouldn't have anything else. Which is unfortunate since we're out here in Colorado and this can only be found in a limited number of delis in Manhattan.
#5: Onion Soda
You'll have to go to South Korea to pick up a can of delicious onion soda. Unless of course, you keep an eagle eye on the potato chip market where, every once in a blue moon or so, Pringle's offers a limited run of sour cream and onion soda that they use to help promote their sour cream and onion chips.
#6: Ranch Dressing Soda
We don't know about you but in a poll of the staff here at Rocky Mountain Soda, Ranch Dressing Soda came in last on an ad-hoc list of "weird soda flavors we'd like to try." Surprisingly one of our staff members says he actually tried this once and, not surprisingly, still has nightmares about the experience.
#7: Peanut Butter & Jelly Soda
Why go through the hassle of making a PB&J sandwich when you can just pop open a can of Peanut Butter & Jelly Soda pop? While this flavor combo never caught on in the beverage market you can still find it out there on various websites once in a while. Now, whether it's worth tracking down is another story.
#8: Bubble Gum Soda Pop
This drink trafficked on the name of the very popular Hubba Bubba chewing gum. It was never an official Hubba Bubba product although the makers did pay bubble gum maker Wrigley a hefty premium to use the name.
Launched in 1987 Hubba Bubba Original Bubble Gum Soda enjoyed early market success before flaming out and being discontinued.
#9: Life Savers Soda
Perhaps the makers of this soda saw that Hubba Bubba soda almost made it and decided they could do better. Silly them. Based solely on name recognition Life Savers Soda did pretty well when it was launched in 1995, but it wound up crashing and burning even faster than Hubba Bubba soda.
#10: Mustard Soda
This culinary gem redefines what it means to "pass the mustard". Why anyone thought the average person needed a mustard-flavored pop is an enduring mystery but we got it anyway.
While it never caught on with the general public, mustard-flavored soda did carve out a specialty niche for itself and is now produced on a limited basis by several novelty soda manufacturers.
#11: Bacon Soda
First manufactured in 2010 bacon soda pop has fallen in and out of favor with US consumers but somehow manages to reappear periodically in various online specialty shops. Definitely not for the vegan it is rumored to taste like cold bacon wrapped in paper and sprinkled with sugar. Yum!
#12: Black Garlic Soda
This soda takes advantage of the thirst-quenching properties of garlic to produce a beverage that fans insist provides a wealth of health benefits. Not that garlic has any thirst-quenching properties but you don't drink something like this after finishing a 5K race anyway. You drink it mostly because you like to be different.
#13: Dirt Soda
There will always be a market for products that appeal to the lowest common denominator, which probably explains why years after first being introduced you can still find Dirt Soda on Amazon from time to time. Although the manufacturer claims their soda is "shoveled and bottled" in the US, in reality, there is no dirt in dirt soda, although they do their best to make it taste like there is.
#14: Curry Soda
Most people expect their soda to be light and refreshing, not heavy and earthy. At least most people in the US. Which is probably why curry soda never caught on here. Still, the idea was picked up by Japanese soda maker Ramune and has found a small but dedicated fan base in the Land of the Rising Sun.
#15: Pickle Juice Soda
How successful our last weird soda flavor would be depended almost entirely on what type of pickle juice they used as their flavor baseline. Ultimately, it seems, the manufacturer chose skanky pickle juice and the resulting soft drink was said to be an accurate flavor representation of that choice.
The Bottom Line
Well, there you have it: fifteen of the weirdest soda flavors ever presented to consumers for their consideration. In most cases, consumers didn't consider them long and they wound up being either discontinued or relegated to the novelty soft drink market here or abroad.
Order Our Classic Craft Sodas Flavors
If what you're after is a genuinely delectable flavor experience that will tickle your tastebuds and quench your thirst, try any of our Rocky Mountain Natural Soda Co. beverages. They're vegan, gluten-free, kosher and contain no GMOs and their taste is destined to resonate with you for all the right reasons.
Visit our online soda shop to order 12 to 48 packs of our natural craft soda flavors!
