The Most Iconic Southern Sodas
From big-name favorites like Coca-Cola and Pepsi to regional gems like Big Red and Cheerwine.
When I was a kid, my dad would bribe me to clean up our rural property with a trip to the local 7/11 for a glass bottle of Mello Yello. I’d pop off the top with the bottle opener mounted on the side of the cooler, planning to save the glass bottle to recycle it for a few cents. The treat was such a big deal that I’d pick up sticks and clean up mess for hours to get that sugar rush. It was a big job and today, if I tried to convince my kids that one soda was worth all that work, I’d be out of luck. However, a drink like that was a truly occasional treat and valuable enough for a day of chores.
My drink of choice was a cool one in the 1980’s. Mello Yello was the Coca-Cola Company’s competing beverage to Pepsi’s Mountain Dew, packed with caffeine and sugar, bringing relief to boredom and a hot summer day. Southerners have always loved their drinks of choice and the area has inspired some incredible choices.
In this list, we’ll explore sodas made in the South—starting with big names and then ending with a few smaller ones. Doing this research, I realized we have a talent for developing wonderful soda in the South. It might have something to do with the need to relieve the heat. Whatever the reason, enjoy this list of fizzy fun. These drinks were made to be enjoyed in the South.
Southern Living
Coca-Cola
For most of my life, drinking a "coke" meant any variety of soda, no matter what the flavor. Turns out, I'm not alone. I guess Coca-Cola’s popularity stems from its origin and presence still in Atlanta, Georgia. The drink was first served at Jacob’s Pharmacy in the Georgia capital, actually as a tonic to cure ailments. Over the years, it changed a few ingredients and morphed into the soda giant it is today. If you’re in the South, order a coke. Then you can tell them what flavor you’d like. Peanuts anyone? (If you know, you know).
Related: Why My Favorite Family Tradition Will Always Be An Ice Cold Coca-Cola
Dr Pepper
In Waco, Texas, Charles Alderton was a young pharmacist who enjoyed serving carbonated beverages at the soda counter. He thought the mix of fruit syrups smelled so wonderful that he wanted to create a beverage that reflected them. After some trial and error, Dr. Pepper was born, a mixture of about 23 fruit flavors.
Pepsi
In the South, we certainly have inspired some of the bigger soft drinks available in the United States. While Pepsi’s headquarters are in New York, the drink was invented in New Bern, North Carolina, by pharmacist Caleb D. Bradham. He believed he’d invented a healthy drink, aiding the person consuming it by relieving indigestion.
Cheerwine
Invented in 1917 by L.D. Peeler in Salisbury, North Carolina, this bright red soda survived a sugar shortage and the Great Depression to take off as a "Uniquely Southern" beverage. Over the years, Cheerwine has been enjoyed by presidents, flavored an ice cream, enhanced a Krispy Kreme donut flavor, adopted a fan club, and hosted an annual festival in the soda's hometown.
Related: 10 Facts About Cheerwine, A Beloved Southern Soft Drink
Royal Crown and Nehi
Made by the same manufacturer, the affectionately named RC Cola and Nehi’s fruit flavors have always been a hit down South. Starting in Columbus, Georgia, in 1905, soft drink entrepreneur Claud A. Hatcher put together a mixture that he called Chero-Cola along with several Nehi varieties. To avoid a lawsuit from the Coca-Cola Company about that similar name, he changed the drink’s title to Royal Crown Cola. Southerners have always referred to this drink as RC Cola. The sweet cane sugar flavor also has less carbonation and is instantly recognizable to those who’ve sampled it before. For this reason, RC Cola reminds me of hot summer camp days spent in bliss after I spent that camp store money on a cold glass bottle. As for Nehi, the orange, peach and grape versions can still be found today.
Barq’s Root Beer
While the inventor of Barq’s, Edward Charles Edwin Barq, Sr., was born in New Orleans, he lived in Biloxi, Mississippi, when he created this famous drink. Prohibition helped push it into incredible popularity as root beer sales soared with the absence of liquor. The Coca-Cola company purchased the brand in 1995.
Big Red
Big Red has been around since 1937 and is well-known as a Texas speciality. But if you haven't tried (or even heard of it), don't let the color confuse you. The drink isn’t like Cheerwine—it’s a cream soda with citrus flavors not at all the cherry that you expect when you see the color. Now, Big Red can be found in Big Blue, Big Red Zero, Big Peach, and Big Pineapple.
Abita Root Beer
Abita started by making beer, but decided to take on the soda world with an old-fashioned root beer. Ingredients are pure Louisiana cane sugar, yucca, vanilla, and herbs, to create that nostalgic taste.
Related: 7 Southern Snacks Our Editors Buy on Repeat
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