Unofficial Soft Drink of Texas Is Now 2nd Most Popular in The US

Dr Pepper is the favorite soda of just about every Texan. And thanks to a new report ranking the top sodas in the nation, diehard Dr Pepper fans are rejoicing.

History of Dr Pepper

Dr Pepper was created in Waco, Texas in 1885, a full year before Coca-Cola. The secret mixture of 23 flavors is the oldest soda drink in the country. Brooklyn-born pharmacist Charles Alderton came up with the formula in Morrison's Old Corner Drug Store in Waco.

Alderton gave the drink to store owner Wade Morrison to test on his customers. Customers loved it and would call it a "Waco" when ordering it. Store owner Morrison later gave it the name Dr Pepper.

Today, there are rumors that the secret formula is divided into two parts and stored at two different banks in the Dallas area. Another rumor says that prune juice is one of the 23 flavors. An additional rumor has said that the formula was found in a journal at an antique store in the Texas panhandle.

But neither of those rumors has been proven.

Oh, there is no "." at the end of Dr in Dr Pepper. At one time there was, but it was dropped in the 1950s because of a font change in the logo that made the period hard to read.

Most Popular Soda in America

Coca-Cola has been the dominant soda in America for several decades. Pepsi, believe it or not, has been the second most popular for a long time. A new report has come out now that says Dr Pepper has become the new number two most popular soda.

This ranking was tabulated using sales volume data. Coca-Cola led the report with 19.2% of the soda market followed by Dr Pepper with 8.3% (foodandwine.com).

For us in Texas, I could see those numbers easily reversed, 19.2% for Dr Pepper compared to 8.3% for Coca-Cola. Dr Pepper fans are going to have to increase our push of Dr Pepper to the masses to get it to number one.