Dr Pepper - Cough syrup? Pepper-flavoured? What is this thing?

Dr Pepper smells like...cough syrup?! What? Well, it definitely had a cherry taste, red cherry anyway, not those deep dark cherry types. Well, that explains the cough syrup perception I received upon snapping open the can (since cherry flavour is usually added to cough syrup). If you think along the same lines, it's called "Dr Pepper", right? Anyway, the bottom line is that they shouldn't have put cherry flavour into practically every cough syrup brand in the market because now, the correlation is permanent in our minds!

The sweetness was tolerable, not too sweet, yet sweet enough to rightfully call itself a can of soft drink or soda. Fizzy, but not extremely so, it also had a nice light brown colour (similar to Coca Cola or Coke) if you pour a small amount into a white cup (half a centimeter or so) although it does turn totally black like coffee without cream when you pour the whole can in. While Dr Pepper had a brown-yellowish colour, Coke had more of a brown-blackish colour. And while it can legitimately be called 'fizzy', it was much less fizzy than a can of Coke (keep it aside for half an hour and Dr Pepper would have stopped all its "fizzy" activity while the can of Coke would still be popping away noisily).

True to its name, it does have a bit of spicy pepper flavour to its taste, although it's not long-lasting after you swallow it.

                            Dr Pepper                            vs                       Coca-Cola                                    
                          

 

Any difference? Look again. Hint: Compare the colour of the two drinks around the top left corner.


What does 59p on a can of Dr Pepper stand for?
I was also curious as to why '59p' was inscribed onto the can right below the top rim. I wondered if it signified 59 pence (like the British pence or penny used as part of their currency). True enough, it did cost 59 pence. Plus, this particular can of Dr Pepper was manufactured in Great Britain, hence the correlation to the 59p, I suppose.


Is it suitable for everyone?
Warning though, this drink contains phenylalanine (a type of protein), which means that it may not be the best friend for phenylketonurics (people who have phenylketonuria and can't metabolize or break down phenylalanine in their body).

Still confused? Check out Mayo Clinic's short and simple explanation as to what this is all about.

It also has caffeine (as a flavouring, strange much?), but this probably isn't a problem to most people.

If you read the ingredients list properly, you may also spot something called 'aspartame' and 'acesulfame K' sweeteners. These aren't REAL sweeteners, they just imitate the sweetness of sugar without giving you the calories. Some people may even argue that eating too much alternative sugars is bad for your health. In fact, aspartame is the substance that CONTAINS phenylalanine. Now it makes even more sense, doesn't it? Personally, I wouldn't mind consuming these sweeteners once in a while, but food which contain such ingredients may never be my first choice.


What is Dr Pepper, anyway?
Dr Pepper is a carbonated soft drink originating in Texas, USA in the 1880s. While some may call it their absolute favourite soda, others, like me, get the impression that they were drinking cough syrup.

To check out more about Dr Pepper and their other products, go to their website (DrPepper.com).


Ps. What's fun about this drink is that if you pour it into a cup, the fizziness literally jumps up and down like a leaping frog on a trampoline. It's really quite interesting and fun to watch. When the jumping dwindles down or completely stops, you can pour it into another empty cup and it will jump again, less intensely, but hey, at least you can prolong the show, haha.


Comments

  1. Does dr. Pepper have cough syrup in it

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Probably not, but the cherry flavour in it certainly gives the idea of drinking cough syrup.

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