The Mysterious 23 Flavors of Dr. Pepper
I bought a Dr. Pepper from the vending machine at work today and noticed that the retro-styled can (pictured to the left, courtesy Wikipedia) has a seal claiming an “authentic blend of 23 flavors.” Indeed, go to DrPepper.com, find the FAQ section, and you’ll be informed that “Dr. Pepper is a unique blend of 23 flavors. The formula for Dr. Pepper is proprietary information.” (Dr. Pepper also has a web-based promotion called “Get23″ centered around the 23 secret flavors. The promotion has to do with finding “flavor icons,” but it won’t reveal what the flavors are. Because they are “you know” a Âsecret.) Apparently, this claim has been a part of Dr. Pepper lore for a long time — Âsomething like the Colonel’s Eleven Herbs and Spices, but I was ignorant of it.
So what are the 23 flavors? I’m guessing one is not “cherry-flavored cough syrup,” though “cherry” seems a safe bet. (Vanilla, or some version of vanilla, seems a given, too.) According to Snopes, the company has repeatedly denied the persistant rumor that prune juice is one of the component flavors. Any guesses?
UPDATE: According to AdAge, “Cadbury Schwepps (the owner of the Dr. Pepper brand) spent $5 million on a “mash-up” marketing campaign based on the 23 flavors concept before killing the ads earlier this year.” Click through the link to see the commercials that never aired.
Posted on June 21, 2006, in Food. Bookmark the permalink. 224 Comments.
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I’ll tell you that the can shown there has one flavor that should never be in Dr Pepper: high fructose corn syrup. I’ve been ordering my DP for years from dublindrpepper.com where they use the original formula with cane sugar. I have recently upgraded to the glass bottle rather than cans. Worth every penny. We’ve done blind taste tests with dozens of people and everyone but one person had a strong preference for the real sugar version. The one remaining person couldn’t tell the difference. Some people find themselves unable to tolerate HFCS DP immediately after drinking the good stuff. Anybody that likes Dr Pepper owes it to themselves to get the real thing.
I tend to bring either that or Guarana (also made with actual sugar) to bloggersnackers, so keep your eyes open.
Note that the title of this article mentions 32 rather than 23 flavors. Feel free to delete this after fixin’.
Oops. Good catch on the thread title. Baskin Robbins must have me brainwashed.
arJ, It seems that the best thing a Dr. Pepper lover could do is avoid the better, harder to come by Dr. Pepper lest they become averse to the run-of-the-mill stuff. I’m a DP lover and while I’m curious to taste DP that’s even more delicious, I’m not going to seek out the cane sugar stuff until I can afford to get the good stuff whenever I want it. Ignorance is bliss.
GuaranàAntartica rules.
As for DP’s 23 flavors, I have no idea beyond cherry and vanilla. I can’t say that the fact that there are 23 flavors strikes me as a strong selling point. When I was a kid I’d experiment with multi-flavor soda by putting a little bit of each fountain soda in a 32 oz. mug. We called it a “suicide” and it was gross. Usually grape Olé was the dominant flavor for some reason.
I wonder how many of the 23 flavors would sound unappetizing and how many only have chemical names. Monosodium glutamate?
I hope there’s no MSG in Dr. Pepper.
I don’t think there’s any vanilla, or very little. It’s Cherry Coke, pretty simply.
In addition to cherry and vanilla…
Cola. Raspberry. Prune (no matter what they say).
And I would bet some or all of the following spices — nutmeg, cardomom, mace, fennel, clove. I don’t know which, but there’s a spicy layer that could be one of those.
Probably lemon and blackberry.
That’s all I got.
hmmm, is that a hint of rosemary I detect?
For the record I taste prune too, and I don’t see why that’s necessarily a bad thing. I think maybe the statements that the company has made can been parsed to show that DP doesn’t have prune juice, which has unfortunate connotations as the laxative of choice for old folks.
D., it’s not *just* Cherry Coke. It’s got some sort of bitter bite to it (hence the cough syrup similarities). Kind of molasses-y. Or, yeah, pruny.
I always thought that too, but my own family actually did a blind taste test with Dr. Pepper and Hires-prepared Cherry Coke — they’re very similar. Perhaps it’s the fructose sweetener?
Dr. Pepper may have some extra spice in it, but it’s essentially Cherry Coke.
Hmm. Dr. Pepper doesn’t taste like Cherry Coke to me.
I gotta tell ya, I ordered a (small) case of the Dublin Dr. Pepper. It was good, but I wouldn’t say it was worth the cost of shipping (about as much as the soda). It was a fun experiment though.
One of these days, I’m going to drive down to Dublin. You can get Dublin Dr. Pepper at specialty grocery stores here, but you’ll pay a premium.
Kulturblog road trip! I think the Dublin pilgrimage should be followed by a side trip to Brenham, home of Bluebell ice cream.
I’m sure there is some recipe for Dr. Pepper that calls for some odd spices — Coke itself has a “secret formula” that apparently only 2 people in the world know, and they don’t fly on the same plane.
I still say, though, that Dr. Pepper is merely a cola with cherry.
The most interesting thing about Dr. Pepper is the name, though now that I think about it, it uses “pep” the same way Pepsi uses it.
You know, I love DP and I love cherry Coke- and they are different animals completely. I second the cardamom and clove undertones for DP.
D,
I have always thought that my mother is insane for loving Cherry Coke and hating Dr Pepper. They are similar enough that such things shouldn’t happen.
Rusy,
I figure that the cans cost about 2x what I pay for cans at the supermarket and the bottles cost about 3x what local cans cost. I would rather drink less of the better stuff than more of the good stuff.
I do drink the local when I run out, and I drink it out of the fountain for road trips. I must say that Dr Pepper is widly inconsistent as a fountain drink. I often wonder if they really have a bag/canister of Dr Pepper syrup back there or if they mixed leftover rootbeer with half empty cherry coke.
I should also note that while in Boston I would search high and low for Passover Coke and buy 10 to 15 two liters of it, which would last into the summer. The funny think is that I can’t stand regular HFCS Coke but I rather like the original.
ugh!
That should read:
I would rather drink less of the better stuff than more of the merely good stuff.
In actuality I probably just drink more of the better stuff and spend more money on it. Oh well.
I live in Stephenville (TX), it’s a 20 minute drive from my house to the Dublin bottling plant. We even have Dublin DP on tap out the gas station my parents own, but I can’t stand the stuff. It is too sweet for me and too expensive! You can get a 12 pack of regular DP for $3.00 or a 6-pack of Dublin for $2.50. I’ll stick with the corn-syrup… so I can afford my addiction.
Flavoring in Dr Pepper?
IMO the predominant flavor is actually almond, not cherry.
Reason: Oil of bitter almond, as found in almond extract, has been the non-secret flavor additive of maraschino cherries for many years. (Real cherries simply don’t have enough flavor of their own, so they need a little help when packaged and processed for human consumption.) It’s likely that we have collectively come to associate the genuinely almond taste of so-called “cherry flavoring” with the real thing.
And, BTW, the Dr Pepper company has long denied cherry as an ingredient in its brew.
Also, a little-known rumor of burnt rum being an ingredient in DP has persisted in recent years.
Dr Glenn, I definitely thing the predominant flavor in Diet Cherry Coke is almond. I don’t taste it as much in Dr. Pepper, though (I admit it’s always Diet Dr. Pepper I drink, when there is no Diet Coke to be found, so that might be skewing my perception). There’s probably some almond flavoring in there, but something else is giving it more of a bitter medicinal flavor too. Burnt rum flavoring I could maybe believe.
Hi, Allison.
My wife agrees with you about the mediciny taste of Dr Pepper, and this is why she doesn’t like it at all, to the point of being nauseated by it! (She says it tastes like Black Draught syrup to her.)
Some old-timers like myself remember Syrup of Black Draught laxative which tastes wicked and is, according to the label, flavored with such things as “rhubarb fluidextract, oil of star anise, and oil of ginger” IIRC. (My wife would have added “eye of newt.”) Whether these are some of the “23 flavors” I don’t know, but I just mention it as an aside. This may account for the mediciny taste, or it may not.
The burnt-rum suggestion maybe comes from the recipe for the somewhat dangerous alcoholic soft drink “Flaming Dr Pepper” which is made with Bacardi 151 with a shot of Amaretto, which is of course almond flavored. A shot glass full of 151, with a bit of Amaretto, is lit and dropped into a mug of beer. The concoction is then chugged, flames and all, and the resulting drink is said to taste identical to Dr Pepper, but with an alcoholic kick. (Notice: I DON’T RECOMMEND THIS BEVERAGE!!!)
Anyway, who knows? Maybe one of these days, Dr Pepper will finally decide to share the flavoring with the rest of us, but I doubt it. After all, if it contains “rhubarb fluidextract” I could well understand why the company wouldn’t want the world to know!
–”Dr Glenn”
(No, I’m not a real doctor, nor do I play one on TV!)
Several years ago in an anniversary celebration DP had collector cans showing past advertisements. One of them spoke of DP being liquid sunshine because of all the fruit flavors that it contained. Among the flavors listed in the add were blackberry, apricot, prunes/plums, oranges and others. I don’t think that the add was comprehensive, but there were several more listed – I just can’t remember them.
As far as what ingredients are among those magical 23, an all-natural Dr Pepper substitute i sometimes drink includes star anise, which i think is a reasonable possibility.
I began drinking Dr Pepper in the mid-1960s as a teenager. It was only availible in Texas at the time. The father of a friend was an airline pilot and he’d bring back cases to us in Illinois.
The real sugar stuff is truly better than the high fructose corn sweetener stuff. Some friends have family near Dublin TX and they bring back a case or two when they visit. I only get a can or two, and i treasure them.
I remember stuff from the old labels
10 – 2 – and 4
Good hot or cold
(has anyone actually ever drunk Dr Pepper *hot*?)
I don’t understand how anyone thinks that Dr. Pepper is cola with cherry. For years the only kind of pop that I would drink was cherry pepsi and trust me, there is a HUGE difference. The two taste nothing alike. I agree with the idea that there are spices in the soda hence the name but one thing does bother me, if there are cherry or vanilla flavors than why is there cherry vanilla Dr. Pepper. If those two flavors were already in the pop than why would they name it that?
About Cherry Vanilla DP, my own little guess is that synthetic cherry flavors is used in the flavoring in addition to the “23 whatevers” that are supposed to be there. Also maybe real vanilla extract. (?)
There’s only one flavoring that’s been more or less confirmed to be in Dr Pepper: that of vanillin, or imitation vanilla. This is found in the book “Big Secrets” by William Poundstone. Mr. Poundstone doesn’t dig much deeper, but he does cite an industry source for that bit of information.
It’s also obvious from the label that artificial flavors predominate over natural flavors because of the order: “Artificial and Natural Flavors.”
Hmmm….interesting. So if vanillin is the only artificial flavor, then that means it’s number 1 of the 23, maybe?
Okay, so what are the remaining 22?
–Dr Glenn
(I’m not a doctor nor do I play one on TV.)
Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper is nasty, nasty stuff. Whatever the 23 flavors are, they work together well. The icky immitation cherry and vanilla on top if it don’t. Berry Cream Dr. Pepper is slightly better, but still not right.
So where are all the Get 23 Icons on their website, I was bored and found all but the first one.
Back to 23 flavors question:
#1 is vanillin, from the source already cited (William Poundstone’s “Big Secrets.)
Here’s why I still vote for essential oil from bitter almond as being another ingredient:
1. The cherry-like taste. Imitation cherry flavoring has been made from oil of bitter almond for many moons. Here’s the evidence from the US FDA, with regard to “maraschino cherries”:
http://www.fda.gov/ora/compliance_ref/cpg/cpgfod/cpg550-550.html
2. Almond belongs to genus Prunus, which also covers over 30 other trees and plants, many of which bear edible fruits. Here is a listing of the different species from that genus, many of which we will immediately recognize:
http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Rosaceae/Prunus.html
This would cover most or all of the theoretical “23 fruit flavors” quite nicely, I think.
3. “Prune Juice” is that old persistent rumor, but is a really a hint disguised as a rumor. Since prunes are from plums and plums are in genus Prunus (and so is almond) then “prune juice” may also mean a “liquid derived from a plant of genus Prunus.” In other words, oil of bitter almond!
Other facts:
Since we’ve come to mistake almond flavor with cherries, it’s also likely that we’ve come to associate a “mediciny” taste with an essential oil from a spice used to flavor medicines with the taste of medicine itself. Likely sources: anise, ginger, etc. (Read about anise here:
http://www.kalyx.com/store/proddetail.cfm/ItemID/24218.0/CategoryID/12500.0/SubCatID/30.0/file.htm)
Burnt rum? Not likely, say I! Reason: How could this old drink have been prepared during the Prohibition era of the 1920s to early 1930s? But I affirm that it’s still possible that the rum could have been prepared (burnt) in another country, and then shipped to the US–assuming this was even legal. I also think it’s coincidental that “Flaming Dr Pepper” might bear a resemblance in taste to the original drink, not because there is any direct connection. But, if there is a resemblance, it’s due to the almond flavor of the amaretto.
If oil of almond, or anything from almond, is actually used in the Dr Pepper formula, there is one big problem. Sadly, some people have a very dangerous allergy to almonds, even in the form of extract. So if there is actually any oil of bitter almond, or anything of the sort in the drink, then the company should come off its “proprietary information” and “23 flavors” BS and provide a warning.
So there!
Cheerfully yours,
–”Dr Glenn”
(I’d rather be a plumber than a doctor anyway.)
To say DP tastes like cherry coke is crazy. Mr Pibb yes but cherry coke?..not just no, but he__ no!
My husband once opened the pit from an Apricot and ate the little seed inside. He said it tasted just like Dr Pepper. ???
And recently, we bought a bad batch of DP and quite drinking it for a while. Someone even told us that they had changed the flavor, not just the label. However, I emailed DP and they said they have not changed the formulation, it was just a bad batch. They send the concentrated syrup out to the independent bottlers who mix it and put it in cans and bottles. Maybe the bottler messed up.
Anyway, while we were off DP for awhile, I was getting my daily fix from Cherry Coke instead. I never really associated the two, but I think there is something about Cherry Coke that is similar to DP.
Paco
There was a Travial Pursuit question that mentioned this dilemma a bit of time ago
mentioned the flavors from many juices, including quite a bit of vegetable juice flavors that I found a bit surprising
I can’t remember too much, but I do recall tomato and carrot
Hmmmm – here’s my theory:
Dr. Pepper equals root beer, black cherry and anise
Check out this info on rootbeer and see if the ingredients listed here couldn’t make up at LEAST half of the ‘Mysterious 23′!
“Root beer has its origins in what is referred to as “small beers.” Small beers are a collection of local beverages (some alcoholic, some not) made during colonial times in America from a variety of herbs, barks, and roots that included: birch beer, sarsparilla beer, ginger beer and root beer. Ingredients in early root beers included allspice, birch bark, coriander, juniper, ginger, wintergreen, hops, burdock root, dandelion root, spikenard, pipsissewa, guaiacum chips, sarsaparilla, spicewood, wild cherry bark, yellow dock, prickly ash bark, sassafras root*, vanilla beans, hops, dog grass, molasses and licorice.”
Man, I thought you guys were crazy, saying the taste had changed. However, the can I’m drinking now is definitely different. It’s much sweeter and doesn’t have the subtle flavors that it normally does. I could easily mistake it for cherry vanilla coke.
Although this is in fact a new can, I had been drinking DP from the new cans all last week and they tasted fine. So it must be inconsistencies in bottling or something.
@socalsan: Yeah, I’ve always thought I tasted root beer in there. Now that you mention it, I bet that one ingredient could make up a significant chunk of the “23 flavors”.
My husbands family is from Dublin TX. my mother in law visits there and brings us back the pure can sugar glass bottled DP. it’s FANTASTIC….but it certainly does make you less enthused about the stuff we get here in Michigan. i recommend that any true DP fan give it a try!
yeah well this “delemia”
is all funny
but
i was at McDonalds with a couple friends
playing with the foutian drinks
i added lemon iced tea,orange juice,lemon lime,coke,and a few others i forget and the result was a perfect blend to create dr.pepper
it was exact
i bought a dr.pepper across the street and had people try it and the new “mixture”and they all said that they were both dr.pepper
anywho,
the comment about root beer making up a good sum of the flavors is a very good thought
Interesting enough, I heard a rumor years ago that the flavoring of Dr. Pepper is derived from the pit of a peach. I cracked open a peach pit and discovered a kernel inside shaped not unlike an almond, and having a flavor similar to that of Dr. Pepper!
Randy – fond of cyanide, are you?
Is almond classified as a nut? If so, you’d think they would have one of those all important “may contain peanuts or traces of tree nuts,” warning right on the DP label, right?
Dr Pepper sucks…Cherry Coke will rule the world, as it wil be drank by the pack of wild dogs that will eventually overrun all civillization as we know it…
out of 23 flavors, one of them has to be chicken.
Im suprised no one has mentioned the obvious spice which is most likely added as a flavor. PEPPER! Vanillin, Pepper, Cherry extract..etc..????
There’s definitely a hint of plum in there…i taste amaretto too…hmm that could be the chinese food.
Mt Dew is what everyone needs to be drinking…Dr Pepper isnt all that good..and i find it hard to believe that there are 23 flavors in it…yea right… until i see a list of them all its just a mix of crap to make Dr Pepper…thanks
Um…and Mt. Dew is what, exactly? Sort of weekly, but highly sweetened, citrus-y stuff? No thanks, I’ll pass.
Okay I did that Get23 game on their website too and I found all but clue #19 “There’s nothing diet about where I”m hiding.” And I’ve looked for weeks and can’t find it….anyone know where it is?? This is making me crazy!
Thanks in advance.
I have tried DP hot, it brings out a different flavor all together. But I would never do it again, unless I need a laxative!
In response to the questiong about the #19 clue on the DP Get23 game, go to the product link and click on the Diet DP. Once your there the icon you’re looking for is the dot on the “i” of Diet Dr. Pepper on the bottle itself. Hope this helps.
Mari
I think that since there probably was no prune flavored soda when the inventor was mixing drinks to create DrPepper, I belive the company when they claim to have no prune flavor in DrPepper. Also, soda sweetened with real cane sugar tastes better than soda sweetened with corn syrup – that’s why so many people like Coke made in Mexico rather than Coke made in America. Soda bottled in glass also tastes better than soda bottled in plastic or canned. I also hear from a history teacher that I had a while ago, that freshly made DrPepper tastes completely different than DrPepper that is a few days old (they taste so different that you can’t compare the two).
I drink Dr. Pepper and I’m proud!
Some possible flavors might be grape, cola, cherry, vanilla, orange, and leomon-lime.
There are 2 ways to drink DP “hot”:
1- warm the DP up on the stove until just before it starts to simmer– then pour it in a mug containing a thin slice of lemon.
2- warm the DP up on the stove with a cinnamon stick floating in the DP. Remove the cinnamon, pour the DP in a mug. (this is something my family has done for years)
With the lemon, it has a more mellow taste. With the cinnamon, it definitely gives it more of a kick! Warning– only heat up the real stuff. Heating/Baking (yes, you can bake with DP!) will destroy the sweetener in the diet drinks. That’s why you shouldn’t cook with the stuff that’s in the blue or pink packs.
DP has never been a cola, and will never be a Cherry Coke. There was a court battle back in the day to determine whether it was a cola or not. The courts decided it was NOT A COLA. For it to be a cola, it would have to have the extract from the cola plant. Never has been, never will be.
If you think of how many different soda syrups are out there, I wouldn’t be surprised if grapefruit, orange, peach, grape, almond, and others are in there. I believe that Prune juice has never been a part of DP. Plum? Maybe. Prune? Doubt it.
Not like anyone is going to read this far down…
I don’t care what the company line is. Dr. Pepper IS made from prune juice! IT WAS LISTED ON THE CAN WHEN I WAS A KID! I still clearly remember reading “prune juice” under the ingredients list on a can back in the late 70s or early 80s. It was the last ingredient listed.
At some point I mentioned the prune juice thing to my best friend. I don’t know how much time passed between reading the can and telling my friend, but I know I told her prior to 1983. We stopped hanging out by the time we hit 6th grade. Anyway, she didn’t believe me. We got into a huge argument and we settled it by walking to the store. The can we looked at together only said “natural ingredients”.
I will never forget being “proven” wrong about the prune juice thing. I don’t know what year they changed the listing from “prune juice” to “natural ingredients”, but they did it and it pisses me off that the company won’t own up to it. They’d rather lie than lose customers who are grossed out by prunes.
i like dr pepper but i have no idea what it is someone tell me what it is!!!
i know its a some drink
Angostura Bitters? Does anyone else taste this?
Root Beer, Cola, Cherry, and Angostura Bitters. It was a frequent stomach soother in the 1930′s I think, but I am not sure about this.
Ok i only drink the normal Dr pepper, i guess the one with fructose,..and its all good to me,..never tasted a love like it before,…and in my opionion it tastes like liquid sherburt,….but after reading everyones comments,..ive come to the conclusion it contains all that coke contains,..but that extract from the coke plant?…erg make sense,..probably not,..well i dnt know,..since ive been drinking it my health has got better,..so the prune rumour might be true,. i hate prunes,.but this stuff is way better than any other softdrink ive had,..have it anyday,..ditched the V energy drink.
is dr.pepper saying that they have 23 flavors or 23 ingredients? how many of these “flavors” are just the everyday things we find in other sodas?
I live in Texas and have had both kinds of DP. I much prefer the Dublin DP but do believe it is very pricey. I have been dring DP since I was a teenager and do not like any other brand. I even got a store manager to get it for me when I lived in Ohio in the early 70′s. Love it!!!!!!!! Love it!!!!!! Love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
I love Dr. Pepper. I just wondering what are the 23
flavors in Dr.Pepper. I need to know what is in there.
I love dr.pepper
I like dr pepper, but i don’t see why they are advertising 23 flavors like it’s a good thing… the more stuff that’s in there the grosser, and probably the worse it is for you!
hmm…lets see… cherry, vanilla, caramel, chocolate??, saspirilla root (as in root beer), ginger?, crack cocaine??? screw you dr. pepper…dont tell me there’s 23 flavors and then when i ask what they are “oh thats a secret”…yeah real funny DP
anchovie paste
orange juice
squid ink
earwax
mustard
spicy mustard
pineapple top
facial hair
pocket lint
jalapeno salsa
barbecue sauce
axle grease
trout
molybdenum
italian sausage
grass clippings
beef stew
fear
shag carpet
goat
richard nixon
pork rinds
coke
there are so many different answers to the 23 flavors of dr.pepper but i really wish on the commercials that they would tell us xome of the flavvors because i love dr.pepper and i really want to know!!!
i think there’s a black liquirice flavor in it….does anyone else taste it????
My guess is that the 23 flavors are the leftovers of all the other sodas that the company makes
I remember drinking warmed up Dr Pepper as a kid. Just heat it up in a saucepan on the stove as described above with a lemon slice. You may be pleasantly surprised at how good it is.
It has been awhile since I had warmed Dr Pepper. I’ll have to have it soon and try it with the cinnamon stick.
meh, read everything, so i thought i would at least post. Also coming here in hopes of finding out the answer. Are you telling me in this day in age they cannot do a chemical analysis to get what the flavors are? Is that aganist the law? if i had the money time and knowhow…..
It’s people…. Dr. Pepper is made of people!
What the hellare the 23 flavors!!!!!!
It’s not cherry coke. You’re a moron!
there is something in doctor pepper that me and many people aren’t tolerant too…if I drink it I get horrible abdominal cramps…this only happens with dr.pepper…not any other soda from any brand (including the no name knock off’s of Dr. Pepper)
Mike, very interesting.
Do you have any known allergies? Tree nuts, for example?
I used to work at DR Pepper. Let me tell you a little secret: There are only 22 flavors until the janitors add their own flavor late at night. I come from a long line of janitors. I don’t recommend drinking Dr pepper warm.
I agree with Mat Mt. Dew is the bomb. And to the DP semi expert, prunes are just dried out plums so tell me what the difference is between prune juice and plum juice, besides the fact that a prune will make less juice than a plum? I really don’t are what the 23 flavors are, but I agree with some of the posters here that the more flavors you mix together the more disgusting and probably unhealthier it will become.
Straight from the Dr Pepper website:
Q: Does Dr Pepper contain prune juice?
A: Dr Pepper is a unique blend of natural and artificial flavors; it does not contain prune juice.
We think we have found 14 of the 23….
Cola
Cherry
Black Licorice
Amaretto
Vanilla
Blackberry
Caramel
Pepper
Anise
Root beer
Molasses
Lemon
Plum
Orange
Yes I know the last message was 2 years ago but maybe we can get it started again
I figured I’d throw my thought into the 23 flavors of DP if there really are 23.
these are labeled in no particular order let me know what you think
Plum
Nutmeg
cardamon
Fennel
Clove
Vanilla
Almond
Lemon
Raspberry
Blackberry
Orange
Rum Extract
Ginger
Apricot
Star Anise
Licorice
Grape
Coriander (sp?)
acid now it is phosphoric acid I believe
water
caffeine
sugar
coloring
Matt,
That’s a pretty good list.
Has anyone tried Cherry Dr. Pepper. It’s not bad, although I’m pretty sure cherry is one of the original 23, so it’s a bit redundant. Cherry Dr. Pepper reminds me of Cheerwine, a regional soft drink native to North Carolina.
i searched 23 flavors of doctor pepper on google and this is what came up first.. but i have no proof to back this
1. Amaretto
2. Almond
3. Blackberry
4. Black Licorice
5. Carrot
6. Clove
7. Cherry
8. Caramel
9. Cola
10. Ginger
11. Juniper
12. Lemon
13. Molasses
14. Nutmeg
15. Orange
16. Prune
17. Plum
18. Pepper
19. Root Beer
20. Rum
21. Raspberry
22. Tomato
23. Vanilla
BTD Greg,
I bought a 12 pack of Cherry Dr Pepper recently and was surprised at how much I liked it. Much better than Cherry-Vanilla Dr Pepper, which was way too sweet.
Yes, Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper is a mess. Too sweet and too many clashing flavors (which is ironic, given the topic of this thread). Or maybe the problem is that the flavors they added are to cloying.
Since the creation of Dr. Pepper Cherry does that change the 23 flavor factor?
Not if cherry is already on the list!
. It would just move up several spots.
This post gets more hits via Google than any other post by far. I’ve no idea why.
Because people are always googling “What are the 23 flavors in Dr.Pepper?”
And when they do, we’re number one.
I’d like to think it’s because I’m such an awesome blogger, but I’m not ready to take on that kind of delusion right now.
I think there is some apple in there too.
The cherry/almond flavor is certainly benzaldehyde and perhaps some other cherry-like aldehydes. As someone said, it’s quite pronounced in the diet version.
Diet Dr Pepper is by far the best diet soda in America, I am drinking one as I type.
Coke Light, not sold in America, is also very good.
Doc,
I don’t drink diet, but I understand that Coke Zero is pretty close to Coke Light.
I’ve tried Coke Light and Coke Zero at the same time and have reached the conclusion that the two are essentially identical. Both use the same mix of artificial sweeteners (a combo of aspartame and Ace-K).
One issue with Coke Zero (my soft drink of choice, btw) is that the artificial sweeteners tend to get less sweat the older the can gets, so a “fresh” Coke Zero tastes better and sweeter than an old can.
I’ve always wondered what the 23 flavours of Dr. Pepper are. But I know that there’s definately NOT any Rootbeer because Mr. Pibb (which, no matter what people at restraunts say when they don’t have Dr. Pepper and offer Mr. Pibb, does NOT taste like DP) is a rootbeer product. Dr. Pepper isn’t. Dr. Pepper is a citrus product because, up until a year or two ago (well, in Knoxville, TN), one of the ingrediants according to the label was “Citric acid”.
And I agree that the original recipe is best. I was born in Abilene, TX and lived there until I was about 7, so I know that it’s better. I haven’t had it since moving from Texas, so I don’t remember JUST what it tastes like, just that it tastes better. If anyone knows where I could find Dr. Pepper made with Pure Cane Sugar in Knoxville, Tennessee, I’d greatly appreciate it.
-Rhyan
there is definitely almond in it…
what is the recipe
peple do they work with you
Rhyan,
As I mentioned way up in comment #1, go to dublindrpepper.com and order yourself some of the good stuff.
I just drink it…
I recently moved to Waco, TX. The birthplace of DP. Yesterday my girlfriend and I went to the Dr Pepper museum. According to one of the displays DP was made to “taste like the complex smell of a pharmacy”. We also picked up some Dubblin DP, DP Jellybellies, and had DP floats made at a soda fountain by hand with syrup and soda water. Fun place!
Ha! Because, how often to you think to yourself, “You know what I could go for *right now*? Something that tastes just like a pharmacy smells!”?
<homer> Cough syrup. Umm. </homer>
I just found out that Pepsi/Coke has cinamon in it so im sure there are some herbs and spices but it is positively CHERRY VANILLA PEPSI! The cheryy Dr P just goes overboard with the cherry flavor as does cherry van. Dr P. But Dr Pepper is definitely cherry vanilla Pepsi!
Wow I just spent an hour of my life reading this and learned absolutely nothing kept me entertainted tho. I think dp definatly has some of the same ingredients as root beer and has anywon tryed crush birch beer? Definatly some similaritys there!
I have Confirmed the 23 Flavors of Dr.Pepper i talked to a Dr.pepper worker on the phone you cna contact them at there number or email go to Drpepper.com for more details 1-800-696-5891 They will not answer any questions from someone under the age of 13 it is there policy! 22 Flavors are in Dr.pepper the one not in Dr.pepper are Prune there is no Prune but
Amaretto
Almond
Blackberry
Black Licorice
Carrot
Clove
Cherry
Caramel
Cola
Ginger
Juniper
Lemon
Molasses
Nutmeg
Orange
Plum
Pepper
Root Beer
Rum
Rasberry
Tomato
Vanilla are confirmed and definitly in Dr.pepper but there is NO PRUNE WHAT SO EVER!
Facts are Facts
Also I do not know the 23rd Flavor i did not ask i was so happy i knew the 22 i forgot the 23rd haha! tell me if you have confirmed the 23rd and what it is! THERE IS NO PRUNE THOUGH!
103.I have Confirmed the 23 Flavors of Dr.Pepper i talked to a Dr.pepper worker on the phone you cna contact them at there number or email go to Drpepper.com for more details 1-800-696-5891 They will not answer any questions from someone under the age of 13 it is there policy! 22 Flavors are in Dr.pepper the one not in Dr.pepper are Prune there is no Prune but
Amaretto
Almond
Blackberry
Black Licorice
Carrot
Clove
Cherry
Caramel
Cola
Ginger
Juniper
Lemon
Molasses
Nutmeg
Orange
Plum
Pepper
Root Beer
Rum
Rasberry
Tomato
Vanilla are confirmed and definitly in Dr.pepper but there is NO PRUNE WHAT SO EVER!
it contains no prune “juice”, but, it contains prune “flavoring”. Now, you are all enlightened and I will be fired from Dr. Pepper.
How would prune flavoring be different from plum flavoring?
I do appreciate you sacrificing your job for the good of this thread though, Jason.
Wow! Really loves the taste of DP and always will! Can’t believe I just read every comment from My BlackBerry, but loved seeing all the different points everyone has made! Maybe one day we will know the true flavorings, but until then screw it! Its great, so drink it up!
Youre all being fooled. There isnt 23 flavors that are “real” flavors. It more than likely has two or three actual flavors and the rest are all man made flavorings. They probably even count the preservatives and coloring added as one of the “23 flavors”.
okk…lets see. I’m with my dad at work and I CAN DEFINELTY taste…
-chocolate
-cherry
-vanilla
-and maybe a teensy bit of raspberry?
-and is there cream?(maybe ice cream….?)
and i know its kinda silly but I can kinda taste them in that order.
“Hot” Dr. Pepper is a beverage served from the concession stands at high school football games in North Texas. I never had the guts to try it when I lived there, but I could see how it would taste alright, I guess.
Thanks Jason! I’m glad we have the prune flavor understood!
I live in Australia, they sold Dr Pepper in the late 90′s. I loved it! But you can only buy it from specialty stores that import it from america now, somehow it tastes different to me.
I was surprised to see 23 flavors on the can, really can anyone taste 23 different flavors at once? it seems people taste a dominant flavor that they like, I guess the more flavors the more chance your going to taste something you like.
I heard that Coke tastes slightly different all over the world, marketing is flavor to different international palates. Perhaps this is why the American Dr Pepper tastes sweeter and more cherry/raspberry to me than the spicy aniseed/licorice/sarsaparilla flavor I remember drinking when it was sold in Australia.
In Australia most sweet things are flavored with cane sugar rather than corn syrup (we are one of the biggest sugar cane growers internationally) , maybe the Australian one tasted different because of the sugar (I’ve also been told that American’s have a sweeter palate than Australian’s in general). I’m just glad we can buy it at all!
i can taste aniseed vanila butnot too much chery.
mabe its diferent here in new zealand.
I live in NZ too and LOVE Dr Pepper. I don’t really bother with trying to taste out the ingredients in the drink. If there were 23 (or 22) flavours then the flavouring wouldn’t be heavy, as that would clash all the flavours. I don’t see why Dr Pepper has to hide their 23 (or 22) for the drink in a KFC-esque sort of way. I mean it’s patented and they don’t have to tell their major ingredients.
Dr Pepper is not “basically cherry coke”. Cherry Coke is “basically Dr Pepper” (they may sound the same but they aren’t). Dr Pepper was first manufactured 100 years before Cherry Coke (I’m not kidding – according to Wikipedia, Dr Pepper was first widely served in 1885, and Cherry Coke was first widely served in 1985). Meaning that Dr Pepper is in NO way an imitation of Cherry Coke (which I see has been stated on this blog in an almost derogatory way).
For those who say Dr Pepper tastes like cough syrup, if you Had to make a choice, would you drink 335 ml of cough syrup or 335 ml of Dr Pepper. Personally, I’d choose the latter.
For those of you commenting that Dr Pepper hurts your stomach and whatnot, a friends mom had the SAME problem. She called DP MULTIPLE times trying to get a list of whats in it. FINALLY got one. IT HAS MEAT BYPRODUCTS IN IT! Shes ALLERGIC to red meat and the byproducts. If you have a recovering alcoholic friend out there whos a vegitarian, and this is what they took over to stop drinking alcohol, DONT TELL THEM!
If I had to guess at one of the flavors, I would have to say it’s almond extract. I have had plenty of flaming dr peppers and one of the ingredients in that is Amaretto which has almond etract in it. Next time you’re t the store, smell a bottle of the almond extract and seewhat you think.
Well, after 3,186 cans of Dr. Pepper, and an extended time behind closed doors, barricaded windows, fearing human contact, and playing World of War Craft… I have deliberated and debated with my multiple personalities and devised this final list of the 23 flavors. It goes as follows, in no particular order of importance or realism:
1. Hate.
2. That stuff the Gremlins hatched out of. You know, the goopy stuff.
3. Leprechauns.
4. The tears of orphans.
5. Medical waste. (for color and flavor!)
6. Farm fertilizer runoff.
7. Gun powder.
8. Smurfs.
9. Kessler’s… or some other cheap whiskey.
10. Shame.
11. Self-hatred.
12. Suicide.
13. Pharmaceutical grade morphine.
14. Dirt.
15. Clam juice.
16. Untested hallucinogenic compounds.
17. Battery acid.
18. Ball gag (artificial flavoring only).
19. KY Lubricant… the gel kind, not the liquid.
20. Leather.
21. Rubber.
22. Traumatic childhood.
23. Cheez-Whiz.
I’m reasonably certain these are the flavors I’ve been tasting… at least for the past few months. Is there a new Halo out yet….. where did I put my Dr. Pepper!??? OMG!!!!!! No!!!!!!!!!!!! …….
………..
………..
………..
K, I found it. It was under my stomach. Man… 3,187…
You all are certifiable….
1)prunes are dried plums which makes the flavor more concentrated. duh.
2)does it really make a difference what it contains? unless you have a severe allergy, that is??
3)passover DP is made with cane sugar, just like the Dublin DP, and Canadian or Mexican colas and soft drinks…
I bet the “cough syrup” taste is Root Beer!
I do tast artificial cherry and amaretto, whish, as already mentioned are probably just one single ingredient. But if some sort of almond flavouring in one of the ingredients, then it is most definitely artificial, since products are required by law to state on the label if the product contains severe allergens.
Plus, I had a roommate who was deathly allergic to peanuts and tree nuts (I mean, the SMELL of an almond would be cause enough for her to use an epi-pen), and she drank dr pepper all the time.
“whish, as already mentioned are probably just one single ingredient. But if some sort of almond flavouring in one of the ingredients”
…that should be “which” and “is”. It’s been a very, very long day.
I can’t come up with 23 flavors, but three that I most detect would be raspberry, almond, and clove. I read somewhere (although I don’t know how much truth there is to this) that originally the flavor of Dr Pepper was supposed to imitate the smell of a soda shop and is therefore just a mishmash of different fruit flavors.
I drink Diet Dr Pepper (haven’t drank regular soda for 15 years) and I am convinced that it is the more healthy of the diet sodas out there. There are what seem to be the least harmful of the artificial sweeteners in it. And I am addicted
Tastes like cherry cola to me. I always thought that’s what it is. Anyway it would be my favorite cherry cola.
I think whale cum is one of the flavors…
Violet, as in the violet used to flavor C. Howard gum/ mints; a blend of apricot pits & almonds similar to that used in the making of amaretto; horehound.
I know all the flavors!
Amaretto, Almond, Blackberry, Black Licorice, Carrot, Clove, Cherry, Caramel, Cola, Ginger, Juniper, Lemon, Molasses, Nutmeg, Orange, Prune, Plum, Pepper, Root Beer Rum, Raspberry, Tomato and Vanilla
i don’t really care what the flavors are. i don’t like the stuff……….
When I was a kid it had a licorice taste with a spicy kick. It was also sweeter. Now it is significantly blander then 30 yrs ago. Whereas Coke tastes the same to me.
See this may sound weird, but Birthday Cake is also one of the flavors. Im dead serious…
1. Amaretto
2. Almond
3. Blackberry
4. Black Licorice
5. Carrot
6. Clove
7. Cherry
8. Caramel
9. Cola
10. Ginger
11. Juniper
12. Lemon
13. Molasses
14. Nutmeg
15. Orange
16. Prune
17. Plum
18. Pepper
19. Root Beer
20. Rum
21. Raspberry
22. Tomato
23. Vanilla
Interesting list, regan.
As we’ve seen before, though, I don’t see how you can list “plum” and “prune” as two separate flavors.
Almond, it is that simple, I run a lab, we took it apart and it was almond extract. Period. Try this: take a coke and add Ameratta, and tell me what it taste like. Discussion over
I’m drinking a doctor pepper right now!
I can taste the following flavors if I drink it slow enough in no particular order:
1. Caramel
2. Chocolate
3. Cherry
4. Vanilla
I’m pretty sure it’s cherry cola with a dash of caramelized pickle juice.
Btw, its way more then cherry coke, my dad says its cherry root beer. the only people that think this is people who dont drink it much.
OK, as i type I am drinking some Dr. Pepper, and I almost certainly taste prune/plum in it.
Has anyone mentioned licorice and cinnamon? I’ve always thought those were two very obvious flavors, along with root beer and cherry. (Or is it almond?
)
I think that one of the major ingredients is jallab, a date flavored Lebanese drink.
Does anybody on this list even read what the people before them have said?!?!? Debate champs you all ain’t.
Maybe there’s a big vat somewhere where Dr. Pepper himself, plus 22 of his personal accoutrements, has been left to ferment with sugar syrup…
Pretty certain there’s violet extract in it as it smells just like violet perfume when you open it…………….
There is some carrot juice in there too.
I have seen the standard list go by about 4 times on here. As one has mentioned prune and plum are listed separately which may be a hint that the list is not accurate but the problem I have with it was the pepper and tomato. I find it hard to believe that there is tomato flavor in it. And I think pepper is on the list for obvious reasons.
As for Fennel, anise and licorice, these are all very similar flavors.
Found an interesting article that discusses the cherry, apricot, almond debate.
http://www.bukisa.com/articles/186584_what-are-the-23-flavors-in-dr-pepper
And all the old schoolers say Cane Sugar is better in soda than corn syrup. There is an entire grocery store near LA that has racks of all specialty sodas for that very reason.
Anyway I hate Dr.. pepper from a bad experience as a child and I drink Diet Coke! BUT I am married to and the mother of 3 DP fanatics so I thought this was fun!
I believe they use neotame, a very high intensity sweetener as a flavor enhancer
I know that prune juice is one of the flavors
the 23rd flavor has got to be crack
Iam obessed w/ Dr.Pepper and statrted a Dr.Pepper and I am only 11. I dont know about all the dodo taste and what not but yall have issues if u dont like Dr.Pepper
There are a lot of speculations about the prune being in or out. Have you ever thought about the currant? There is even a Texas Currant (or “wild currant”).
First of all – Almonds are not a nut.. They are the pit of a fruit, so people with nut allergies regardless would not be affected by Dr. Pepper even if it had almond oil in it.
- Dr. Pepper uses artificial flavorings and not actual flavor essences, oils, or juices.
As for the flavors, in my opinion..
There seems to be an undertone of spice… similar to pumpkin pie spice or chai… So I’m guessing:
Nutmeg,
Cinnamon,
Cardamom,
Maybe black pepper
Ginger? – I don’t expressly taste ginger but it definitely could be a component of this spicy layer..
(I don’t taste the birch-y root beer taste that some people claim at all. I don’t like root beer though and it has a pretty distinct flavor to me.)
There is also a fruity/dessert layer…. For this I taste:
Cherry,
Vanilla,
Blackberry/Raspberry
Cake? -Could be the vanilla + a hint of sweet cream/cream cheese..
Possibly plum..
I’m also really getting a toasted marshmallow flavor. Does anyone else see this?
- I can also totally see tomato as in a sweet, fresh, raw beefsteak tomato. Definitely not a tomato soup or ketchup flavor, though… It’s not something I expressly taste, but I would believe it.
So this is my inconclusive, unofficial list based on what I can taste:
99% Sure:
1- Nutmeg
2- Cinnamon
3- Cardamom
4- Cherry
5- Vanilla
6- Berry
7- Sweet cream/cream cheese
8- Plum
9- Toasted marshmallow
10- Almond
Probably:
11- Ginger
12- Black pepper
13- Caramel
I would believe it, but I don’t taste it specifically:
14- Peach
15- Tomato
16- Clove
17- Maple (don’t know if this has been mentioned yet)
18- Chocolate
19- Orange
20- Molasses
Doubting, but possible:
21- Cola
22- Carrot
23- Birch/Root Beer
24- Lemon
I know there are 24 in my list, but I’m sure it’s got some that are not included, and is missing some that are. It’s just my best guess.
I’ve noticed a lot of people allergic to nuts tend to also be allergic to almonds even if it technically isn’t a nut. (My son is, for instance, although I love almonds)
Wait, what? Almonds aren’t nuts? Next you’re going to tell me that tomatoes aren’t vegetables. Sheesh.
My world? Rocked.
Since when are almonds not nuts? What are they then? People? Oh noooo! Almonds are peeeeeeople!
So sayeth Wikipedia:
“The fruit of the almond is not a true nut, but a drupe, consisting of an outer hull and a hard shell with the seed (“nut”) inside.”
If it’s on the Internet, it must be true…
Don’t tell anyone, but chocolate comes from the seed of a fruit. Although I’m pretty sure it’s not in Dr. Pepper.
Come on. Ain’t no such thing as a drupe. But hey, have fun snipe hunting.
Also, cashew nuts are considered to be nuts in the culinary sense but not in the botanical sense. Well, at least that is what the wikipedia says at this moment. If you go to a Brazilian restaurant and ask for cashew juice they’ll serve you something made from the fruit that tastes faintly like the “nut”.
Or, much more likely, they’ll just laugh themselves silly.
Caju is a very popular fruit drink in Brazil and I order it frequently here in the US. Nobody has laughed as long as you don’t count my dining companions.
I’m just glad there’s a bar around here where you can practice your alternative lifestyle.
Tomatoes are technically fruit. Anything that flowers/has seeds is a fruit.
Peas?
Peas:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pea
Botanically a fruit.
One of those spices is also in Arby’s barbeque sauce, I know, because they both make me nausated and act insanely and may cause blackouts. I rarely have these problems and Arby’s sause is worse than Dr. Pepper, so the ingrediant must be quite rare. I have recently met others like me amd we are wondering what the ingrediant is that makes us act and feel so weird.
It’s called Mary Jane, Matt. Loco Weed. Maui Wowie. Lumbo Gold. Doobage. Yep, it’s the secret ingredient.
I doubt there’s cannabis in Dr. Pepper, but Coca-Cola is, indeed, still flavored with the coca extract.
1. Amaretto 2. Almond 3. Blackberry 4. Black Licorice 5. Carrot 6. Clove 7. Cherry 8. Caramel 9. Cola 10. Ginger 11. Juniper 12. Lemon 13. Molasses 14. Nutmeg 15. Orange 16. Prune 17. Plum 18. Pepper 19. Root Beer 20. Rum 21. Raspberry 22. Tomato 23. Vanilla
These are the flavors..Quarenteed! Dispute it all you want..this is fact and undeniable!
That’s great except that amaretto and almond are the same thing, as are plum and prune, essentially.
Well, the original Coke recipe is available — makes a medicine like soda just as it was before it was changed.
The original Dr. Pepper is probably similar.
Could Dr Pepper contain some of the secret Coca-Cola flavors? Orange oil, Lemon oil, Nutmeg oil, Coriander, Neroli, Cinnamon
I’d just like to know what I’ve been drinking my whole life.
Texas has lots of cattle. I wonder if beef is one of the 23 flavors.
aspera,
Cinnamon seems likely, as does at least one of the citrus oils.
I really doubt that beef is one of the flavors. If it is, then they really should keep the 23 flavors a secret.
Amaretto is not usually made from almonds, although it’s often thought to taste like them. The most common brand, Disaronno, for instance, is made from apricot pits, and contains no nuts of any sort.
My biggest problem with the lists that we’ve seen here is that the Dr Pepper packaging states that it includes “artificial and natural flavors”, meaning that there are more of the former than the latter. The lists posted here contain all natural ingredients (with the debatable exception of Amaretto).
Also, some of the comments here regarding Amaretto seem to ignore the existence of amaretto syrup, a very common non-alcoholic flavoring used in coffees and such.
I was also troubled by the inclusion of “pepper” on those lists, not in the least because that word could mean one of three or four different things. Oh, and the fact that the soft drink does not taste peppery.
There also seems to be some disagreement–coming from Dr Pepper itself–as to whether there are 23 flavorings added, or 23 *fruit* flavorings, with some of their marketing materials specifically making the latter claim.
i hate this i cant even get the 23 flavor for my speech.
never mind i love dr. pepper it is good but wh cant we get the flavors for it why.
how is this for my speech
wat does 10-2-4 on the dr.pepper represent? he #10-2-4 repesent the time of the day ur energy in low
ive heard that there is plum juice
Amy: Amaretto comes from the Italian word for almond.
From wikipedia:
“Amaretto (plural amaretti) usually refers to an almond-flavored Italian liqueur, but can also refer to:
Almond-flavored cookies:
Almond macaroon (with almond paste or meal)
Amaretti di Saronno in Lombardy, Italy
Almond meringue (with egg whites)
Almond biscuits (twice baked, with whole eggs)
Biscotti, widely known, especially in Italy, Spain, and North America
A flavor agent using almond extract or bitter almond oil”
It’s the flavor agent we’re talking about here.
I don’t think that graduate students at BYU should get welfare.
What’s BYU?
I’ve always tasted a very small hint of rum… Anyone else???
as much as the almond idea sounds good, my sister EXTREMELY allergic to the nut, and she throughly enjoys dr pepper, i truthfully think that it is i plethra or fruits, along with many balancing and oddball herbs. rhurbarb and rosemary, along with a some fleshy fruits sounds plausible to me. maybe boisenberry? the real way to figure this out would be to see what companies Dr pepper/ 7up purchases supplies from(someone hunt down thier accountants!). Then intensive research would need to be done to track who sells what. etc…. you get the point. but speculation is always fun!
after my previous comment i would like to state the the 23 are:
jesus
Dr Pepper
jesus
Dr Pepper
jesus
Dr Pepper
jesus
Dr Pepper
jesus
Dr Pepper
jesus
Dr Pepper
jesus
Dr Pepper
jesus
Dr Pepper
jesus
Dr Pepper
jesus
Dr Pepper
jesus
Dr Pepper
jesus!
I have come to the conclusion that Dr. Pepper is not a soda. It is actually Heaven Juice:o
Before the Harrison Act was introduced to restrict Bayer’s new “medicines” heroin and cocaine, soda shops were almost like pharmacies. (They used to just sell the syrups, before someone thought of adding carbonated water; that’s why really old sodas all used to have medical claims.) This happened in 1914; Dr Pepper, on the other hand, was sold across the US as early as 1904. Why doesn’t anyone suspect old medicines as ingredients? For example, I always suspected there was strawberry root, an old (and terrific) stomach medicine; although it is a very acquired taste, I’ve found that Dr Pepper fans don’t mind it.
If one more person says that Dr Pepper tastes similar to Root beer, I’m gonna hang myself with my tie. Same for Cherry Coke. Mr Pibb is the worst similar tasting attempt to imitate another soft drink, you’d have better luck mixing Coca Cola with Amaretto. Amaretto (almond flavored liquor) is very “syrupy” but does taste similar to DP. And Coke, Cherry Coke, and Sprite are the only other sodas that have the same sharpness from carbonation as DP. I think there could be Almond, if you dont think so just try some Amaretto. I also agree with; plum,some kind of spices like ginger. I don’t really care what the actual flavors for DP are, just PLEASE, for the love of all that is good. STOP SAYING DR PEPPER TASTES LIKE ROOT BEER OR CHERRY COKE!!
It tastes like Orange Fanta. I can’t believe you guys don’t see it.
No, it’s more like red cream soda.
You know what? I’m starting to see it. . . I just had a DP and it kind of tasted like Diet Coke mixed with Pepsi with Lime mixed with Whiskey and of course Root Beer, its as plain as day.
Im sure they get away with saying there is no prune juice by calling it dried plum juice or maybe its plum juice thats in it. but I taste it!
I just read all 192 comments and I want a freakin dr.pepper now!
Paul,
I wonder if some vendors mess with the Dr Pepper mix. The local Taco Bell’s Dr Pepper has a pretty strong root beer taste, which is unusual. I wonder if they used to have root beer in that dispenser on the fountain and never cleaned it out right.
Ah, that explains it! The Dr. Pepper at my favorite mexican place always tastes exactly like Corona.
I’ve had that happen to me at the Red Iguana. I don’t think they wash their glasses very well.
No, the Red Iguana just serves everyone Corona. It’s the only drink they have.
the 23 flavors of this magicaly good flovorful soda is
1.weeve
2.eyeball juice
3.armadilo juice
4.chicken
5.duck spit(found at your local chinese stores)
6.cat tears(also found at your local chinese store)
7.boogers of a lamma
8.canndel wax
9.sweet tarts
10.sister boyfreind’s bunny
11.sock sweat
12.dr. pepper
13.a puppy just for flavor
14.big foots toe nail just for color
15. the number 15
16.that old guy on the tvs mustach
17. an orphan that is just about to be adoped
18.5 hour anergy dring
19. betty wights fungus on her left foot
20.crack in brownie form
21.a bolding woman
22. my gramma
23.sprite just for the sizzley-ness
hope that helps it came strate from the owner himself he seys hi
Yeah, that has definitely happened to me, where they switch nozzles. Maybe corona is the 23rd flavor
Yesterday my 3 yr old who is highly allergic to the Nightshade family had a reaction after taking a swig of Grandma’s Diet Dr. Pepper…I can now agree with the tomato and or blackcherry as ingredients. Some pple who are really sensitive to nightshade complain of ”tummy troubles” after eating stuff….unfortunately my kid getss it a lot worse and her throt closes. I wish company’s would just print out all the ingredients, it would really save me money not having to buy epipens!
You should have an attorney send a letter saying there was an allergic reaction and demanding that if they want to avoid a lawsuit they have to list the ingredients. Then we’ll all know. (Unless they demand an NDA)
I talked to the Dr. Pepper Co this morning and the guy was very nice. However, they still can’t tell me what the ingredients are over the phone. They are sending me a form that I have to fill out and sign “swearing that I will not reveal the information to anyone” Once they recieve my signature THEN someone will contact me and let me know what is in it that she is allergic to. Funny thing- “For this inconvenience, we are going to send you coupons for your next Dr. Pepper purchase” I dont think we will probably be using those…..
It strikes me as flat out irresponsible to have a common allergen in the drink and not list it on the packaging.
In the UK all soft drinks are made with cane sugar, there’s virtually nothing that uses high fructose corn syrup over here, so we get your sweet tasting American beverages how they are meant to taste and you don’t!
can’t believe I just spent an hour reading this.
I’m sorry to tell all of the Dr. Pepper lovers that do not wnat to hear there is prune as one of the 23 flavors, but there is. I also am old enough to remember when they did place the ingredients on the bottle and ‘prune’ was one of them. Now I do agree with some, I thought it was a ‘law’ that ingredients had to be accessible if not on the label a 1-800 number of where they will be discosed to you. This is protection for all the allergy sufferers. Someone needs to look into that. I am not a Dr. Pepper ‘lover’ can’t stand the taste, but to each his own, my family (husband and 3 sons) love it! like I said to each his own! I LOVE coca cola and to me there is no way it even taste close to a coke. The taste to me reminds me of medicinal (cough syrup) of some kind I was forced to take as a child.
So to sum up my comment, Dr. Pepper needs to be more responsible to it’s consumers (lovers) and allow the ingredients to be told. It will help allergy suffers and those who LOVE Dr. P will drink it no matter what the ingredients are!
Phyllis,
Two items:
1. People are claiming a similarity to Cherry Coke not Coke.
2. Shouldn’t Coke and all other drinks have to report their ingredients by your logic?
since the flavors were from the original 23 fountian drink syrups i am guessing there is cherry, vanilla, chocolate, root beer, cream soda, thats all I got so far.
Flavors and ‘ingredients’ are different. Although the ingredients can ultimately influence the flavor, they claim to have 23 flavors, not 23 total ingredients… Obvious to some, but not to others. I am only leaving a comment because I read through all that… I just HAD to think up something to say! I am curious about the flavors, or at least how to describe the flavor of the drink, as I run a cafe in the middle of China, and we specialize in import products… and I have no idea how to explain the flavor to customers that have never tasted it…
i heard that there was black licorice in it, after that, i started tasting it, and stopped drinking it
I just tried cherry Dr. Pepper. It is remarkably like regular Dr. Pepper, exept for the very red coloring. If you took a blind taste test, I’m not sure you could taste any difference in the flavor.
We just tried a blind taste test and it is possible to tell the difference, but it’s not a big difference.
We also tried diet cherry vanilla Dr. Pepper. It’s pretty good, especially with a squeeze of lime.
Dr Pepper tastes incredibly similar to Cherry Coke. It isn’t a matter of opinion, it’s just fact. Claiming otherwise is ridiculous and stupid.
Also, Dr Pepper doesn’t contain any prune, whether you like it or not or want to admit or not. So tough. This is a fact.
Also, it’s very manly.
sam, you are unkind sir. I know you weren’t the originator of the black licorice comment, but you have burned it into my skull. I hate black licorice. (or just possibly anise) But I will think of you next I perchance a taste of Dr. Pepper. Hopefully, your comment did not ruin my love of that sweet mana from heaven. Cheers.
Violet! That is the taste strongest on my palate, anyway.
I know either anise or licorice is one of the flavors because I get immediate, terrible headaches from both of those ingredients if I eat anything that contains them and Dr Pepper gives me an immediate, terrible headache. This is solely a supposition on my part but I think its a pretty safe guess.
I asked chacha what the 23 flavors were, and I got a list of 23 flavors. I guess they could be possible. The flavors that was given by chacha were:
1. Amaretto
2. Almond
3. Blackberry
4. Black Licorice
5. Carrot
6. Clove
7. Cherry
8. Caramel
9. Cola
10. Ginger
11. Juniper
12. Lemon
13. Molasses
14. Nutmeg
15. Orange
16. Prune
17. Plum
18. Pepper
19. Root Beer
20. Rum
21. Raspberry
22. Tomato
23. Vanilla
I think they got that list from this thread.
“since ive been drinking it my health has got better,..so the prune rumour might be true..have it anyday,..ditched the V energy drink”
Ditching the energy drink probably reduced your sodium intake 3000% reducing overlal general inflamation and switching again from Sugar Soda to Water or plain Seltzer water made with reverse osmosis water would likely improve your health further still.
Efforts to recreate would likely start out with a CokaCola or CheryCoke or better yet Mr.Pibb base syrup and add small amounts of three flavors.
BASE:Cola or Pibb
Largest most flavorful portion of:
Orange
Lemon
(also Lime Juice)
Fruity flavors from some of these moderate amout:
Plum
Blackberry
Raspberry
Cherry
Almond
Smallest portion of the medicine taste likely from these probably make a large cup of spice tea from these and add that to taste to finish it off. Should come close.
Molasses
Root Beer
Vanilla
Licorice
Clove
Nutmeg
Ginger
Finding all of these flavors to add is the tricky part.
That’s my guess – the search for the perfect syrup goes on.
By the way made an awesome syrup last week using KoolAid Blue Raspberry Lemonade (call it KBRL) it is blue colored simply added splenda, cane sugar, lime juice, lemon oil, orange oil and two packets of KBRL kool aid half a tablespeoon of citric acid mix (adds a hint of saltiness and some more tartness). Everyone loved it loved it and forced me to make more.
So I bought some Diet Dr Pepper from SodaStream and it was awful but added a little disolved brown sugar, molasses, orange oil, cherry coke syrup and almond extract and it is about dead on Dr Pepper now. Suspecting the SodaStream people just skimp on the various extracts when making their clone to save $$.
Oh forgot 3 drops of licorice I added also.
Going off of basic knowledge of Dr Pepper and the original explanation for it’s creation, I would say that Pepper is a reference to Pepsin and not Black Peppercorn. Also, seeing that it was made in the 1880′s and that he made the drink to mimic the smells of the pharmacy you would have to assume that Sarsaparilla would be one of the flavors. Another fact about the original Dr Pepper recipe is that it contained no caffeine.
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