Dr Pepper

Dr Pepper is a carbonated soft drink created in the 1880s by American pharmacist Charles Alderton in Waco, Texas. It was first marketed nationally in the United States in 1904. The beverage is manufactured and distributed by different companies depending on the country: Keurig Dr Pepper produces it in the US, Canada, and Mexico; The Coca-Cola Company in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Japan, and South Korea; and PepsiCo in several other markets. Variants include diet version and, beginning in the 2000s, a range of additional flavors.
Although it shares some similarities with cola, the US Food and Drug Administration has determined that Dr Pepper is not classified as a cola, root beer, or fruit-flavored soft drink. Instead, it is generally described as belonging to a distinct category often referred to as "pepper soda", named after the brand itself. Other beverages in this category, such as Dublin Original and Mr. Pibb, have a comparable flavor profile.
As of 2024, Dr Pepper is the second best-selling carbonated soft drink in the US.

History

The name "Dr. Pepper" was first used commercially in 1885. It preceded the introduction of Coca-Cola by one year. Dr Pepper was introduced nationally at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition.
It was formulated by Brooklyn-born pharmacist Charles Alderton in Morrison's Old Corner Drug Store in Waco, Texas. To test his new drink, he first offered it to store owner Wade Morrison, who also found it to his liking. Patrons at Morrison's soda fountain soon learned of Alderton's new drink and began ordering a "Waco". Alderton gave the formula to Morrison, who named it Dr. Pepper.
Early advertisements for this soft drink made medical claims, stating that it "aids digestion and restores vim, vigor, and vitality."
As with the formula for Coca-Cola, the formula for Dr Pepper is a trade secret, and allegedly the recipe is kept as two halves in safe deposit boxes in two separate Dallas banks. A persistent rumor since the 1930s is that the drink contains prune juice, but the official Dr Pepper FAQ refutes this with "Dr Pepper is a unique blend of natural and artificial flavors; it does not contain prune juice." The origin of the rumor is unknown; some believe it was started by a deliveryman for a competitor trying to cast aspersions based on prune juice's laxative effects, but it may simply be because many people feel that Dr Pepper tastes similar to prune juice.
In 2009, an old ledger book filled with formulas and recipes was discovered by Bill Waters while shopping at antiques stores in the Texas Panhandle. Several sheets and letterheads hinted it had come from the W.B. Morrison & Co. Old Corner Drug Store and faded letters on the book's cover spelled out "Castles Formulas". John Castles was a partner of Morrison's for a time and worked at that location as early as 1880. One recipe in the book titled "Dr Peppers Pepsin Bitters" was of particular interest, and some speculated it could be an early recipe for Dr Pepper. However, Keurig Dr Pepper insists it is not the formula for Dr Pepper, but is instead a medicinal recipe for a digestive aid. The book was put up for auction in May 2009, but no one purchased it.

Name

Theories about the origins of the soft drink's name abound. One possible reason that the name was chosen was the practice, common at the time of the drink's creation, of including Dr. in the names of products to convey the impression that they were healthful.
A theory often cited is that the drink was named after an actual doctor, one Charles T. Pepper of Rural Retreat, Virginia. Morrison may have named the drink after the doctor in gratitude for Pepper having given Morrison his first job. However, Milly Walker, Collections Manager / Curator for the Dublin Dr Pepper Bottling Co. Museum, has stated that US Census records show that a young Morrison lived in Christiansburg, Virginia, away from Rural Retreat, and that "there is not one piece of evidence that Morrison ever worked for Charles T. Pepper in Rural Retreat". Another story tells of Morrison naming the drink after Charles T. Pepper because the doctor granted Morrison permission to marry Pepper's daughter, but the girl in question was only eight years old at the time that Morrison moved to Waco.
The period after Dr was used intermittently in Dr Pepper logos until the 1950s, when, after some debate, it was discarded permanently, for stylistic and legibility reasons.

Legal and trade history

In 1951, Dr Pepper sued the Coca-Cola company for, asserting that 6.5-oz. Cokes were sold below cost and were a restraint of trade.
In 1969, owing to Dr Pepper's legal success as being determined a "non-cola" soft drink, then President & CEO W. W. "Foots" Clements was successful in persuading the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of New York, the largest bottler and distributor of Coca-Cola in the world, to bottle and distribute Dr Pepper in the New York metropolitan area.
In 1972, Dr Pepper sued the Coca-Cola company for trademark infringement based on a soft drink marketed by Coca-Cola called "Peppo". Coca-Cola renamed their beverage Mr. Pibb.
Dr Pepper became insolvent in the early 1980s, prompting an investment group to take the company private. Several years later, Coca-Cola attempted to acquire Dr Pepper, but was blocked from doing so by the Federal Trade Commission. Around the same time, Seven Up was acquired from Phillip Morris by Hicks & Haas, the same investment company that had purchased Dr Pepper. Upon the failure of the Coca-Cola merger, Dr Pepper and Seven Up merged, giving up international branding rights in the process. After the DPSU merger, Coca-Cola obtained most non-US rights to the Dr Pepper name.
Dr Pepper was a frequent player in the 1990s antitrust history of the United States. As part of these activities, economists and the courts have weighed in with the opinion that Dr Pepper is a "pepper" flavored drink and not a "cola". In 1995, the FTC blocked a merger between The Coca-Cola Company and Dr Pepper on grounds that included concerns about a monopoly of the "pepper" flavor category of soft drinks. In 1996, Dr Pepper was involved in an antitrust case involving Jerry Jones, the Dallas Cowboys, NFL Properties, Nike, and other commercial interests active at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas. Jones had made deals with Dr Pepper and the other companies that, the league said, violated their exclusive marketing contracts with Coca-Cola and other businesses. The NFL agreed to allow Jones and other teams to pursue their own agreements.
In 1995, Cadbury Schweppes acquired Dr Pepper/Seven Up. In May 2008, Cadbury Schweppes spun off Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages into an independent company called the Dr Pepper Snapple Group, and renamed itself to Cadbury plc. On July 9, 2018, Keurig acquired the Dr Pepper Snapple Group in an $18.7 billion deal. The combined company was renamed "Keurig Dr Pepper".

Varieties

North America

Regular

Diet

Zero Sugar

Other Regions

Name	Country	Year launched	Notes	Sources
Dr Pepper	United Kingdom	1982	United Kingdom's version of Dr Pepper, along with various other countries, is manufactured with sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. It was initially produced by Britvic in April 1982, and then Coca-Cola Enterprises in the late 90s. In August 2014, the UK version was reformulated, adding the artificial sweeteners Aspartame and Acesulfame K, which reduces the amount of sugar from 10.3 g per 100 ml to 7.2 g. In 2018, due to the Sugary drink tax implanted in the UK, the sugar was reduced to 4.9 g.
Dr Pepper Zero	United Kingdom	1986	Low-calorie version of the British Dr Pepper. It was first released as Diet Dr Pepper and was initially sweetened with Saccharin before switching to Aspartame in 1992. It was renamed Dr Pepper Z in 2005 as part of a relaunch of Coca-Cola's "Light" varieties before changing to this name in 2006.
Dr Pepper	Germany The Netherlands Poland	1980s	The German version of Dr. Pepper, produced by Krombacher Brauerei since 2006, originally used a similar formula to the UK version. It was at some point reformulated with Sucralose and Acesulfame K, with a lower sugar amount than the initial UK sweetener reformulation. Other countries like the Netherlands and Poland, also use this formula.
Dr Pepper Cherry	Germany Poland	2016 2020s	A cherry-flavored variant of the German version of Dr Pepper. As with the standard variety, Cherry also contains artificial sweeteners. The same variant was released in Poland in the 2010s by Orangina Schweppes.
Dr Pepper Energy	Germany Poland	2017	A Dr Pepper energy drink variant containing extra caffeine and taurine. Unlike the other varieties, Energy does not contain artificial sweeteners.
Dr Pepper Zero Sugar	Germany	2016	Zero sugar variant of Dr Pepper, sweetened with Sucralose and Acesulfame K.
Dr Pepper Vanilla Float	Germany Poland	2022	A vanilla-flavored variant of the German version of Dr Pepper released on March 22, 2022. Vanilla Float does not contain any artificial sweeteners unlike the standard and Cherry variants. The Polish version however, does contain sweeteners.
Dr Pepper Dark Berry	Mexico	2024	Mexican release of Dr Pepper Dark Berry. It uses a similar formula to the US version.
Dr Pepper Strawberries & Cream	Mexico	2024	Mexican release of Dr Pepper Dark Berry. It uses a similar formula to the US version.
Dr Pepper Zero Sugar Cherry Crush	United Kingdom	2025	A Cherry flavored variant of the UK Dr Pepper. Released at the end of January 2025 as a limited edition flavor for Valentine's Day.