Soft drinks, defined as non-alcoholic flavored beverages, have been around for centuries. Some of the earliest concoctions to fall into the category of soft drinks include fruit-flavored cordials from the 16th and 17th centuries. Something called a ‘water imperial’ consisting of a sweetened lemon drink with cream of tartar was popular in England. Other flavored cordials used cinnamon, rosewater, other spices and sweeteners such as honey.
The modern usage of soft drink began in the 18th century and generally refers to carbonated non-alcoholic beverages. Joseph Priestley, who ‘discovered’ oxygen, also discovered a way to infuse water with carbon dioxide. His original process involved suspending water over a beer vat. He later improved things by switching to sulfuric acid and chalk as his carbonation source. Within a few years other chemists made their own improvements and carbonated water was being sold in apothecaries. One of the leading sellers of the carbonated mineral water was Johann Schweppe. In 1792 he moved his Schweppes company from Geneva to London.
As early as 1809 pharmacists began adding flavorings to their carbonated water. These ranged from fruit extracts to birch bark (birch beer) and other substances. By the middle of the century carbonated soft drinks moved from the temperance and medicinal niches to general consumption.
Birth of the American Brands
By the end of the century famous American brands such as Coca-cola (Atlanta, 1886), Pepsi (New Bern, NC, 1898, originally Brad’s Drink 1893), and Dr. Pepper (Waco, TX, 1885) along with dozens of others emerged. Within decades these companies and their soft drinks became some of the biggest businesses with the most well known brands in the world. Despite that or perhaps because of it, there is no universally accepted generic name for a carbonated beverage. Outside the US names such as tonic, seltzer, and lolly water all refer to carbonated soft drinks. Within the US ‘soda’ ‘pop’ and ‘coke’ are the most popular generic names for soft drinks. Today’s map, courtesy of Matthew Campbell (map creator) and Alan McConchie (data provider), shows the most popular generic name for soft drinks by US county.
I grew up in northern Virginia where we generally used ‘soda’ to refer to soft drinks, but we called all colas ‘coke.’ In the early days of my marriage I had to work hard to break the latter habit – my wife was a financial analyst with Pepsi for several years. Does this map ring true to you? Any thoughts on why there’s an island of ‘soda’ users in the greater Saint Louis area?
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As always thanks for reading.
Armen