Remember the days when a cold soda on a hot summer afternoon was the pinnacle of refreshment? Before endless options cluttered store shelves, there were those special flavors that defined our childhoods – the ones that disappeared far too soon. These weren’t just beverages; they were companions to first dates, backyard barbecues, and Sunday drives with the windows down. Let’s take a fizzy trip down memory lane and revisit some beloved carbonated friends we’ve lost along the way.
1. Josta: The Bold Berry Pioneer
Pepsi’s Josta burst onto the scene in 1995 as the first energy drink from a major U.S. beverage company, featuring guarana and a distinctive berry flavor that was unlike anything we’d tasted before. The deep purple can with its fierce panther logo promised something exotic, and boy, did it deliver with its perfect balance of sweet and tart. Those who remember Josta still speak of it with reverence, as if discussing a legendary friend who left town too soon. For those wondering what happened to this iconic beverage, HIstory Oasis goes further into the details.
Despite passionate fans who still campaign for its return, Pepsi discontinued Josta just four years after its introduction, claiming it needed to focus on their core products. The timing couldn’t have been worse, pulling it just before the energy drink boom that would make Red Bull a household name. Sometimes when I’m in the soda aisle, I still look for that panther, hoping against hope that Pepsi might surprise us all.
2. OK Soda: The Anti-Establishment Refreshment
OK Soda emerged in 1993 as Coca-Cola’s strange, philosophical attempt to capture the cynical Generation X market with bizarre can art and a flavor that defied simple description. Its taste was somewhere between fruit punch and cola, with notes of orange and vanilla that created an unexpectedly satisfying blend. The cans featured artwork by alternative comic artists and an “OK Manifesto” that felt more like counterculture literature than soda marketing. Mental Floss reflects on everything that went wrong for this beverage that should have had everything going for it.
The beverage’s mysterious hotline (1-800-I-FEEL-OK) and cryptic advertising captured our imagination even as the drink disappeared after just seven months on limited regional shelves. My friend group would call the hotline repeatedly, recording the strange messages for our mixtapes and feeling like we were part of something bigger than just a soda brand.
3. Crystal Pepsi: The Transparent Trendsetter
Crystal Pepsi arrived in 1992 with a Super Bowl ad featuring Van Halen’s “Right Now,” promising all the flavor of cola without the caramel color. The clear soda looked like water but delivered a surprisingly familiar cola flavor with subtle citrus notes that created a refreshing, if somewhat disorienting, drinking experience. How could something so clear taste so much like regular Pepsi? It was like magic in a bottle. For anyone wondering what went wrong for Crystal Pepsi, Sporked breaks down all the elements at play bubbling to the surface.
Despite initial strong sales, consumers eventually found the disconnect between appearance and taste too strange, and Crystal Pepsi vanished by 1994. Those summer block parties where we’d serve Crystal Pepsi to unsuspecting neighbors and watch their faces register confusion followed by delight are memories I cherish from that brief, transparent era.
4. Surge: The Citrus Challenger
Surge crashed into our lives in 1996 as Coca-Cola’s “extreme” answer to Mountain Dew, with its electric green color and intense citrus kick that seemed designed for maximum teenage enthusiasm. The tangy, sweet flavor packed more caffeine than typical sodas, making it the perfect companion for all-night Monopoly games or cramming for final exams. The bold “Feed the Rush” slogan wasn’t just marketing—it was an accurate description of what happened when you popped that tab. Surge as a whole has a rollercoaster history that History Oasis breaks down in bubbly detail.
Discontinued in 2003, Surge maintained such a devoted following that Coca-Cola actually brought it back in limited release in 2014 after years of fan campaigns. I still remember my son bringing home a can from college after they reintroduced it, eager to share this piece of his childhood with me—a touching moment where a simple soda bridged generations.
5. Pepsi Blue: The Berry Anomaly
Pepsi Blue arrived in 2002 with its shocking electric blue color and berry fusion flavor that looked like it belonged in a chemistry set rather than a refrigerator. The bold, sweet taste had notes of blueberry and cotton candy, creating an experience that was more dessert than refreshment. The commercials featured Blue’s distinctive color spreading across cities and turning everything it touched into a vibrant azure wonderland.
Despite heavy marketing during major sporting events and teen-focused advertising, Pepsi Blue disappeared from American shelves by 2004, though it occasionally resurfaces internationally. I still remember my youngest daughter collecting the bright blue bottles, arranging them on her windowsill where they caught the sunlight like sapphire prisms—a childhood art project inspired by nothing more than an unusual soda.
6. Hubba Bubba Soda: The Liquid Bubblegum Dream
Hubba Bubba Soda debuted in the mid-1980s, turning the classic bubblegum flavor we loved into liquid form with a sweetness that made your teeth ache in the most delightful way. The bright pink carbonated concoction delivered exactly what it promised—bubblegum you could drink—complete with that distinctive artificial fruity flavor that defined so many childhood treats. It came in a can adorned with the familiar Hubba Bubba logo, creating a bridge between the gum we blew into giant bubbles and this new fizzy experience.
The novelty wore off quickly for the general public, though kids briefly made it a lunchbox status symbol before it disappeared. My brother and I would save our allowance to buy cases whenever we found them, hoarding them like treasure and rationing them for special occasions—in retrospect, probably the first “collecting” either of us ever did.
7. Fresca Apple Cinnamon: The Sophisticated Seasonal
Fresca Apple Cinnamon appeared briefly in the early 1980s as a limited-edition flavor that paired the refreshing quality of Fresca with warm autumn spice notes. The delicate balance of tart apple and gentle cinnamon created a sophisticated flavor profile that felt like drinking a crisp fall day. It was one of the first “adult” sodas I remember, something that seemed designed for dinner parties rather than playground trading.
This seasonal offering vanished almost as quickly as autumn itself, leaving behind only memories and empty bottles. My mother would serve it at her bridge club gatherings, the ladies all commenting on how “continental” it felt—a touch of elegance in aluminum form that made everyday moments feel special.
8. Orbitz: The Floating Spectacle
Orbitz wasn’t just a beverage; it was a conversation piece launched in 1997 featuring clear liquid with colorful edible balls suspended throughout the bottle like a lava lamp you could drink. The flavor varieties included raspberry citrus, blueberry melon strawberry, and pineapple banana cherry coconut, each more exotic than the last. The small gelatin balls would float around, defying gravity thanks to clever food science that matched their density to the surrounding liquid.
Produced by Clearly Canadian, Orbitz lasted barely a year before consumers decided that drinking something with floating objects was perhaps a novelty best left unexplored. I bought one for each of my grandchildren when they visited in the summer of ’97, and we held the bottles up to the sunlight in the backyard, marveling at what seemed like the future of refreshment—little did we know its future would be so short.
9. Coke Blāk: The Coffee-Cola Convergence
Coke Blāk emerged in 2006 as Coca-Cola’s sophisticated attempt to merge coffee and cola into one premium beverage experience. The sleek European-style bottle contained a complex mixture that delivered the familiar cola taste upfront before revealing coffee undertones that created a satisfying finish. It contained less caffeine than a cup of coffee but more than regular Coke, positioning it as an afternoon pick-me-up for adults with refined taste.
Despite international success, particularly in France, American consumers weren’t ready for the coffee-cola fusion, and Coke Blāk disappeared from U.S. shelves by 2008. My wife and I would share one on weekend afternoons while working in the garden, our own little ritual that made pulling weeds feel somehow elegant—an ordinary moment elevated by an extraordinary beverage.
10. 7-Up Gold: The Spiced Rebel
7-Up Gold arrived in 1988 as a bold departure from the clear, crisp original, offering a warm amber color and spiced flavor profile that included cinnamon and ginger notes. This wasn’t your grandmother’s 7-Up; it was a sophisticated, almost mulled quality that felt warm even when served cold. The marketing positioned it as “A different kind of 7,” which was certainly accurate—nothing about this beverage resembled the lemon-lime classic we knew.
Despite the backing of a major brand, consumers found the departure too jarring, and Gold vanished after just a few months on the market. My college roommate and I discovered it during finals week and powered through all-nighters on its unique combination of sugar and spice—to this day, the scent of cinnamon can trigger memories of calculus formulas.
11. Life Savers Soda: The Candy Crossover
Life Savers Soda appeared briefly in the mid-1980s, bringing the beloved candy flavors to carbonated form with all the nostalgic sweetness we expected. Available in flavors that mimicked the candy rolls—tropical punch, fruit punch, grape punch, and pineapple punch—each variety delivered an intense fruity blast that tasted exactly like drinking a liquefied roll of Life Savers. The bottles even featured the distinctive Life Savers imagery, creating an immediate connection to the candy we’d enjoyed since childhood.
Despite the strong brand recognition and familiar flavors, the soda proved too sweet even for American palates and disappeared quickly. My daughter collected all four flavors for her tenth birthday party, serving them in plastic champagne glasses to her giggling friends—a memory of childhood sophistication preserved as perfectly as the candy that inspired the drink.
12. Snapple Tru Root Beer: The Authentic Revival
Snapple Tru Root Beer emerged in the early 1990s as part of Snapple’s attempt to create all-natural versions of classic soda flavors, using real ingredients instead of artificial flavors. The result was a root beer with genuine depth—notes of real vanilla, sassafras, and birch bark created a complex profile that made mainstream root beers taste one-dimensional by comparison. The glass bottle and premium positioning made it feel special—a grown-up version of a childhood favorite.
Despite critical acclaim from beverage enthusiasts, Snapple eventually discontinued the line to focus on their more successful tea and juice drinks. My father-in-law, a root beer connoisseur his entire life, declared it “the pinnacle of the form” and would drive thirty minutes to the only store in town that carried it—high praise from a man who rarely expressed enthusiasm about anything.
These discontinued sodas represent more than just lost flavors—they’re time capsules of eras gone by, markers of moments both ordinary and special that we shared with family and friends. Though we may never again crack open a fresh Josta or marvel at the floating orbs in Orbitz, the memories these beverages helped create remain as bubbly and bright as ever. Perhaps that’s the true magic of these forgotten sodas: even after the last sip was taken years ago, they still refresh our spirits through the power of nostalgia.
