The Most Popular Soft Drink in Each State

Introduced by Coca-Cola in 2005, Coke Zero has become the top selling diet soda in the country, if not the world.

Coke Zero has most of the enjoyable qualities of classic Coke but without the sugar. Coke zero is sweetened with a blend of aspartame and acesulfame potassium and is more flavorful than Diet Coke.

Cream soda is generally flavored with vanilla and is supposed to be based on the taste of an ice cream soda.

It's basically like root beer but without the spice flavor. It's pretty good and the people of Vermont would certainly agree with that sentiment.

Red Bull has the highest market share of any energy drink in the world with 7.5 billion cases sold per year.

It looks like Red Bull is giving Alaska wings. The citizens of Alaska can't seem to go through their day without them as it is the most popular drink in the state.

Since its debut, and before 2017 when the brand was revamped, Coke Zero was hailed as Coca Cola’s hero as sales continued to rise. 

Like Wyoming, Coke Zero is the most popular drink in the state, likely due to its similarity to Coke. And you can drink more of it because, like, what else are you going to do in North Dakota?

Root Beer was traditionally made using the root bark of the sassafras tree as the primary flavor.

Root Beer is typically a non-alcoholic drink but there are certainly alcoholic varieties available. Root Beer has been sold as far back as the 1840s. 

Dr. Pepper is the favorite of Delawareans? Is that right? No matter. A pharmacist named Charles Alderton created Dr. Pepper in 1885. 

The drink was not marketed until 1904, however, so it didn't quite blow up until the 20th century. 

Did you know Fanta Orange soda was created during WWII in Germany by the German Coca-Cola bottling company?

That wasn't the first orange soda by any means, however. Orange Crush, in fact, had been invented back in 1911 by chemist Neil C. Ward.

Pepsi was created and developed by Caleb Bradham in 1893 who originally introduced it as Brad’s Drink.

For most people, Pepsi is what you get when they don't have Coke, but for the people of Montana, it's their beverage of choice.

In 1875, a pharmacist named Charles Elmer Hires bottled and sold the first commercial root beer.

A&W Root Beer is one of the most popular brands, a brand attached to the oldest restaurant chains in America with origins back in 1919.

Diet Coke, a drink that contains artificial sweeteners was released in the United States in 1982.

For diabetes its a lifesaver and for everyone else it's a way to cut back on calories, so you have something to wash down your chips and feel less guilty about it.

Diet Coke was the first new brand to use the Coca-Cola trademark since 1886.

Yeah, Hawaiians' beverage of choice is Diet Coke as well. We hear it pairs nicely with Spam.

In 1986, Diet Coke became the world’s top low-calorie drink—until, that is, the arrival of Coke Zero in 2005.

Clearly, Americans really dig their Diet Coke. Good for them for trying to stay healthy in some way. It's something~

Okay, here's something new; it's Mountain Dew. This is the favorite of the people of West Virginia. They are definitely doing the Dew.

Mountain Dew was originally created by two brothers trying to make the perfect mixer for their whiskey drinks in the 1930s.

Did you know Sprite was developed in West Germany in 1959 and introduced to the U.S. in 1968?

Sprite is just about one of the most refreshing things you can have during the summer and since it doesn't have caffeine, it's a good way to stay hydrated.

The modern-day Canada Dry version of Ginger Ale was created by Canadian pharmacist, John McLaughlin in 1890.

Ginger Ale is a great drink for those that love the gentle spice of ginger which is also good for settling your stomach, if you have a stomach ache.

Although the initial flavor of Fanta was orange, there are now several variations including grape, strawberry, blueberry, and watermelon. 

We have to admit, Fanta is just about the most refreshing of all the fruit-flavored soda varieties, so Kansas knows what's up.

Sunkist soft drinks are primarily orange flavored but also come in variations such as grape, strawberry, cherry limeade, pineapple, and lemonade.

Sunkist fruit-flavored sodas are a must for Mississippians. But who is to say which flavor is their favorite?

Dry ginger ale is commonly used as a mixer for alcoholic beverages as well as a tonic to combat stomach upset.

It's also a must for a classic mocktail called a Shirley Temple, named after the actress. You just add grenadine and maybe a cherry for garnish. Okay, two cherries.

Orange soda was originally invented in Chicago in 1906, but orange Crush was invented in 1911.

The Crush brand and trademark are currently owned by Keurig Dr Pepper, which is headquartered in Plano, Texas

Squirt was originally created by Herb Bishop in 1938 while he was experimenting in college.

There's not a lot of grapefruit-flavored sodas out there and when you think of one, Squirt is definitely the one that comes to mind.

Neil C. Ward of Los Angeles, a beverage and extract chemist, perfected the process of blending the ingredients to create the Orange Crush we know today.

Utah is also all about that Orange Crush. It's so refreshing, and it's like injecting sugar straight into your veins. Amazing.

The drink was originally named Citrus Club but was renamed Squirt after the drink’s original mascot in 1941.

The tangy, refreshing and bitter taste of grapefruit is a favorite of Connecticut residents. 

The first recipe for cream soda was written by someone by the name of E.M. Sheldon and made its debut in an 1852 edition of Michigan Farmer.

Yes, the light taste of cream soda is a must for Oklahoma residents. They must not be a fan of the caramel color since cream soda is considerably lighter on that than root beer.

The pharmacist who created the original Dr. Pepper worked at a drugstore owned by a man by the name of Wade Morrison.

One common misconception about Dr. Pepper is that it contains prune juice. But it does not. So, stop saying that.

The original root beer was indeed a beer, as sassafras will naturally ferment into a low-alcohol drink.

It probably wasn't enough to get you majorly drunk but it must have been at least someone relaxing to indulge.

Sprite was created as an answer to Pepsi-Co’s lemon-lime soda, 7Up.

And its really the one soda that doesn't taste like a cheap knock-off. Sprite is a lot better. I said it. Louisiana agrees with me.

Dr Pepper’s legend suggests that Wade Morrison named the drink “Dr. Pepper” after the father of a young girl he was once in love with.

Was Doctor Pepper a real doctor? Yes, and that means that Dr. Pepper is a health drink. You are welcome.

It's not though. Drink soda in moderation. Yadda, yadda...talk to an actual doctor.

The same creator of Nehi fruit-flavored drinks is also the creator of Royal Crown Cola, better known as RC Cola.

Frankly, I've never tried this before and I have no idea what it is. If I'm ever in South Carolina again, maybe I'll get back to you.

During WWII, there was no shipping between the U.S. and Germany, so the German Coca-Cola bottling plant created Fanta, a fruit flavored drink, in order to stay relevant.

Orange soda is one of the most popular fruit-flavored sodas that really tastes nothing like an actual orange. But it does taste like the accepted flavor of orange that fake orange things should taste like...if that makes sense.

The very first time a recipe for sweet tea appeared was in 1879 in a community cookbook called Housekeeping in Old Virginia.

Frankly, we are a little surprised not to see this in one of the states in the deep South. 

This Wisconsin-based soda made its reappearance on shelves in the state circa 2016 and comes in several flavors.

And yeah, never tried this, but it's cherry so it must be somewhat good.

This company’s soda’s distinction is that it is made from pure cane sugar and that every label is a unique photo submitted by consumers.

Jones soda is pretty amazing and if you order online, you can get your bottles with custom labels.

Brothers Ben and Perry Feigenson, recent Russian immigrants, began playing around with the idea of making soft drinks based on the frosting flavors in their bakery in Detroit in 1907.

Is this soda bottled on the moon? Sadly, it is not but it's a refreshing beverage that's out of this world. Okay, maybe that's a bit much.

This lemon-lime flavored soft drink was created by PepsiCo in 1999 and released nationwide by 2003 as a competitor to Coca-Cola’s Sprite.

Ah Sierra Mist - the thing they have when they don't have Sprite. Pepsico just can't stop living in Coke's shadow.

Although no one knows exactly when lemons made it on the scene as an edible fruit, the first time we see a recipe for lemonade dates back to August 20, 1630 in Paris.

Lemonade always hits the spot in the summer and mixing it with tea is just on-point. It also helps prevent kidney stones as the acidity of the lemon juice helps break them down.

The name Mountain Dew is actually old-timey slang for moonshine.

Mountain Dew the soda is what Massachusetts residents are drinking, however, and it's now available in a wide-variety of flavors.

Tab was created in 1963 by Coca-Cola as a competitor to Diet Rite cola, which had to that date been highly successful in both sales and their marketing campaigns.

Tab Cola was discontinued in 2020, however, so it looks like Arizona is going to have to find a new beverage.

Green River soda is a bright green, lime-flavored soft drink that is usually enjoys higher sales in the Chicago area around St. Patrick’s Day each year.

It's pretty decent but it's not hard to see why it's not taking off in other states. Just dye your Sprite green.

The original recipe of Fanta included whey and apple fibre with whichever seasonal fruits were available at the time.

Fanta has a ton of flavors available now and they are all good, which you can't say about every soda.

Monster energy drinks hit store shelves in April of 2002 and now, due to their popularity, there are currently 49 flavored drinks under the Monster brand in North America.

The people of New Jersey love to chug that sugary, caffeinated beverage straight down their gullets to get through the day.

Believe it or not, slurpees were invented totally by accident! The story goes that Omar Knedlik, Dairy Queen employee, was struggling with a malfunctioning soda fountain when he began storing the drinks in the freezer, which in turn cooled the drinks into delicious slush.

The Icee Company was the original brand after it was invented in 1958 and the Slurpee brand arose when 7-Eleven made a licensing deal with The Icee Company.

Modern Root Beer is no longer made of sassafras most of the time because the FDA banned it for containing trace amounts of a carcinogen.

Root Beer is now made from an artificial sassafras flavoring that is not harmful to humans. It's too bad though, the carcinogens were the best part.

Claude Hatcher created these fruity beverages in the 1920s. It was created by a company that mainly produced ginger ale and root beer. So, clearly they wanted to mix things up.

And yeah, I still don't know what this is, but the Georgians just love it. 

They nicknamed the soda “pop” because of the sound it made when the top popped off.

Faygo was a company founded in Michigan as the Feigenson Brothers Bottle Works by two Russian immigrants. The original flavors were fruit punch, strawberry, and grape.

Founded in 1950, Jarritos is a product of Mexico that is made in fruit flavors and is less carbonated than other popular soft drinks.

These sodas are not too sweet and pair perfectly with some real tacos from a taco truck. Drinking this is just part of the whole experience.

The credit for iced tea often goes to Richard Belchynden who invented it during the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis.

Iced tea, not to be confused with sweet tea is the beverage of choice for Pennsylvanian's and its a pretty healthy choice considering it's just leaf-flavored water.

The original flavors of Faygo were fruit punch, strawberry, and grape. The name Faygo was adopted as the brand name in 1921, and the company continues to thrive from its original city, Detroit.

Faygo's original flavors were actually based on cake frosting recipes since Ben and Perry Feigenson were bakers first and foremost.

Squirt was created by  Herb Bishop in 1938 and in 1941 a mascot named "Lil' Squirt" was used for marketing the brand. That is no longer the case.

In the 1950s, Squirt became a popular mixer for cocktails. Squirt mixes well with almost any spirit but drinking it with tequila is really where it's at.

The original recipe for cream soda called for water, cream of tartar, Epsom salts, sugar, tartaric acid, milk, and an egg. Ewwwww…

With the Epsom salts, we are guessing people must have been taking baths in their cream soda. But hopefully not.

The cream soda recipe we know and love today originated from a recipe by a Dr. Brown in Brooklyn in 1868.

Cream soda is allegedly the favorite soft drink of California, which as a resident, I'm surprised to learn. 

I'd like to give a shout-out to the Southern California exclusive beverage, however, Cactus Cooler. That's good stuff.