Top 10 Drinks That Don't Exist Anymore

Pepsi isn’t afraid to lean into more unique flavors, such as 2023’s Peeps flavored Pepsi and 2004’s Holiday Spice Pepsi. Originally released as a limited-edition holiday flavor, the cinnamon-flavored beverage was an unexpected fan favorite. Customers enjoyed the distinctive yet delicious taste and were devastated when the brand discontinued the flavor. Many felt that the flavor wasn’t holiday specific, and could be sold year-round. People were even more disappointed when Pepsi only brought the flavor back in 2006, only to discontinue it again. Some fans have even gone so far as to start petitions to bring the flavor back, and although Pepsi hasn’t announced anything yet, they’re still holding out hope.

Fruit-flavored teas like Snapple hit a spike in popularity in the mid-1990s, which led to other brands throwing their hat into the ring. The most prominent example is Fruitopia by Minute Maid, a line of fruit-inspired drinks that came in a wide variety of flavors, such as Kiwiberry Ruckus and Raspberry Psychic Lemonade. However, what set this drink apart from others was the unique branding. The commercials were psychedelic and kaleidoscope-inspired, and some even featured songs from popular artists like Cocteau Twins and Kate Bush. The beverage was even mentioned in an episode of “The Simpsons.” While the drink was incredibly popular, interest began to wane over the years. After nearly a decade of being produced, the drink was discontinued in 2004.

When 7 Up was first sold, it marketed itself as a caffeine-free soda, which led to them securing a previously underserved demographic. Consumers loved having a slightly healthier option to choose from, and 7 Up was able to carve out a niche in the soda industry. However, in the late 1980s, the brand decided to try and capitalize on the growing popularity of cola and introduced 7 Up Gold– a cinnamon-flavored soda that contained caffeine. This decision confused a lot of their fans, as it completely went against the original intent of the brand. The brand went above and beyond to advertise the drink, even utilizing The Troggs’ “Wild Thing.” However, it wasn’t enough, and 7 Up Gold was discontinued after only two years.

In the late 1990s, tequila took the United States by storm and hit a major spike in popularity. Beer companies saw this and realized they could capitalize on the trend, which led to Tequiza being born. While the drink was only inspired by tequila and didn’t actually contain any, it was still popular amongst those who were feeling wary about the stronger alcohol. While consumers enjoyed the beverage, unfortunately, the drink’s distributors didn’t agree. Their dislike caused them to not distribute Tequiza as often, which ultimately caused customers to move on to other alcoholic drinks. This hit in sales made Tequiza fall to the wayside, and in 2009 the drink was officially discontinued– after over a decade of being sold.

In the early 2010s, bacon went through a resurgence in popularity. This led to brands creating their own bacon-infused foods, such as Wendy’s Baconator and the now-unavailable bacon soda. The soda– originally a collaboration between Jones Soda and J&D Foods– was reported to have a distinct bacon taste. The company was hoping that just being associated with bacon would be enough to pique customers’ curiosity. The drink was initially popular and was even reviewed by YouTubers Rhett and Link. While the idea was good, many people felt the taste was another story. While it was a fun novelty item, support for the drink fizzled out quickly, which led to it being discontinued the same year it was released.

Kick is one of the older drinks on this list, having been created in 1965 and being sold for over 40 years before being discontinued. The company chose to market to three very specific demographics– people who played extreme sports, punks, and gamers. The drink was touted as being “extreme,” with copious amounts of caffeine and sugar to back up the claim. The brand was hoping to compete with other lemon-lime drinks and utilized intense branding to set itself apart from the competition. However, many consumers saw through the marketing and felt that the brand wasn’t authentically marketing to these subcultures, but rather trying to capitalize off them. It quickly faded to the background amongst its competitors and was ultimately shelved in 2002.

In the early 1990s, Gen-X was reaching their late teens and early 20s, and brands started to target their ads to appeal to them and their sarcastic sense of humor. Coca-Cola attempted to do this by creating a drink called “OK Soda”-- a beverage centered around neo-noir designs, cryptic commercials, and intentional cynical branding. The brand even created a hotline that customers could call to hear pre-recorded messages about the beverage, including the soda’s manifesto. While the branding was unique, the drink itself ended up being nothing special, which led to interest dwindling quickly. Despite OK Soda being discontinued in 1995, it still has a small cult following who hope the drink– or at least, the fun designs– will make a return.

The rise in popularity of energy drinks led to some creative combinations, including alcoholic drinks mixed with caffeine. While there were a few other brands, Four Loko was undeniably the most popular. Known for the strength and sheer size of the drink, Four Loko quickly became popular amongst college students. Those who drank it found that it only took a little to become buzzed, and a whole can left them inebriated. While it was popular, it was also dangerous. The beverage being so strong led to multiple people blacking out and hurting themselves. It became so controversial that the drink was banned in several states in 2010. While they did come back years later with a new formula, fans felt they just weren’t the same.

Mountain Dew has always been good at fan engagement, with the best example being their “DEWmocracy” campaign, where they had consumers vote on the next flavor. One of the flavors voted to be brought back was Pitch Black, a limited-time Halloween-inspired flavor from 2004. Combining both grape and citrus flavors, this dark purple soda was unique compared to the brand's usual lemon-lime flavor. Despite winning the fan vote, consumers still weren’t satisfied– which caused it to win again in 2016’s “DEWcision”. It even beat out other iconic flavors, such as Baja Blast. Unfortunately, in 2019 the brand made the choice to pull the drink, devastating fans worldwide. However, it did make a brief return at a WWE event earlier this year in February.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Hubba Bubba Soda
This Was a Short-Lived Drink Inspired by the Iconic Hubba Bubba Bubblegum

Josta
Josta Was the First Energy Drink on the Market, but Other Competitors Quickly Took Over

Crystal Pepsi
Crystal Pepsi Capitalized on the Trend of Clear Drinks & Faded Along with the Trend

Gatorade Lemon Ice
This Limited Edition Flavor Was So Popular That Fans Weren’t Expecting It to Be Pulled

Mario Punch
While This Soda Was Popular in Japan, It Unfortunately Did Not See International Success

Between the bright green and orange can and hardcore advertising, Surge is quintessentially 1990s. Created to compete with Mountain Dew, Surge utilized a special chemical that caused people’s energy to last longer after drinking it. This feature made it popular amongst teenagers and young adults. After popularity started to wane in the early 2000s, the company pulled the drink, which infuriated fans. Several campaigns to bring the soda back have been started, which resulted in a copycat drink being produced for a short period. The backlash from Surge fans eventually wore down distributors, and as of 2015, it’s sold in select locations in the Eastern United States. Fans see it as a good start but are still hoping for the drink to be sold nationwide.