Dr Pepper is a popular caramel-colored, carbonated soft drink marketed in the United States by Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc., a unit of Cadbury-Schweppes. The headquarters of Dr Pepper are situated in Plano, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. The ownership of the trademark varies in other countries. There is also a no-calorie version, Diet Dr Pepper, as well as other flavors, such as Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper, Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper, Dr Pepper Berries & Cream, and Diet Berries & Cream Dr Pepper. There is also a caffeine free version in both regular and diet varieties.

Overview and history

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The drink was first sold in Waco (McLennan County), Texas, in 1885. It was introduced nationally in the United States at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition. The exact date of Dr Pepper's conception is unknown, but the U.S. Patent Office recognizes December 1, 1885 as the first time Dr Pepper was served. It is the oldest widely sold soft drink in production today, although Hires Root Beer, Vernor's Ginger Ale, Moxie and several other regionally available soft drinks are actually older. It was formulated by 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 Morrison, who also found it to his liking. After repeated sample testing by the two, Alderton was ready to offer his new drink to some of the fountain customers. They liked it as well. Other patrons at Morrison's soda fountain soon learned of Alderton's new drink and began ordering a "Waco." Alderton gave the formula to Wade Morrison, the owner of the drug store. A popular belief is that the drink was named after Morrison's former employer in Texas, but this has been disputed by the Dr Pepper company itself. They state that before moving to Texas, Morrison lived in Virginia near a Dr. Charles T. Pepper, and may have been close to Pepper's daughter at the time. The name is also reinforced by being an obvious play on "pep", i.e. providing quick energy to its consumer.

Unlike Coca-Cola and Pepsi, Dr Pepper is not marketed as a cola. Dr Pepper's flavor is allegedly derived from a mixture of soda fountain flavors popular when the drink was first devised. A partial list of these flavors can be seen at the bottling plant in Dublin, Texas; although the formula itself (with its twenty-three ingredients) is a closely-guarded secret. Contrary to a popular urban legend, Dr Pepper does not and never has contained prune juice. ^* In Texas, Dr Pepper is extremely competitive in the soft drink market, regularly outselling Pepsi and Coca-Cola. There is also a Dr Pepper Museum in Downtown Waco, Texas. It is located in the Artesian Manufacturing and Bottling Company building in downtown Waco, and opened to the public in 1991. The Artesian Manufacturing and Bottling Company building was the first building to be built specifically to bottle Dr Pepper. The building was completed in 1906 and Dr Pepper was bottled there until the 1960s. The museum has three floors of exhibits, a working old-fashioned soda fountain, and a gift store full of Dr Pepper memorabilia. You can visit the museum's website at www.drpeppermuseum.com.

Distribution

In the United States, Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc. does not have a complete network of bottlers and distributors, so it is sometimes bottled under contract by Coca-Cola or Pepsi bottlers. In about 30% of the country, the product is distributed by Pepsi bottlers, in about 30% of the country by Coca-Cola bottlers, and in the remainder it is distributed by bottlers that are not affiliated with either of those companies.

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blueberry muffin w/ dr.pepper and wizards of waverly place :)
blasian831 (Jacklyn Carroll) Sun, 03 Jan 2010 23:08:56 -0000
blueberry muffin w/ dr.pepper and wizards of waverly place :)
I am here to drink Dr. Pepper and kick ass, and im all out of Dr. Pepper! Not realy, I just cant think of anything funny.
Williambrowning (Will Browning) Sun, 03 Jan 2010 23:08:22 -0000
I am here to drink Dr. Pepper and kick ass, and im all out of Dr. Pepper! Not realy, I just cant think of anything funny.
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loveff5forever (Brittany Michael) Sun, 03 Jan 2010 23:02:41 -0000
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