big red

Michael and I have long debated the taste of sodas that are red in color. Often times, especially in South America (ie. Bilz), red sodas don't really have a flavor other than "red." This is obviously not the case with food: red could be cherry, raspberry, tomato, even vanilla (see Boylan's) or cinnamon, etc, etc. Why can't red soda have a taste? Why must it taste red?

Big Red, not to be confused with Big Red, falls into this "tastes like red" category. Similar to Green River, which Michael and I recalled tasted green when we had it one cold day after New Years in Chicago. Sure, it could taste sort of vanilla-y, or even a little cherry. But it doesn't. It just tastes like red. Or as this NPR story suggests, perhaps like effervescent Robitussin or carbonated juicy fruit.

The bottle cap, however, is a fun, splashy crown -- red and white, and, lo and behold, says BIG RED in big, bold letters with a splash of red soda behind it. It's bottled by Dr. Pepper, which gives me hope, since I do love me a Dr. Pepper, and when I was in Austin, I was so excited to find Dublin Dr. Pepper just hanging out in the convenience stores.

Anyway, if any faithful readers out there can figure out what Big Red's flavor really and truly is, post in the comments section!