Downtown Roanoke / Coca-Cola Mural

The long mural with multiple advertisements also features Mutual of New York and Caveness & Conner Insurance. The painter of the mural signed it in the bottom corner, but I didn't get a better picture of it. Originally, I assumed this was a vintage restored mural, but now I'm guessing it's probably from the 80's but with a vintage look.

Refresco Iberia Guayaba (Guava Soda)

Napa Valley Soda Co. Orange & Cream

Jarritos Tamarind Sodas

I bought this and was expecting the worst. I've tried some rather nasty flavored drinks from the Hispanic and Cuban sections of the grocery store. At the same time, I read this is Jarritos best selling flavor.

As as uninformed American, I had to read the Tamarind is a fruit indigenous to Africa. The taste is similar to a mixture of Sweet Tea flavor and the bubbliness of a Sparkling Grape Juice. I'd buy it again.

Jarritos is Spanish for Little Jars which you can see with the clay pots on the label and engraved on the bottle. This was with special 2010, 200 years since 1810 packaging.

Restored Coca-Cola mural - Adairsville, GA

If you drive along the "Old Dixie Highway" or "old US 41" going northbound through Adairsville, GA, you will see this old restored Coca-Cola mural.

This building is now the Bogle Dress Shop, but at some time, it used to be someone's General Merchandise store

Coca-Cola can from Greece in 2008

This is a souvenir my parents brought me from a European cruise a few years ago, 2008 I think. The can is 330ml which is comparable to our 12oz. cans. There's also a suggested price of 0,65 Euro. I learned the Greek alphabet in high school but hardly remember any of it.

Dryck Julmust, The Swedish Christmas Soda from Ikea

Dryck Julmust



This Sweedish Festive Drink was made in Germany and sold in America. Specifically, it's sold at Ikea stores. The soda connoisseur that I am, this drink mostly reminds me of a Faygo Rock N Rye or the Cuban soda Quinnabeer and maybe a little bit of Cheerwine mixed in.

The Jul part of this is pronounced like Yule (as in a Christmas Yule Log) or You'll. Thus, if you like sodas and are at Ikea, Julmust buy some.

Lemmy Sparkling Lemonade

Since 1939. With real lemon juice.
This soda was fantastic!
This vintage beverage is now produced by Orca Beverages. They still use the vintage slogan: Lemme have a Lemmy! I haven't decided whether or not it's creepy, but the lemon on the front is salivating.

Red Bull Simply Cola

Red Bull cola in it's tall-and-slender-but-still-12-ounces-can didn't taste as bad as I thought it would, since Red Bull didn't taste good. That's what they get for being the first energy drink before taste was a factor. Their cola lists ingredients like Carbon Dioxide, Mustard Seed, Licorice, Ginger, Corn Mint, Pine, Mace, Clove. Somehow all of it mixes together to taste like an RC, but it leaves a strange aftertaste.

And then, I saw this story:
www.nbcwashington.com/around-town/archive/Red-Bull-Simply...

Cool Mountain Strwaberry Soda

I don't know how far reaching this brand is, but I found it at a tourist attraction in Western North Carolina

Jolt Cola

Jolt is one of those drinks that's been around for a while but has been given new life, thanks to the energy drink craze.

Growing up, Jolt Cola was one of those things that I'd heard of for many years, but didn't actually see or try for a long time. Back then, their motto was "Twice the Sugar, Twice the Caffeine." With a motto like that, combined with its perceived rarity, gave it a mystique. It's as if this was the drink you weren't supposed to have; it's so good but so potent that if you could find one, you parents wouldn't actually let you have it.

and then one day I found it.
and I drank it.
and it tasted like an RC or any other generic cola.
There was no sugar rush so great that I would bounce off the walls.
Twice the Sugar. Twice the Caffeine.
Twice the disappointment.

Now, Jolt is back. Or perhaps Jolt has always been there and I just went 20 years without seeing it. They can be the energy drink before there were energy drinks. They've added taurine and all that other stuff that all energy drinks have. It still tastes like an RC.

Chubby Sodas from Trinidad & Tobago

So our local grocery store started to carry these marketed-to-kids sodas. Each bottle is a little over 8 oz..

The soda is made my the S.M.Jaleel & Co. out of Trinidad & Tobago.

The orange tasted like any orange soda. The Rock N Rolla Cola tasted like any store brand cola. The Tutti Frutti I didn't care for. Our local store also carries Pineapple and Blue Raspberry.

The 2011 Coca-Cola Polar Bear cans

Coca-Cola Mural - Downtown Chattanooga

This old mural, with the C's busted out for windows, is located in downtown Chattanooga in the building that used to be the Grand Hotel. The Grand Hotel is on Market street across from the parking garage next door to the Chattanooga Choo Choo.

Sierra Mist Undercover Orange from 2008

Original title:
Steve Carrell's sweat O'Gold

New mandarin orange limited edition flavor with a promotional tie-in to the Get Smart movie starring Carrell

Frostop Orange & Cream

Extra points for the small drawing of the cow at top licking an orange creamsicle.
More extra points for coming in a 16 oz. bottle.
Otherwise, it tastes like anybody else's orange cream soda.

W.T. Reed Groceries \ Coca-Cola Mural

Faded wall ad along the side of the what used to be W.T.Reed groceries in Gainesboro, TN. A vine has grown up the side of the building.

Mike Hargrove 1970's RC Cola Can

From the mid 70's. RC had a baseball player can collection. I can't wait for baseball season to start, but to help pass the time, I take photos like this.

King Size Quiky bottle - nearly 50 years old

at the bottom of the bottle, it is described as "A Delicious Grapefruit and Lemon Soda." This goes back to the days when King size = 10 oz, which if I'm reading the bottle right was 1966. I like the unusual ridged shape of the bottle, too.

Ale-8-One from Kentucky

By my estimation, it had been about five years since the first and only time I had tried one of these sodas, and I still remembered what it tastes like - a fruity ginger ale. The soft drink was invented by G. L. Wainscott in Winchester, KY in 1926 and they claim it's the only soft drink invented in Kentucky to still be produced.

Ale-8-1 => "Ale Eight One" => "A Late One"

Big Red Vanilla Float in 2005

Here's a photo of a soda I really had to pull out of the archives. I don't thing the Big Red people make this anymore as this photo was taken when I tried it 9 years ago.

World's Oldest Coca-Cola Mural

You see the old Coke murals all over the place, and it had to start somewhere. Not surprisingly, it wasn't far from Atlanta. This mural was painted on the side of Young Brother's Pharmacy in Cartersville, GA.

In 1894, James Couden, a Coca-Cola syrup salesman, felt the vast exterior of the building would make a great location to advertise his product. 100 years later, preservationists wanted to see what this sign originally looked like and 25 layers of paint were carefully removed. Thus, in 1994 the sign was repainted and preserved to look like it did a century earlier.

This sign is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. When it was painted, the target audience would likely be train passengers (railroad tracks are right behind me.) but a few decades later, the Dixie Highway passed by also.

The Country Mountain Dew and the City Mountain Dew

The City Mountain Dew was purchased among the hustle and bustle while walking downtown Knoxville.
The Country Mountain Dew was purchased at Davis Gen. Mdse. during a leisurely drive through rural Williamson County, TN.

The City Mountain Dew comes in a sleek 12oz. longneck and should be enjoyed at a frenzied pace.
The Country Mountain Dew comes in a short and pudgy 10oz. bottle and should be enjoyed on a relaxing afternoon.

The City Mountain Dew has the latest MD logo painted directly on the bottle.
The Country Mountain Dew has the logo printed on a styrofoamy-paper, the way it used to be when I was a child and I'd tear off the label in horizontal strips round and round.

I think I'll drink both of them today.

Fanta Orange bottle from Mexico

Since Coke hasn't done the throwback/heritage/retro thing like Pepsi, We haven't had the chance to remember the taste of their drinks with cane sugar instead of corn syrup. However, at several stores in the area I've seen these bottles of Orange Fanta from Mexico sweetened with real sugar.

Schweppes Black Cherry Ginger Ale two-liter from 2011

Saw it around here for the first time. Definitely a unique flavor, with the black cherry being the stronger flavor with the ginger ale subtly mixing in

World's First Coca-Cola Bottler neon sign in Chattanooga

Now, there's a neon sign that I bet has quite a history. I just don't know what that history is because I can't find anything about this particular sign online. There does appear to be several Coca-Cola bottlers with a similar styled sign, but only one is the World's First.

The first Coke bottler did go by the name of "World's First Coca-Cola Bottler" and they were located in Market Street in downtown Chattanooga. They later expanded to a larger facility on Broad St. Then, in 1970, they moved to their current location, with their vintage neon sign out front, at 4000 Amnicola Highway.

Stewart's Key Lime Soda 4-pack of Glass Bottles

I'm a fan of Key Lime Pie, so this is one of the best sodas I have ever had.

RC Cola Cardboard cut-out

Be Mr. RC Cola can for a day

I made a blog post on a different blog where I explain everything in a little more detail, have the photos in order and even have a youtube video of part of the play. See it here:
brentkmoore.blogspot.com/2008/11/rc-cola-and-moon-pie-fes...

Jones Buried Pomegranate 2009 Halloween Soda 4-pack

Buried Pomegranate is a specialty/novelty soda flavor available during Halloween. It comes in a 4-pack of 8 oz. cans with a dracula design. While I suppose there's pomegranate flavor in there, buried stands for berries, and there is a mixed berries flavor

Sundrop 12 ounce glass bottle

I guess I haven't seen a bottle of Sundrop before, but there is something floating in it. I would assume that is supposed to be normal. :) You definitely don't get that in cans. I wonder if the formula is different depending on the bottler.

a bunch of vintage bottles at an Antique Mall in Bristol, VA

No, this is not my personal collection. Instead it is inside an antique mall along State St. in Bristol, VA. There are a small number of modern bottles, but most here are vintage. Some of the names here:
Big Giant Cola, Mil-Kay, Barq's, Crass, Sparkling New Orange Cola, Tasty, Nesbitt's, Old Colony Beverages, Sugar Free Dr. Pepper, Quality Beverages, Holly, Nehi, Kick, Sun-Drop, Fresca, Montreal Beverages, Grapette, Like, Sparkiling Johnnie Ryan, Canada Dry, Golden Eagle, Big Red, Crush, Kist, Ale-8-1, Cherokee Sparkling Beverages, Crystal Club, Double Cola, Caravan, Choc-ola, Sun-Ray, Dr. Enuf, Pop Kola, Anchor, Ayers, Sun City, Mountain Dew, Sun Crest, Pepsi Cola, 7up, Ski, Grapette, BirkLey's, Tri-City, Hires, Rock City Beverages, Diet Pepsi, Tru Ade.

2008 Olympics Russian-designed Coca Cola can

Imagine my surprise when I get this out of a vending machine at work. I had to look at it for a little bit to realize that this is one of a series of 5 Olympic themed cans

Sprite - Safe Haven Baptist Church - sign

There's a joke in here somewhere, but I'm not going to make it. :)

Often I've seen signs like this with Sprite or Coke or Pepsi or Mountain Dew where the drink is featured prominently and the business is on the lower half. I've always assumed there's some kind of arrangement where the soda company would buy the business a sign if their drink was featured at the top. I'd just never seen it at a church before. These sprite signs are my favorite. Does this style date back to the 60's? The green and red things along the middle somewhat remind me of stained glass in a church vestibule, so maybe this combo does work.

Seen along Dayton Blvd. (US27) in the Red Bank suburb of Chattanooga.

fading mural for Drink Chero Cola

Drink Chero Cola
There's None so good
In bottles 5 cents

Chero Cola became Royal Crown Cola in 1934, so this sign is at least 73 years old! This is located along Main Street in Shelbyville, TN in the town Square. it's painted on the building which is home to Pope's Cafe.

Just a few months ago, I think there used to be a building here which would have prevented me from taking this picture. Now only the frame of the building remains, including the 2 beams in the picture. Before then, to view this ad, you would have to do so from an angle, which I have seen online several places, such as JimmyWayne22's photo Here.

"There's none so good" could be an insult if you think about it.

2 Liter of Inca Kola from Peru

The Golden Kola!

Inca Kola is from Peru and is Partially owner by Coca-Cola. It has somewhat of a bubblegum flavor

Vintage glass bottle of Up-town

I bought this Soda Bottle at a swap meet in Centerville, TN when I came home to research this soda, my efforts came up empty. Anyone ever heard of it?

Dr. Enuf and Cherry Herbal Dr. Enuf in Glass Bottles

The Dr. Enuf product line is from Tri-Cities Beverages in Johnson City, TN. The original flavor is actually a clear liquid and is not a Dr. Pepper type clone, but more of a lemon-lime type beverage. It's marketed as having a bunch of extra vitamins in it to make you feel better with a slogan of "Enuf is Enough."

While it is most common to find in northeast Tennessee, for a short while when I was in college, our university bookstore carried it in the mid 90's. I wish I had save the bottle from back then, but it came with a little booklet tied to the neck of the bottle describing all the curative properties of the drink as if were an 1890 miracle elixir.

The taste: Imagine a sprite or 7up with a couple of multi-vitamins dissolved in it. I guess that would make you feel better but I didn't really care for the taste. As I wrote on my blog about 7 years ago, "after one sip, you'll say "Enuf'" A few months later, someone commented on my blog to say I should go out and try the Herbal Cherry flavor as it wasn't so vitaminy. Indeed, it is better but still has a vitamin taste to it.

Today, the drink is marketed as an energy drink from before there were energy drinks. Unlike most lemon-lime type beverages, it does have caffeine. Of course, it has thiamine and niacin as well. Both flavors come in a diet version, too. I bought these at the Sycamore Drive-in in Elizabethton, TN.

Roanoke's Vintage Dr. Pepper sign in the day

This sign was placed in downtown Roanoke by the Dr. Pepper people in the 1940's. Since then, more Dr. Pepper has been sold in Roanoke than any other city east of the Mississippi River. To go along with the drink's popularity, the old fashion sign with it's illuminated bottle cap design surrounded by chaser lights has become a popular landmark lighting up the Roanoke sky.

As old signs tend to do, the Dr. Pepper sign started to get worn down. In addition, a new multimillion dollar art museum was being built next door in 2005, unfortunately obstructing the view of what some would call a work of art in its own right.

The sign needed to be moved and refurbished. During three months in 2005, for every case of Dr. Pepper sold in Roanoke, 8 cents went into a fund to accomplish the new goal. When $30,000 was raised work was begun. Virginia Sign Works, who was also tasked with restoring the other historic downtown Roanoke sign for H&C Coffee, refurbished the sign. A crane was brought in to move the sign to a prominent and highly visible corner, atop the Legg Mason Building.

On New Years Eve in 2005, six hours before the new year would ring in, a ceremony was held for the relighting ceremony. The Mayor along with a 104 year old lifelong Dr. Pepper drinker flipped the switch for the sign which now again illuminates the skyline every night.

Replica 1899 Coke Bottles Six-Pack from 2007

According to the description on the side of the 6-pack, this was the first coke bottle design to have the coke logo on the bottle, and was also a precursor to the traditional coke bottle. Each bottle has about 9 oz. of Coca-cola.

Dr. Pepper Cherry 12-pack from 2009.

I thought I'd had this before but I was thinking of Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper.

Recently, Dr. Pepper marketed themselves as a beverage of 23 flavors, and I find the cherry very dominant here with the mixture of the usual Dr. Pepper not as strong in this beverage, which is what makes it "Amazingly smooth."

I'm waiting for the day they create a Cherry Vanilla Raspberry Orange Pomegranate Cinnamon Dr. Pepper, along with a diet.

Drink Royal Crown Cola sign, Maryville, TN

Taken from the hill of the Blount County Courthouse, with the row of shops facing Main Street in the background.

"Best by Taste-Test"

Two cans of Mountain Dew Revolution from 2008 Dewmocracy

One of 3 new limited run Mountain dew flavors as part of their DEWmocracy promotion. This flavor is wild berry and isn't too different than the taco bell exclusive "baja blast" in my opinion.

Six-Pack of Orange Crush glass bottles

My favorite soda in 1981.

I was 4 and a can cost 35 cents where my dad worked.

Two cans of OK Cola

A carbonated "Beverage"

I'll start my soda blog with the first unusual soda I ever purchased - and saved.

OK Cola was an experimental soda concept produced by Coke in 1995. I picked up these cans in one of their test regions (north central Arkansas) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OK_Cola