A crisp Dr. Pepper can brighten up the day of anyone who is a fan of the popular carbonated soft drink. The brand’s unique blend of 23 flavors has captured the love of its drinkers and created a movement of Dr. Pepper stans across the globe.
However, has anyone ever stopped to think what those 23 flavors include and how Dr. Pepper is actually made? Sometimes discovering the recipes of beloved foods and drinks can be traumatizing, but the truth behind Dr. Pepper’s hold on its fans needs to be studied. It starts with what’s being put into those aluminum red cans.
Why is homemade Dr. Pepper trending?
To kick off our study, let’s start with its roots. In 1885, Pharmacist Charles Alderton was in Waco, Texas where his passion for mixing medicines for work and serving carbonated drinks for fun melded into the birth of Dr. Pepper. The Texan-born drink was influenced by Alderton’s desire to create a flavor that tasted like the fruity aroma that filled his workspace — so the next time you sip a Dr. Pepper, see if the taste matches the scent.
Since its birth, Dr. Pepper’s recipe has changed over the years. As a person who drinks Dr. Pepper when they’re happy, TikTok creator @jeroyoshi.fan_48 shared their experience of recreating the close-as-possible original recipe of the iconic soda initially made in a pharmacy. With a blend of citrus peels, vanilla, cinnamon, cherries, ginger, veggies, and some other unidentifiable ingredients to make a syrup to pour into sparkling water, the creator embodied Charles Alderton.
After seeing the creator’s recipe include carrots and tomatoes, users didn’t waste time running to the comment section. One TikTok user commented, “So, Dr. Pepper is basically compost.” Dozens of users agreed and someone even equated the drink to salsa.
The creator’s layout and mixing over a flame also sparked the conversation of how Dr. Pepper was crafted in the first place. Another user commented, “So you’re telling me Dr. Pepper was invented by someone just making potions?”
In a way, Dr. Pepper can be seen as a love potion that was born from one man’s curiosity, but kept alive by fans who believe there is something magical about the drink.
How can I make Dr. Pepper at home?
As per the video, that’s the more extravagant way of making a version of Dr. Pepper. If you’re looking to still cook up something in your kitchen like Nara Smith but worried about the flavor, TikTok creator @sokoskitchen’s recipe includes adding coconut sugar, water, cinnamon sticks, cherries, lemon, lime, ginger, vanilla, and peppercorns to a pot to make Dr. Pepper syrup. After making the syrup, Skylar gets a glass of ice, pours in some of her homemade syrup, and plain seltzer to create a ‘crispy glass of Dr. Pepper’.
For an even shorter process, making Dr. Pepper with a Ninja Thirsti or Soda Stream is also an option that can also satisfy your craving.
Dr. Pepper continues to inspire soda brands like Olipop’s dupe with Dr. Goodwin. It’s just further proof that there might’ve been something magical with Dr. Pepper’s original formula after all.
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