Shoot Me a Waco

Dr Pepper lovers probably have a hard time envisioning a world without their favorite beverage but, in 1885, the only place you could buy a Dr Pepper was Waco, Texas.

Although I consume very few soft drinks anymore due to the mounting evidence of their ill effects on health, I have pleasant memories of going to the old drive-in movies with my parents and enjoying that sweet, fizzy taste of Dr Pepper. I also remember the 10-2-4 logo on the small bottles of the 50's and 60's, which was a marketing strategy for Dr Pepper's boost of energy between meals.

According to this present-day Pepper Passion Poll, almost a third of voters are "never seen without one" and another 25% voted that they drink it "on the hour, every hour". That's quite a passion for Dr Pepper.

The first person ever to drink Dr Pepper was Charles Alderton, a young English pharmacist who worked for Wade Morrison in his Old Corner Drugstore in Waco, Texas. Alderton spent most of his time dispensing medicines but also sold fountain drinks to patrons. History has it that he loved to experiment with various combinations of the fruit-based flavors and finally came up with one he especially favored. He offered tastes to his employer who liked it so much that he wanted to offer it to his customers, who also found it to their liking. They began ordering this new nameless drink by asking the fountain clerk to "shoot me a Waco" since this was the only place it could be found. Eventually other drug stores bought the drink from Morrison in order to serve this "Texas native" from their fountains as well.

It's not clear how the drink got its name but the Dr Pepper Museum in Waco shares several different stories. The most accepted story has it that Wade Morrison had worked for a physician by the name of Dr. Pepper when he lived in Wytheville, Virginia. Being very much enamored of Dr. Pepper's daughter, he named the drink Dr. Pepper's Phos-Ferrates in honor of her father. Around 1900, it was shortened to Dr. Pepper, and in the 1950's the period after Dr was dropped.

Also, in the 1950's the company published a brochure about Dr Pepper, claiming that "its unique flavor results from the unique blending of pure fruit flavors (gathered throughout the world) with mystic spices from far off Madagascar, and clean, clear distilled sparkling water." Some have believed that, because of the name, Dr Pepper contains black pepper, green pepper or peppermint and some say that it may contain prune juice, however, the company denies all of these including cherry and kola. William Poundstone wrote in his book, "Big Secrets", that "the formula contains 23 ingredients and is locked in two bank vaults. Only four people know it." Some regions list Imperial Cane Sugar as an ingredient and the Dr Pepper company vice president admitted that synthetic vanillin is used.

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