The Dr. Soda

You’ve got to be pretty confident in yourself to name a drink The Dr. Soda. This drink goes a step further than Our Family’s Doctor and uses the definite article. Not only that, but it puts it in a semi-itallic font! With a name like that, you are either going to be praised for your brilliance, or chastised for its arrogance. So how does The Dr. Soda stand up? The Dr. Soda can be found at Buehler’s in Ohio. It will join the elite ranks of the five out of five Dr Pepper can ratings. With only the slightest hint of bitter, Old Time’s The Dr. Soda is remarkably close to the original.

Doctor

Doctor is found on the shelves of Econo Foods in Junction City, KS under the brand Our Family, and quite possibly in others stores as well. The taste is of the fruity variety. I can’t decide if the name ‘Doctor’ should be criticized for its extreme lack of originality. But I’m so amused that they actually had the chutzpah to name the flavor what it is, and I give Doctor a three and a half Dr Pepper can rating.

Doc Holiday

The Doc Holiday can features a rifle and a man on the front (who I can only assume is both Doc Holliday and the owner of the gun) and claims to be loaded with “double barrels of flavor”. Doc Holiday was bought here, though it’s apparently no longer available. So after waiting a month for my shipment to arrive as if I were waiting for a decoder ring, I was terribly disappointed. Instead of the double barrels of flavor that I was hoping for, all I got was a punch in the mouth. Weak flavor and very little kick. Averaging the poor taste with the strong historical deference, Doc Holiday earns a two Dr Pepper can rating. This drink should not be confused with Doc Holiday, which also looks quite tasty.

Country Doctor

Iowa’s Fareway grocery store brings us Country Doctor.  It was picked up at a Fastco in Corning, Iowa. At first, C.D. seems a little bitter, but after a few sips it starts to grow on you. In addition, I find it hard to drink very much of this stuff without having to burp. Country Doctor earns a three Dr Pepper can rating.

Braum’s Special

Braum’s in Parsons, KS brings us the highly disguised Braum’s Special. While (for some reason) Braum’s chose not to capitalize on the highly publisized Dr image, the maroon can gives it away. Upon further investigation, I found that the taste actually does a decent job of imitating Dr Pepper. Braum’s Special earns a four can rating.

Dr. Zip

Dr. Zip is sold by the Canadian store Sobey’s under the Our (Nos) Compliments Label. Dr. Zip is certainly Soda Pétillant (Soda With a Fizz, according to Zip translators). Nevertheless, Dr. Zip is sweet like cane sugar and earns a very respectable four Dr Pepper can rating.

Dr. Zing

Dr. Zing is nothing to write home about. It is under the brandname Super G, which is sold in the Giant grocery stores. This bottle was bought in Baltimore, MD, but there are other Giant locations throughout the region. Dr. Zing has a little bit of a bitter taste.

Dr. Zestee

Dr. Zestee was made by Artesia Quality Products (Private Selection) and was bought at Dominick’s in Mount Prospect, IL. It was only available in 2-Liter bottles, but is now thought to be discontinued (now Dr. Wild?)

Dr. Wow

Dr. Wow (as in “wow… this doesn’t taste as bad as I thought it would) can be found in Food Club, in New York state. The bad news is that the drink wasn’t too exciting, but the good news is that it wasn’t too offensive. Dr. Wow earns a three Dr Pepper can rating.

Dr. Wild

Private Selection is the “upscale” brand owned by (and sold through) Kroger, although distribution at the network of stores owned by Kroger seems sporadic at best. I only have one can of this beverage, so it is not yet rated.  (Kroger also sells its store-brand Dr. K.)

(This beverage is not related to Dr Wild or Dr. Wild.)