The 2000s were a wild time for beverage innovation. Companies were pushing boundaries, experimenting with colors that defied nature, and creating flavors that seemed to come straight from a mad scientist’s laboratory. Some drinks became legendary failures, while others gained devoted followings before vanishing without a trace.
Think about it – when was the last time you walked down a grocery store aisle and felt genuinely surprised by what you saw? These days, most beverages play it safe, but back then, companies were willing to take risks. They created drinks that looked like lava lamps, tasted like candy, and promised to give you superpowers. Let’s dive into twelve beverages that defined an era of bold experimentation.
Pepsi Blue
In the early 2000s, PepsiCo made a daring splash with Pepsi Blue. It was a neon-blue, berry-flavored soda looking to outshine Coca-Cola Vanilla. The drink had a distinctive cotton candy flavor that either thrilled or horrified anyone brave enough to try it. Introduced in 2002, Pepsi Blue was a bright blue, berry-flavored soda aimed at attracting a younger demographic. Despite heavy marketing and endorsements, the unconventional flavor failed to gain widespread acceptance.
Like other Pepsi variations, Pepsi Blue was also released solely to compete. The soda was put through extensive taste tests in order to create a soda that could go head-to-head with Coca-Cola’s Vanilla Coke. Unfortunately for Pepsi, the bright blue color seemed to work against them. Despite celebrity endorsements and its integration into pop culture, its candy-like taste was not a big hit with consumers. By 2004, the Big Blue experiment was over and Pepsi discontinued the soda.
Vault
Vault was a sweetened energy drink and carbonated beverage that was released by The Coca-Cola Company in June 2005 and marketed until December 2011. It was touted as an artificially flavored hybrid energy soda. This was Coca-Cola’s answer to the energy drink craze, combining traditional soda sweetness with an energy kick. Fans have described the drink as unlike anything else on the market, boasting a bold, complex citrus flavor with a full-bodied profile.
This ultra-caffeinated lemon-lime soft drink was introduced in 2005, essentially serving as the Coca-Cola Company’s take on Pepsi’s neon-hued gamer fuel, Mountain Dew. According to Food Ingredients First, when Vault rolled out it was aimed at a younger market of people that had a taste for carbonated energy drinks, and apparently SUVs. The company went all-in with aggressive marketing campaigns. Coca-Cola put together a serious advertising blitz for Vault, including commercial placement on Super Bowl Sunday.
Vault’s exit from Coca-Cola’s family of products came in 2011 when the company decided to fold the brand. The company decided to focus its energy on a drink with a longer history and more brand recognition: Mello Yello (via Convenience Store News). Even in its six-year run, Vault developed a die-hard following of fans who hope to see it return. A petition still exists for people who remember and appreciate the soda’s flavor, versatility, and cool appeal.
Hi-C Ecto Cooler
In 1989, Hi-C released a new flavour featuring a image of Slimer from The Real Ghostbusters on the box, naming the flavour “Ecto Cooler”. It was a repurpose of Hi-C’s “Citrus Cooler”, which had been around since the 60’s. It is notable that Ecto Cooler was made in light of Ghostbusters II, which was in theaters when released. This bright green, orange-tangerine flavored drink became an instant cultural phenomenon. Ecto Cooler was an unusual success story. Conceived as the sort of promotional tie-in that generally has a short shelf life, the drink managed to stay in production until at least 1997!
In the 2000s, it would be renamed to both Shoutin’ Orange Tangergreen and Crazy Citrus Cooler, eventually being discontinued in 2007, much to fans’ dismay. However, the drink’s legacy proved too strong to ignore. It would make a short-lived return in 2016 to promote the Ghostbusters reboot and reappeared as a rare promotional item for 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
Sprite Remix
Sprite Remix featured three tropical remixes in the early 2000s: Tropical, Berryclear, and Aruba Jam! This was Coca-Cola’s attempt to capitalize on the remix culture that was sweeping through music and youth culture at the time. Sprite Remix, launched in 2003, brought a tropical twist to the classic Sprite formula. It was a hit with the 2000s remix culture. Despite its flashy campaigns and cultural connections to music and dance, the drink was gone by 2005 – too soon!
The drink perfectly captured the early 2000s obsession with customization and personalization. Each flavor tried to transport drinkers to an exotic tropical location with just one sip. The marketing campaigns were vibrant and youth-focused, featuring dancers and musicians who embodied the era’s energetic spirit. Flashback to the early 2000s when Sprite launched a berry-flavored drink that was all of the rage – Sprite Remix.
Josta
Maybe you’ve only heard of Josta in the whispers of nostalgia from ’90s soda lovers, but this is no mythology, folks! Josta had its era of solving our thirst problems. This guarana-based energy soda was ahead of its time! It was a pioneer in the energy drink space. This soda is largely considered the first energy drink released by a major soda company in the United States. It was a high-energy citrus soda that circulated from 1995 to 1999. Josta was unique in that it included both guarana and caffeine.
In 1999, PepsiCo announced it was discontinuing Josta, blaming a shift in corporate strategy. Devastated fans immediately started a campaign called “Save Josta,” which still exists to this day. In 2007, fans even organized a National Josta Day to bring awareness to their cause. The drink was marketed with mysterious, almost mystical packaging that emphasized its exotic guarana ingredient. When PepsiCo launched Josta in 1995, it made history as the first energy drink introduced by a leading U.S. beverage brand. Marketing decisions aside, the soda itself wasn’t a winning formula. Its own ads described it as “carbonated tree sap,” a comparison that certainly doesn’t inspire confidence.
Coca-Cola Blāk
First introduced in 2006, Coca-Cola Bl̄āK was a coffee-flavored soft drink. Pause for reaction. Needless to say, this beverage only lasted until 2008 when it was discontinued. This ambitious experiment attempted to merge the worlds of cola and coffee into a single beverage. There are several likely reasons why Coca-Cola Blak fizzled out, including its off-brand packaging and niche marketing strategy. The experimental and energizing drink was rumored to have an unusual taste, as well, with a creamy coffee consistency that frothed when poured.
The drink was positioned as a sophisticated alternative to regular cola, targeting adults who wanted both caffeine and complexity in their beverage choices. However, the combination proved too unusual for most consumers. The product struggled to find its identity in a market where people expected their coffee and cola to remain separate entities.
Crystal Pepsi
Launched in 1992, Crystal Pepsi was a clear cola that offered the familiar Pepsi taste without the typical caramel coloring. Its transparent appearance was a novelty that intrigued consumers, leading to significant initial sales. Despite the early buzz, the product was discontinued by 1993 due to declining popularity. Born in 1992, this soda was a clear-colored, caffeine-free version of the original that attempted to capitalize on the health trends of the early ’90s. Of course, while capturing the classic Pepsi taste may have been the goal, the resulting sip left a different impression altogether. Since more thought was put into marketing Crystal Pepsi than accurately mimicking the original, the flavor was more akin to a sugary seltzer.
Over the years, Crystal Pepsi has made limited-time comebacks, sparking nostalgia among fans. Its brief returns highlight the lasting impression it left on ’90s beverage culture. The product represented an era when transparency was equated with purity and health consciousness. Though it didn’t quite deliver on the taste promise, Crystal Pepsi became a cultural touchstone that people still reference today.
Orbitz
Easily one of the coolest and most inventive beverages we’ve ever seen, Orbitz Soda is the perfect example of the wacky creativity of the ’90s. It resembled a drinkable lava lamp and was filled with funny-looking floating balls made with food dye, artificial flavoring, and gelatin. Vibrant colors and mysterious chewy balls aside, though, the taste was a different experience entirely. Launched in 1997, Orbitz stood out with its strikingly translucent liquid and floating gelatinous balls, resembling a drinkable lava lamp and marketing itself as a “texturally enhanced” beverage.
Unfortunately, most of the appeal of Orbitz soda came from how it looked. Although it garnered some success, the flavor was compared to cough syrup and even Pine-Sol. Consequently, the company chose to discontinue it in 1998, about a year after its 1997 release – although much like the drink’s tiny floating spheres, you may still be able to find a decades-old bottle floating for sale online. The novelty factor couldn’t overcome the fundamental flaw that it simply didn’t taste good enough to sustain consumer interest.
OK Soda
The story goes that Coca-Cola found that the only word more widely recognized than “Coke” was “OK.” So, the company went all in with nihilistic marketing and branding, decorating its cans with bleak art and messaging like “What’s the point of OK? Well, what’s the point of anything?” While this approach was meant to appeal to a cynical younger audience, the campaign fell flat. This was perhaps the most unusual marketing strategy ever attempted by a major beverage company. It featured cryptic messages and a hotline inviting consumer feedback. Ultimately, it was one of the most depressing products ever, disappearing from shelves in just two years.
Despite expectations that OK Soda would capture 4% of the beverage market, the drink narrowly achieved half of that goal, underperforming across all test markets. Only seven months after its launch, OK Soda was discontinued. The product became a fascinating case study in how not to connect with consumers, proving that sometimes trying too hard to be different can backfire spectacularly.
Surge
Introduced by Coca-Cola in 1996, Surge was a citrus-flavored soda aimed at competing with Pepsi’s Mountain Dew. Marketed as an energy-boosting drink, it quickly became popular among teenagers. However, concerns over its high sugar and caffeine content led to a decline in sales, resulting in its discontinuation in 2003. Surge probably tops the list of discontinued sodas that people miss fondly. It was the cool soda of the ’90s, and you probably knew about it or drank it whether you grew up in this era or were already of age. This isa citrus-based beverage produced by Coca-Cola that was finally discontinued in 2003.
The taste is comparable to sodas like Mello Yello and Mountain Dew, but Surge marketed itself as being extreme. It wasn’t an energy drink in the way that Red Bull is, but it was definitely the soda you turned to when you wanted a caffeine kick. Everything about Surge epitomized the ’90s. It was the soda choice of teenagers who roamed the streets with their friends, skateboarded, and wore Airwalks. A passionate fan base prompted Coca-Cola to re-release Surge in limited quantities in 2014. Its cult following underscores its impact during its original run.
Coca-Cola C2
Launched in 2004, Coca-Cola C2 aimed to satisfy carb-conscious consumers during the height of the Atkins Diet craze. This was Coca-Cola’s attempt to create a middle ground between regular Coke and Diet Coke, offering roughly half the calories and carbohydrates of the original formula. The company positioned it as the perfect solution for people who wanted some sweetness without the full caloric impact.
The drink used a blend of high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners to achieve its reduced calorie count. Despite extensive marketing and the perfect timing with low-carb diet trends, C2 struggled to find its audience. Consumers seemed to prefer making the full commitment to either regular or diet versions rather than settling for something in between. The product quietly disappeared from shelves, becoming another casualty in the cola wars.
Dr Pepper Berries & Cream
Only about six months after its release, Berries & Cream was discontinued due to underwhelming sales numbers. Despite its short run, Dr. Pepper Berries & Cream became a favorite flavor for many. Luckily for fans, the soda was briefly revived in 2022 as an award for the Pepper Perks program. However, the flavor returned to retirement once the sweepstakes ended. This flavor represented Dr Pepper’s attempt to create a more dessert-like soda experience, combining traditional cola taste with sweet berry and cream notes.
In 2023, Dr. Pepper released a similar but slightly different flavor: Strawberries & Cream. With this flavor now a permanent offering, it seems unlikely that Dr. Pepper would bring back Berries & Cream at the same time. While nothing is certain, it looks like fans will have to make do with Strawberries & Cream for the foreseeable future. The brief revival in 2022 gave hope to dedicated fans, but ultimately served as more of a nostalgic tease than a permanent return.
These twelve beverages represent more than just failed experiments or forgotten flavors. They capture a moment in time when companies were willing to take massive risks and consumers were eager to try something completely new. While most of these drinks are gone forever, their legacy lives on in the memories of those who experienced the wild creativity of early 2000s beverage culture. What beverage from this era do you miss the most?
