Tang – The Space-Age Orange Revolution
Tang is an American drink mix brand that was formulated by General Foods Corporation food scientist William A. Mitchell and chemist William Bruce James in 1957, and first marketed in powdered form in 1959. However, it wasn’t until the sixties that Tang truly became a household name across America.
Sales of Tang were poor until NASA used it on John Glenn’s Mercury flight in February 1962, and on subsequent Gemini missions. The space connection transformed this orange powder into something magical for families across the nation. Kids begged their parents for the same drink the astronauts consumed while orbiting Earth.
It was promoted as an “instant breakfast” drink rather than a soft drink mix, because it was fortified with vitamins C and A. In print and television advertising Tang was referred to as the nutritious “space age” drink of the astronauts. This marketing genius made Tang feel futuristic and healthy at the same time.
Families would gather around the breakfast table, watching kids stir the bright orange powder into milk or water. The ritualistic mixing became as important as the drinking itself. In 1961 General Foods introduced grapefruit flavored Tang and advertised it in Time Life magazine. This expansion showed how quickly the brand captured America’s imagination during those optimistic space race years.
Carnation Instant Breakfast – Liquid Convenience in a Glass
“Instant” was a popular term applied to several breakfast products in the 1960s. Our survey of historic newspaper ads revealed instant orange juice (Tang), cereal (oatmeal, wheat) and coffee. Carnation Instant Breakfast perfectly embodied this era’s obsession with speed and convenience.
Now you can have new Carnation instant breakfast – makes milk a meal that’s too good to miss. Each glass delivers as much protein as two eggs, as much mineral nourishment as two strips of crisp bacon, and more energy than two slices of buttered toast, and even Vitamin C – the orange juice vitamin. These bold nutritional claims appealed to busy mothers trying to feed their families quickly.
The product’s success came from brilliant repositioning in grocery stores. General foods introduced the mix-with-milk powder in supermarkets’ diet sections. It did not do that well. Carnation resurrected the concept as Carnation Instant Breakfast, and sold it in the cereal section. Sales soared.
Television commercials showed harried housewives transforming ordinary milk into a complete breakfast in seconds. The promise of nutrition without preparation time resonated deeply with families embracing the decade’s fast-paced lifestyle.
TaB – The First Diet Cola Revolution
Among the more recognizable forgotten vintage sodas that emerged in the 1960s is TaB. It was the Coca-Cola company’s first foray into diet sodas in an era when options for this type of beverage were limited. This pink-canned pioneer would define diet drinking for an entire generation.
Though the first diet soda was No-Cal, which debuted in 1952, these didn’t become popular until Diet-Rite Cola came on the scene in 1958. Coca-Cola found itself scrambling to keep up with the trend and began researching formulas that could not only compete with traditional cola in flavor, but would have a similar viscosity. It finally landed on the winning recipe in 1963 and TaB was born.
It built a cult following through the 70s and 80s, becoming the unofficial drink of aerobics studios nationwide. The metallic aftertaste from saccharin turned many consumers off, and when Diet Coke arrived with improved flavor, Tab began its slow fade into obscurity.
Despite its artificial taste, TaB represented something revolutionary. Women finally had a cola they could drink without guilt about calories or weight gain. The distinctive pink packaging became a symbol of feminine liberation through beverage choice.
Kayo Chocolate Drink – Liquid Candy Bar
Kayo Chocolate Drink was another popular soda during the 1960s. It was made using a syrup that was invented by Russian immigrant Aaron D. Pashkow in 1929. This chocolate-flavored carbonated beverage offered something completely different from traditional cola and citrus sodas.
At the time, chocolate beverages could only be made using whole milk blended with a chocolate mix in. The industrious Russian figured out the secret to producing a chocolate syrup that could be blended with any number of liquids, from skim milk to soda water. This innovation made chocolate sodas possible for the first time.
Kayo was named after a popular comic strip that was featured in the Chicago Tribune, “Moon Mullins.” The brother of the title character was named Kayo, which was a spin on the shorthand for a knockout punch in boxing. The name perfectly captured the drink’s bold, punchy flavor.
The Kayo Chocolate soda was sold in cans and bottles and was considered a popular after school drink for children until it disappeared sometime in the 1980s. Kids would rush to corner stores after school, choosing between chocolate Kayo and traditional sodas. The rich, sweet flavor made it feel like drinking liquid dessert.
Like Lemon-Lime Diet Soda – The Sugar-Free Pioneer
While there are a number of popular diet sodas on the market today, back in the 1960s, these were few and far between. At the time, the 7Up Company saw an opportunity to enter an untapped market and began exploring its options. It landed on what became known as Like Lemon-Lime Diet Soda.
This fizzy drink, which premiered in 1963, was a sugar-free version of 7Up widely marketed to women. It was made using a sweetener known as cyclamate, a non-caloric, sugar substitute that emerged in the 1950s. The marketing campaigns specifically targeted weight-conscious housewives looking for guilt-free refreshment.
It was 30 to 40 times sweeter than sugar, water soluble, and more palatable than other sugar substitutes when paired with saccharin, making it ideal for use in a variety of food and beverage products. This technological advancement made diet sodas taste closer to their sugar-sweetened counterparts than ever before.
Unfortunately, in 1969, the substance was banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration due to concerns over tests in animals indicating it may be potentially carcinogenic. This regulatory action effectively killed Like and several other diet beverages of the era, forcing manufacturers to reformulate their products with different sweeteners.
Fresca – The Sophisticated Citrus Alternative
Since the 1960s, it’s been known for its zesty citrus flavor. Imagine sipping on a Fresca on a hot summer day – a burst of refreshing taste with zero calories. It’s the perfect guilt-free drink. Fresca arrived during the mid-sixties as Coca-Cola’s answer to the growing demand for sophisticated, adult-oriented beverages.
Fresca’s sleek, colorful cans and bottles added to its appeal. Though it’s still around, some say the taste has changed over time. Despite this, it remains a popular choice for a light, fizzy drink.
Unlike other citrus sodas aimed at children and teenagers, Fresca positioned itself as the mature choice for adults who wanted refreshment without excessive sweetness. The advertising campaigns featured sophisticated settings – cocktail parties, business lunches, and elegant dining rooms.
What made Fresca special was its grapefruit-dominant flavor profile. While most citrus sodas relied heavily on lemon and lime, Fresca offered something more complex and slightly bitter. This grown-up taste attracted consumers who found traditional sodas too cloying or juvenile for their refined palates.
Teem – Pepsi’s Forgotten Lemon-Lime Entry
Before Sierra Mist evolved into Starry, there was Teem. Introduced on April 10, 1959, this lemon-lime soda was the first of its kind produced by the Pepsi-Cola Company. Though it technically debuted in the late fifties, Teem found its stride during the following decade.
Teem represented Pepsi’s attempt to challenge 7Up’s dominance in the lemon-lime category. The name itself suggested freshness and vitality – perfect for the energetic sixties youth culture that was reshaping American society. Television commercials featured young people enjoying Teem at beaches, parties, and outdoor gatherings.
The drink’s crisp, clean taste appealed to consumers looking for something lighter than cola but more flavorful than plain soda water. Teem bottles featured distinctive green labeling that stood out on grocery store shelves alongside the more familiar 7Up and Sprite products.
Despite aggressive marketing campaigns and pleasant taste, Teem never managed to capture significant market share from established lemon-lime brands. The crowded soft drink market of the sixties proved difficult for newcomers, even those backed by major companies like Pepsi.
Aspen – The Apple Soda That Almost Was
PepsiCo’s Aspen Soda tried to make apple the new cola in 1978, packaging it in green cans that promised a crisp, refreshing alternative to traditional sodas. Despite initial interest in its unique flavor profile, Aspen disappeared by the early 80s, leaving behind only confused memories and empty cans in landfills. Though technically launched in the late seventies, Aspen’s development began during the innovative beverage experimentation of the sixties.
Aspen was an audacious retreat from the traditional cola-dominated market. We’re so obsessed with citrus and cola flavor combos, so they dared to introduce apple to the limelight! In the ’70s, PepsiCo promised Aspen that it would taste like biting into a fresh, juicy apple and that it would feel more sophisticated than the heavy, syrupy colas of the era.
But the majority had spoken. It didn’t quite hit the mark with the mainstream soda crowd. Maybe it was too different, or maybe they weren’t just ready for apple-flavored sodas. The concept originated from sixties brainstorming sessions where beverage companies explored every possible fruit flavor combination.
Aspen represented the decade’s spirit of experimentation and willingness to challenge conventional wisdom. The apple flavor offered something genuinely different in a market saturated with cola, lemon-lime, and orange options. Unfortunately, American taste buds weren’t ready for such innovation, and Aspen became another footnote in beverage history.
These eight forgotten beverages capture the essence of sixties innovation and optimism. From space-age Tang to sophisticated Fresca, each drink reflected America’s changing values and lifestyles during this transformative decade. Though most have vanished from store shelves, they remain powerful symbols of an era when anything seemed possible – even convincing people to drink chocolate soda or apple-flavored fizz. Food historians continue studying these beverages not just as products, but as windows into American culture during one of its most dynamic periods. What do you think about these forgotten drinks? Tell us in the comments.
