Pepsi fans were left speechless when they recently discovered that the popular soft drink, which recently dethroned itself as America’s third favorite, wasn’t always known as it is today.
In fact, when it was first created in 1893, the fizzy drink was not called Pepsi-Cola, but rather “Brad’s drink,” Indy100, an offshoot of The Independent, reported Monday.
At the time, the drink was originally named after its creator Caleb Bradham, a young pharmacist who used a variation of his own last name to sell the product in New Bern, North Carolina, according to the British outlet.
Except that a few years later, realizing that the name of his concoction revealed little about its contents, consisting essentially of sparkling water, sugar, vanilla, rare oils and kola nuts, he decided to adopt a more commercial name.
This is how in 1898, the pharmacist would have opted for the name Pepsi-Cola, which would come, according to the Encyclopedia of Pepsi-Cola Collectibles, from the conviction of its creator that the mixture facilitated digestion, in the same way as the enzyme pepsin, according to Indy100.
However, the product, which was intended “not only as a refreshment, but also as a means of invigorating a tired soul,” would never have contained pepsin, the Encyclopedia would have specified.
Among fans of Pepsi, recently dethroned from second to third place in the hearts of Americans after Coca-Cola and Dr Pepper, this piece of history has had its effect, so much so that many have turned to the web to share the information.
“I just found out Pepsi was originally called ‘Brad’s Drink’, I’m going to be in shock for about a week,” one user posted on X, while several others reportedly laughed and said they wanted to get a “fresh, sparkling glass of Brad’s.”
