Throwback (drink)
Encyclopedia
The Throwback line is a brand of soft drink
sold by PepsiCo
in the United States
and Canada
for its flagship Pepsi
and Mountain Dew
brands. The drinks, called Pepsi Throwback and Mountain Dew Throwback, are named as such because they are flavored with natural sugar
instead of high fructose corn syrup
, which soft drink companies used to replace sugar in the 1980s. In addition, these drinks use retro
packaging.
to aspartame
around the same time was an unrelated move.) By the mid 1980s, all of the major soft drink brands switched to HFCS, with the original formula of Coca-Cola
being one of the last holdouts.
However, by the late 2000s, many soft drink fans wanted a return of sugar in the drinks, citing a slightly sweeter taste, controversies over negative health effects of HFCS
, increases in the cost of corn syrup due to increased use of the product for ethanol
production, as well as the cost of sugar having since dropped in that time.
In early 2009, PepsiCo announced plans to release versions of Pepsi and Mountain Dew with pure cane sugar as its main sweetener, and without the citric acid
found in regular Pepsi, on a limited time basis. The original shipment went on sale in April 2009, and ended in June. Sales were strong for both, prompting PepsiCo to release a 2nd limited batch for December 2009–February 2010.
The second batch version of Mountain Dew Throwback from December 2009 differed slightly in its formula from the first batch from April 2009, in that it now included concentrated orange juice as one of its ingredients, giving it a slightly different flavor more in common with Mountain Dew presently available.
A third batch was released on July 31, 2010, again as a five week limited release.
On October 12, Consumerist.com reported that Pepsi has decided to continue offering the Throwback line as long as people continue to buy it.
A fourth batch started to appear in stores in late December 2010, removing the limited time only logo from the case packaging. At the same time, Sierra Mist
, a drink that debuted in 1999 and had always been made with high fructose corn syrup, also had a sugar-based formula released under the name "Sierra Mist Natural." Sierra Mist Natural has since replaced the HFCS-based Sierra Mist as the primary Sierra Mist formula.
In January 2011, Pepsi Throwback began appearing in 12 pack 355ml cans as well as 591mL bottles across Canada.
On March 11, 2011, PepsiCo announced that both Pepsi Throwback and Mountain Dew Throwback would become permanent additions to the Pepsi and Mountain Dew product lines.
With the second release in December 2009, more accurate retro packaging was used. Pepsi used the exact replica of the 1973–1987 logo, while Mountain Dew used its original hillbilly
theme. The use of Mountain Dew's original theme is a stark reversal of Pepsi's decision to distance the drink from its Appalachia
origins, as well as a stark contrast from the drink's current male
, extreme sports demographic.
All subsequent releases of the Throwback drinks have used the second release's packaging.
started selling "Heritage Dr Pepper" in response in November 2009. Sugar-sweetened Dr Pepper has always been available from a single bottling plant in Texas (see Dublin Dr Pepper
).
In a rare move of no competition within the Cola Wars
, Coca-Cola
has no plans to release a sugar-sweetened version of Coca-Cola on a regular basis. Aside from Kosher Coca-Cola (which it sells only for the Jewish
holiday of Passover
) and Mexican Coke
(which is sold via import in the United States), the last time Coca-Cola was sold with real sugar was in the 1980s, just before the introduction of the now-infamous New Coke
.
Soft drink
A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
sold by PepsiCo
PepsiCo
PepsiCo Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Purchase, New York, United States, with interests in the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of grain-based snack foods, beverages, and other products. PepsiCo was formed in 1965 with the merger of the Pepsi-Cola Company...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
for its flagship Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
and Mountain Dew
Mountain Dew
Mountain Dew is a citrus-flavored carbonated soft drink brand produced and owned by PepsiCo. The original formula was invented in the 1940s by Tennessee beverage bottlers Barney and Ally Hartman and was first marketed in Marion, VA, Knoxville and Johnson City, Tennessee. A revised formula was...
brands. The drinks, called Pepsi Throwback and Mountain Dew Throwback, are named as such because they are flavored with natural sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
instead of high fructose corn syrup
High fructose corn syrup
High-fructose corn syrup — also called glucose-fructose syrup in the UK, glucose/fructose in Canada, and high-fructose maize syrup in other countries — comprises any of a group of corn syrups that has undergone enzymatic processing to convert some of its glucose into fructose to produce...
, which soft drink companies used to replace sugar in the 1980s. In addition, these drinks use retro
Retro
Retro is a culturally outdated or aged style, trend, mode, or fashion, from the overall postmodern past, that has since that time become functionally or superficially the norm once again. The use of "retro" style iconography and imagery interjected into post-modern art, advertising, mass media, etc...
packaging.
Development
The cost of sugar in the US started to rise in the late 1970s and into the 1980s due to government imposed tariffs, prompting soft drink manufacturers to switch to high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as a cheaper alternative to sugar. (Diet drinks were not included, because they have long been flavored with artificial sweeteners; the switch from saccharinSaccharin
Saccharin is an artificial sweetener. The basic substance, benzoic sulfilimine, has effectively no food energy and is much sweeter than sucrose, but has a bitter or metallic aftertaste, especially at high concentrations...
to aspartame
Aspartame
Aspartame is an artificial, non-saccharide sweetener used as a sugar substitute in some foods and beverages. In the European Union, it is codified as E951. Aspartame is a methyl ester of the aspartic acid/phenylalanine dipeptide. It was first sold under the brand name NutraSweet; since 2009 it...
around the same time was an unrelated move.) By the mid 1980s, all of the major soft drink brands switched to HFCS, with the original formula of Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
being one of the last holdouts.
However, by the late 2000s, many soft drink fans wanted a return of sugar in the drinks, citing a slightly sweeter taste, controversies over negative health effects of HFCS
Health effects of high-fructose corn syrup
Health concerns have been raised about high fructose corn syrup regarding its potential to cause obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and its containing of traces of mercury.-Obesity:...
, increases in the cost of corn syrup due to increased use of the product for ethanol
Ethanol
Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a...
production, as well as the cost of sugar having since dropped in that time.
In early 2009, PepsiCo announced plans to release versions of Pepsi and Mountain Dew with pure cane sugar as its main sweetener, and without the citric acid
Citric acid
Citric acid is a weak organic acid. It is a natural preservative/conservative and is also used to add an acidic, or sour, taste to foods and soft drinks...
found in regular Pepsi, on a limited time basis. The original shipment went on sale in April 2009, and ended in June. Sales were strong for both, prompting PepsiCo to release a 2nd limited batch for December 2009–February 2010.
The second batch version of Mountain Dew Throwback from December 2009 differed slightly in its formula from the first batch from April 2009, in that it now included concentrated orange juice as one of its ingredients, giving it a slightly different flavor more in common with Mountain Dew presently available.
A third batch was released on July 31, 2010, again as a five week limited release.
On October 12, Consumerist.com reported that Pepsi has decided to continue offering the Throwback line as long as people continue to buy it.
A fourth batch started to appear in stores in late December 2010, removing the limited time only logo from the case packaging. At the same time, Sierra Mist
Sierra Mist
Sierra Mist is a lemon-lime flavored caffeine-free soft drink, introduced by PepsiCo in 2000 and rolled out nationally in the United States in 2003. PepsiCo owns the rights to the similar 7 Up brand outside the U.S...
, a drink that debuted in 1999 and had always been made with high fructose corn syrup, also had a sugar-based formula released under the name "Sierra Mist Natural." Sierra Mist Natural has since replaced the HFCS-based Sierra Mist as the primary Sierra Mist formula.
In January 2011, Pepsi Throwback began appearing in 12 pack 355ml cans as well as 591mL bottles across Canada.
On March 11, 2011, PepsiCo announced that both Pepsi Throwback and Mountain Dew Throwback would become permanent additions to the Pepsi and Mountain Dew product lines.
Packaging
Both editions have used retro packaging as part of the "throwback" theme. The first release featured the 1940s Pepsi-Cola script in royal blue on a modern navy blue background with the word "throwback" written in the modern font, while the 1973–1996 Mountain Dew logo was featured on a modern green background.With the second release in December 2009, more accurate retro packaging was used. Pepsi used the exact replica of the 1973–1987 logo, while Mountain Dew used its original hillbilly
Hillbilly
Hillbilly is a term referring to certain people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas of the United States, primarily Appalachia but also the Ozarks. Owing to its strongly stereotypical connotations, the term is frequently considered derogatory, and so is usually offensive to those Americans of...
theme. The use of Mountain Dew's original theme is a stark reversal of Pepsi's decision to distance the drink from its Appalachia
Appalachia
Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S...
origins, as well as a stark contrast from the drink's current male
Male
Male refers to the biological sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...
, extreme sports demographic.
All subsequent releases of the Throwback drinks have used the second release's packaging.
Nutritional comparison
| Pepsi | Pepsi Throwback | Mountain Dew | Mountain Dew Throwback | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serving | 12 oz | 12 oz | 12 oz | 12 oz |
| Calories | 150 | 150 | 170 | 170 |
| Total Fat | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g |
| Sodium | 30 mg | 20 mg | 65 mg | 65 mg |
| Total Carb. | 41 g | 40 g | 46 g | 44 g |
| Sugars | 41 g | 40 g | 46 g | 44 g |
| Protein | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g |
| Caffeine | 38 mg | 38 mg | 54 mg | 54 mg |
| Ingredients | Carbonated Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Caramel Color, Sugar, Phosphoric Acid, Caffeine, Citric Acid, Natural Flavor | Carbonated Water, Sugar, Caramel Color, Phosphoric Acid, Caffeine, Natural Flavor | Carbonated Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Concentrated Orange Juice, Citric Acid, Natural Flavors, Sodium Benzoate, Caffeine, Sodium Citrate, Erythorbic Acid, Gum Arabic, Calcium Disodium EDTA, Brominated Vegetable Oil, Yellow 5 | Carbonated Water, Sugar, Orange Juice Concentrate, Citric Acid, Natural Flavor, Sodium Benzoate, Caffeine, Sodium Citrate, Gum Arabic, Erythorbic Acid, Calcium Disodium EDTA, Brominated Vegetable Oil, Yellow 5 |
Similar competing drinks
Dr PepperDr Pepper
Dr Pepper is a soft drink, marketed as having a unique flavor. The drink was created in the 1880s by Charles Alderton of Waco, Texas and first served around 1885. Dr Pepper was first nationally marketed in the United States in 1904 and is now also sold in Europe, Asia, Canada, Mexico, Australia ...
started selling "Heritage Dr Pepper" in response in November 2009. Sugar-sweetened Dr Pepper has always been available from a single bottling plant in Texas (see Dublin Dr Pepper
Dublin Dr Pepper
Dublin Dr Pepper is the popular name for a style of Dr Pepper soft drink made by the Dublin Dr Pepper Bottling Co. in Dublin, Texas. Dublin Dr Pepper follows the original recipe, using cane sugar as the sweetener as opposed to newer high-fructose corn syrup...
).
In a rare move of no competition within the Cola Wars
Cola wars
The Cola Wars are a campaign of mutually-targeted television advertisements and marketing campaigns since the 1980s between soft drink manufacturers Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo Incorporated.- Competition :...
, Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
has no plans to release a sugar-sweetened version of Coca-Cola on a regular basis. Aside from Kosher Coca-Cola (which it sells only for the Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
holiday of Passover
Passover
Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
) and Mexican Coke
Mexican Coke
Mexican Coke is Coca-Cola that is made and bottled in Mexico in a thick glass bottle. Although intended for consumption in Mexico, Mexican Coke has become very popular in the United States because of a flavor that Mexican Coke fans call "a lot more natural tasting." This "more natural" taste can...
(which is sold via import in the United States), the last time Coca-Cola was sold with real sugar was in the 1980s, just before the introduction of the now-infamous New Coke
New Coke
New Coke was the reformulation of Coca-Cola introduced in 1985 by The Coca-Cola Company to replace the original formula of its flagship soft drink, Coca-Cola...
.