Dr Pepper

[helicaldrive]

In case people don’t know

Prune juice is what gives Dr. Pepper its unique flavor.

Many years ago I said to someone: Dr Pepper drives me nuts because something about it tastes so familiar but I simply cannot identify what it is. He looked at me and said: prune juice!

Bingo.

I’ve always loved the irony. Dr Pepper drinkers generally consider themselves much cooler than the other cola drinkers, but of course prune juice couldn’t be more fuddy duddy.

I recognized the prune juice flavor because once when I was a very small child, at my grandparents’ house and when nobody was around in the kitchen, I saw a carton of prune juice in their refrigerator and I drank a fairly large glass of it. It tasted so unique, and I soon found out why they always had a carton of it in the back of their refrigerator. I definitely never forgot that experience.

I’ve never looked at the ingredient list for Dr Pepper but I presume its prune juice flavoring is artificial and not labeled as such.

 

[helicaldrive]

And now that I Googled it

Dr Pepper apparently denies that prune juice is an ingredient.

 

[jamiel]

My mother always said it was prune juice in Dr. Pepper...can't say I have ever tried prune juice to compare.

 

[DADoES]

 
I tried it with a couple cinnamon rolls.  It's a reasonable mix of coconut and Dr Pepper cherryness.  Probably not the best choice with a food-meal, burger, etc.  More so with something sweet or as standalone.  I rarely drink dark/cola stuff any more, advised by my urologist to avoid them, re:  kidney stones.

 

[qsd-dan]

Supposedly beer prevents kidney stones. Had co-worker years ago that would drink one beer every night to prevent them. He was never a fan of beer but for a beer drinker, I guess that's a viable excuse.

 

[rp2813]

I associate Dr. Pepper's flavoring with black cherry.  I've never picked up on a prune juice taste.   The only drink I liked that had prune juice in it was Ocean Spray's Cran-Prune.  It's disappeared from store shelves decades ago, likely due to the stigma of prune juice.  Even Mariani's, a hometown packer of dried fruit, primarily prunes back when this valley was the prune capital of the world and to a slightly lesser degree, apricots -- before silicon chips took over the economy -- now labels their dried prunes as plums.

 

If Ocean Spray revived Cran-Prune as Cran-Plum, they would probably sell a lot of it.  Even though prunes are not considered plums (I still like them fresh and crisp when they can be found in stores),  if a name change helps to revive availability in various forms, I'm all for it.

 

[ea56]

Ralph,
Prunes were also a BIG cash crop in Sonoma County until the wine industry took over most of the agricultural industry in our county. Prunes were primarily grown in Healdsburg and Santa Rosa. I happen to love prunes, especially pitted prunes. I think people give them a bad rap because of the association with prunes being a laxative. I think if many of these folks ever actually ate a few pitted prunes they’d love them, they taste like candy. Now prune juice is another matter altogether for me. To me it tastes nothing like prunes and I can’t stand it.

Personally I think it’s a shame how the wine industry has overshadowed the wonderful diversified agricultural history that we once enjoyed in Sonoma Co. We had walnuts, Gravenstein Apples, plums, prunes, hops and a massive seed farm right next door to Cotati in Rohnert Park. Because of agriculture Sonoma Co. faired better than many places in America during the Great Depression. And let us not forget that Petaluma was once the Egg Basket of the World as well as producing poultry too and the dairy industry was huge in Sonoma Co. too.

Eddie

 

[hobbyapocalypse]

[No message]

 

[davey7]

Has David Noughton weighed in?

 

[mattl]

I too like prunes!  In fact, my extended family loves the prune fill kolaczki  we all make at Christmas. We all make our own prune filling.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

I pretty much associate the flavor of Dr. Pepper with Cherry...

 

There are also many store "Dr. brands" that I know of that taste exactly like it...

 

My store, Kroger, is Dr. K, Walmart's brand is Dr. Thunder, Spartan has Dr. Spark, and Meijer is Dr. M... 

 

 

 

-- Dave

https://www.facebook.com/genericDrPepperKnockoffs/

 

[stan]

Hi Eddie

Napa Sonoma have alot in common
French prunes were introduced in Napa in 1883, and for nearly half of the 20th century, prunes were our largest fruit crop. All wine now
I drink Mexican Coke in the glass bottles.

 

[sudsmaster]

 

 

Never been a Dr. Pepper fan. In fact, I haven't drunk any soda for at least a decade. At least that I can recall. For me it's beer, and even with that I have greatly reduced consumption for the last 10 or more years.

 

Whatever!

 

[supersuds]

Pitted prunes

The industry gave them a big push with some Stan Freberg commercials. I agree they’re good.

 

[rp2813]

I Remember Those Sunsweet Ads!

Sunsweet's headquarters were located in the heart of downtown San Jose at Market and San Antonio Streets for many decades.  A brown blade sign with yellow neon hung on the corner of the building.  It's long gone, as Sunsweet followed the French prune orchards to The Big Valley.  In its place is the annex to what was the Fairmont Hotel until recently.  Now it's some kind of high end Hilton brand.