7UP: Created in Missouri, Explained by No One

Gentle Reader, I don't know about you, but I don't think too often about where the things I buy come from. I suppose it's a privilege of being in a first world country? Or maybe it's just not something I need to know a lot about.

Anyway, my lovely fiancée NJ is a dude who sometimes imbibes energy drinks, coffee and such at work, but when he's at home, his beverage of choice changes. When he's home, he pretty much only wants 7UP Zero Sugar. That's it. He's cool with regular or cherry, but if it's not 7Up, he's probably not going to drink it. It'll sit in his little mini fridge in the back while he keeps reaching for that lemon lime drank*.

Recently there have been some pricing fluctuations with the 7UP Zero Sugar, which made me to to The Googles to figure out where the cheaper soda might be. Which then, because of course it did, it led me down a rabbit hole of 7UP information. Turns out, 7UP was invented by a Missourian in Missouri! So let's learn a little something today.

Our Inventor In Missouri

The story starts with a dude named Charles Leiper Grigg. Think 1800's. Chuck was born in the 1860's in Price's Branch, Missouri. Although some aspects of a rural childhood would certainly be idyllic.... Of course I'm sure it was a turbulent childhood, growing up during the Civil War. The town's still unincorporated. It's a tiny little speck of a town in Montgomery County, about 13 miles east of Montgomery City. Proud, but tiny.

Chaz left the excitement of Price's Branch (after all, they DID get a post office in 1855) and made his way to the big city: St. Louis. He was 22, full of energy, brimming with ambition, and had an interest in advertising. So he travelled the 74 miles - which back in 1890 couldn't have been easy. The town  of PB wasn't any bigger back in the day, so I doubt CLG could take a train. Young people, believe it or not, he didn't have a car either, because they weren't everywhere yet. He probably had to ride on a wagon pulled by horses, and that generally took about two or three days.

So Griggtime got a job as a salesman for Vess Soda - which is still a thing. He invented a drink while he was there, an orange soda called Whistle. And yes, you can try it, it's still for sale. Charles was doing great, rising through the ranks, living the high life. Then, he got into "conflicts" with management. So he was out the door, and had to leave his soda behind. That must have sucked, to put your hard work into a product and see it do well, but then have to walk away. And walk away he did.

The Origins of the Lemon Lime Fizz

Leaperman decided to start his own company. He had the experience, the knowledge, and a great idea for another orange soda, called "Howdy". Record scratch. Slight problem, though.

What was that problem?

Orange Crush. Crush was... well, crushing the market.  It was almost impossible for his company to make sales inroads in comparison. Since Chuck couldn't make Howdy work, he decided to pivot and try something else. He developed a lemon lime soda flavor instead, and introduced it to the public.

Two weeks before the stock market crash that began The Great Depression.

Yeah, sounds like bad timing, right?  Actually, you'd be incorrect about that. Charlie decided his soda needed something more than just good taste, which gave him an early advantage.  He wanted the drink to have health benefits. At the time, a lot of people believed carbonation was healthy. Especially for children.   But CLG needed more than that.

Get our free mobile app

Which meant adding....lithium!

Yes.  That's true.

They leaned hard into the idea that the drink will make you feel better...which people really needed at the time. It wasn't unheard of - you heard about Dr. John Pemberton putting cocaine into the early versions of Coca-Cola.  Don't get me wrong, ya'll, I love the soda too, but... that's why we have the laws we have today.

The original formulation contained lithium citrate, which was used in various patent medicines at the times for improving moods..... It has been used for many decades to treat manic-depression.

Lithium citrate was removed from 7UP in 1948 when the government banned its use in soft drinks. Other problematic ingredients included calcium disodium EDTA which was removed in 2006, and at that time, potassium citrate replaced sodium citrate to lower the sodium content.

But either way, the drink was a huge hit almost immediately from the get go.  They were going strong for decades privately owned, until they were bought by Phillip Morris, and later to Pepsi Co.

What's In A Name?

One thing we may never know is how the drink got its name. The full story on the name is still hotly debated amongst nerds today.  However, it is all speculation.  Chaz never officially explained the meaning behind the name "7UP". Of course, there are theories.

I've heard one story that says Chuck invented it to combat the "seven types of hangovers". But I doubt if that one's true, because this was during prohibition.  And, Chuckles was trying to make a health drink.  Even back then, people knew drinking was bad for you, ha!  It just seems unlikely he'd want to be associated with alcohol.  Anyway.

One says they tried six different formulas and were about to give up, when they got to the seventh.  Another theory says it was because the bottles were seven ounces instead of Coke's nine.  And yet another one says there were seven main ingredients in the drink back in the day.   The last one is a bit of a stretch - they think the seven might have come from the atomic mass number of lithium, which is seven.

Personally, I think the Missourian in him decided to leave it a mystery.  After all, we've always been the Show Me State, right?  So he didn't want to explain it, he just wanted to show you it worked.  Or at least, tasted good.

Regardless, the mini fridge remains stocked.

Did you know the story behind 7UP? What's your favorite theory behind the name? What's your go-to 'at home' drink of choice?

Uppingly yours,
Behka

*That's a joke, please don't be mad at me.