Nostalgia is defined as a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place for happy personal associations.  Recently I was reading an article that filled me full of it.  I starting to think about what was popular when I was younger.  I will be turning 50 next year, and was thinking about having a 80's themed party and wanted to bring back the decade.  If I could find some of these discontinued beverages that would be cool.

Crystal Pepsi

This clear soda launched in 1992 but didn't last too long.  Only about a year.  It relaunched in 2016, and there was a contest to get some this year.  (New version)  I did get one in 2016, and didn't think it was that bad.  Would you like to see it again? Click HERE to buy it on Ebay.

Josta Soda

I do not have any recollection of Josta, a soda from 1995.  Made by Pepsi, you might make an argument that is was the first energy drink.  It was a fruity concoction containing guarana, one of the most highly caffeinated plants known to man. As a morning show host, perhaps Randy and myself should try and find some and enjoy it.

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Citra Soda

This citrus soda, with a more grapefruit flavor came from Coca-Cola in 1996. It lasted until 2004 when it was rebranded as Fanta Citrus, then was discontinued.  You may be able to find it on Ebay

Tab Cola

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There is a Facebook page called 'Save TaB Soda.  You can visit it HERE.  This popular diet soda was finally discontinued by Coca-Cola in 2020.  It has a lot of popularity still, and it still can be found if you know any collectors that have been hording it.  It would not surprise me if this soda comes back for a limited time.

Billy Beer

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I was not old enough to drink when President Jimmy Carter's brother Billy came out with Billy Beer. I was only 4 in 1977 when this beer was promoted.  The younger Carter, a Georgia gas station attendant with a reputation as a drinker, was approached by the Falls City Brewing Company to lend his name to the brew. It was a failure and may very well have been the final nail in the coffin for the brewery, which closed down after more than 70 years in business in 1978. Collectors will pay a lot for these if they are unopened.

Surge Soda

Now this stuff was great! It was Coca-Cola version of Mountain Dew.  A citrus-flavored soda, it was marketed as an energy drink of sorts, touting itself as “a fully-loaded citrus soda with carbos”.  It came back in 2014, and was then discontinued but it is back.  Click HERE for their website.

New Coke

This could go down in history as one of the biggest marketing blunders in history.  Coke changed their formula and gave us New Coke in 1985.  The backlash was unprecedented.  The new, sweeter flavor was almost universally panned, and Coca-Cola, responding to customers’ negative reaction, re-introduced the original formula after less than three months, re-branding it “Coke Classic” in the process. The commercial above was an apology.  Did any of you try it again in 2019 when it came back as a promotional tool for the TV show Stranger Things?

Orbitz Soda

I have to admit, I have no memory of Orbitz soda.  I always thought Orbitz was a travel company where you booked trips.  It was unleashed on the market by the Clearly Canadian Beverage Company in 1997.  Each bottle packed with tiny, brightly colored gelatinous balls, giving the drink a lava lamp-like appearance. It barely lasted a year, and have several fruit flavors.

Pepsi Blue

Another discontinues Pepsi soda that recently came back. Last year it came back. The news story above explains.  While Americans’ taste for the berry-flavored drink never really took off, it was brought back briefly.  It originally launched in 2002 and was sold until 2004.  I didn't think it was so bad.

Super Mario Soda

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From 1993-1994 you could have picked up these sodas for your kids.  Mario was everywhere.  This was a licensing deal with soda maker Shasta and included flavors like fruit punch, cherry, berry, and apple. The cans were only 8 ounces (as opposed to the typical 12) and boasted that they also packed a little vitamin C, likely to let parents believe there was something nutritious going on here. Did you or your kids ever enjoy this?

How many of these 10 beverages would you like to try again? If any? Or should they be left in the past?  You can share your thoughts.

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