Editor's P.S.

Southern Living, Jun 2002 by Murphy, Morgan

Southerners love fizz. What France is to wine, the South is to soft drinks. Like our personalities, our drinks are sweet, bubbly, and explosive if shaken up.

I'm a Coca-Cola drinker myself. Uncharitable friends have said that I'm addicted to the nectar that sprang from Columbus, Georgia. Sure, I've given crates of 10-ounce bottles of Coke as wedding presents. But addicted? Well, maybe.

Recently, however, I've been exploring new horizons and expanding my cola world. In most of the South, "Coke" is the word you use when referring to anything cold and fizzy, even if what you're really talking about is Texas' famous Dr Pepper from Waco or Pepsi-Cola, the effervescent drink from New Bern, North Carolina. As a general rule, Southerners do not ask for "pop," "cola," or "a soft drink." No matter what you call carbonated beverages, it can be worth your while to sample the local cola fare. Read on for some tips on ordering the best.

Summer is the time to slurp down a tall glass of one of the South's many carbonated libations. Here are a few bubbly suggestions to get you started.

Sun-drop

On a recent trip to lovely McMinnville, Tennessee, I tasted my first Sun-drop. "Zounds!" I hollered. The caffeine made my ears ring; that sip had enough sugar in it to give a moose diabetes. After downing the can, I was hooked.

Sun-drop tastes great-like lemonade on steroids. The stuff outsells Coke in some parts of Tennessee by five to one. Addicted devotees that have been transplanted out of Sundrop's delivery area find themselves carting the golden cola through airports and paying exorbitant prices to have it shipped ($17 per six-pack if you live west of the Mississippi).

Ginger Ale

As a child in Birmingham, I was treated to Buffalo Rock Ginger Ale whenever I felt sick to my stomach. The ale's sharp taste and eye-watering carbonation were powerful medicine for a carsick boy. As an adult living in New York, I bragged to friends that my town's ginger ale could beat up their town's soft drinks.

Then I found Blenheim Ginger Ale-bottled in South Carolina. Blenheim Ginger Ale will blow the top of your head off. Made from the strong mineral water of Blenheim Artesian Mineral Springs, this has to be the hottest drink on the planet, and it comes in four fabulous varieties: Old #3 Hot, #5 Not as Hot, #9 Diet, and #11 Ginger Beer. Swill this stuff at your own risk.

Cherry Cola

Here's a stumper: Ask your local vintner which wine goes best with a pulled-pork sandwich and French fries. If you live in the Carolinas, the answer will surely be Cheerwine. This nonalcoholic cherry cola drink can even be used as the base for a pretty good barbecue sauce.

Spunky Comebacks

Thought they were gone? No way. Royal Crown Cola, affectionately known as RC, is still being paired with MoonPies all over the South. And NuGrape, Grapette, and Grapico continue to wash down the hot dogs and chips eaten by many a third grader. Kentucky's Double Cola tastes exactly like it used to. Texas' Orange Crush (from Plano) has done just that to the competition. All it takes to find your favorite classic is a little hunting.