Mountain Dew

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Current Mountain Dew Logo
Mountain Dew

Type Citrus soft drink
Manufacturer PepsiCo, Inc.
Country of Origin Flag of United States United States
Introduced 1964 (nation-wide)
Variants Diet Mountain Dew
Caffeine Free Diet Mountain Dew
Caffeine Free Mountain Dew
Mountain Dew Code Red
Diet Mountain Dew Code Red
Mountain Dew LiveWire
Mountain Dew Pitch Black
Mountain Dew Pitch Black 2
Mountain Dew Baja Blast
Mountain Dew MDX
Mountain Dew AMP
Related products Sierra Mist
Sprite
Vault
Surge
Mello Yello
Sundrop

Mountain Dew is a caffeinated, ultra sweet, citrus-flavored soft drink produced by PepsiCo, Inc. It was invented in Marion, VA and first marketed in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1948, then by the Minges family in Fayetteville, NC and across the United States in 1964. When removed from its characteristic green bottle, Mountain Dew is bright green-yellow and cloudy. Unlike lemon-lime soft drinks such as Sprite, 7 Up, or Sierra Mist, Mountain Dew contains concentrated orange juice. The closest imitator is Coca Cola's Vaultand Mello Yello.

Mountain Dew was originally marketed as "zero proof moonshine" and had pictures of hillbillies on the bottle until 1973. In the 1970s through the late 1980s Mountain Dew had the crude nickname of "hillbilly piss" due to the carry-over bottle art and yellow coloring, but that usage has since fallen out of favor.

Today's marketing target is radically different. The drink is mainly marketed to people in the 20-30 year old demographic group, creating a connection to extreme sports and video game culture. The name Mountain Dew was first trademarked by two brothers, Barney and Ally Hartman, who ran a bottling plant in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Mountain Dew syrups are also used as Slurpee flavors.

Mountain Dew is the main sponsor of the Dew Action Sports Tour extreme sports tournament and the Summer and Winter X Games. It is also the main sponser of the Mountain Dew Vertical Challenge, a series of free races open to anyone, comprised of an East and West circuit.

Contents

[edit] Ingredients

Mountain Dew Lists its ingredients as:
Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, concentrated orange juice and other natural flavors, citric acid, sodium benzoate (preserves freshness), caffeine, sodium citrate, gum arabic, erythorbic acid (preserves freshness), calcium disodium EDTA (to protect flavor), brominated vegetable oil, and yellow 5.

Mountain Dew often incurs the disapproval of health experts due to its relatively high caffeine content for a soft drink, despite the fact that typical brewed coffee has a much higher caffeine dosage for equal volume. However, Mountain Dew marketed in Australia and Canada (see Dew Fuel/Mountain Dew Energy varieties below) — as well as several U.S. states — has no caffeine added at all( Health Canada states that caffeine can't be in food products that contain Orange Juice). Nevertheless, Mountain Dew contains tartrazine (“FD&C Yellow No. 5” in the US), which could lead to allergic reactions in some people. This has also led to an urban legend that the Yellow No. 5 in Mountain Dew reduces the sperm count of male drinkers. This is false. Mountain Dew, like many citrus flavoured sodas, contains citric acid and sodium benzoate.

Recent reports to the FDA indicate that some soft drinks may contain high levels of benzene that are above the FDA's limit for public drinking water. The source of the benzene appears to be from a reaction of ascorbic acid or erythorbic acid, and sodium benzoate. Mountain Dew contains erythorbic acid and sodium benzoate. However, calcium disodium EDTA and sugars have been shown to inhibit benzene creation, and Mountain Dew has not been found to have toxic levels of benzene. There has been a call, recently, for soft drink companies to address the toxic chemical reaction that takes place in many similar beverages. [1]

Diet Mountain Dew contains aspartame. Mountain Dew's brominated vegetable oil (BVO) is another source of contention. More than 100 countries ban BVO for its adverse health effects. However, the exact quantity of bromine put into fat cells from BVO is questioned.

[edit] Drug Facts

Caffeine: Approx. %0.01408 By Volume

[edit] Other Countries

In Europe, Mountain Dew is available in the following countries:

In the Middle East, Oceania and Asia, Mountain Dew is available in the following countries at retailers and certain fast food restaurants:

[edit] United Kingdom

A version of the drink was marketed for three years in the UK during the late 1990s. Many believe the urban legend that Mountain Dew is illegal (in its American formulation) to sell in the UK due to its high caffeine content and excessive artificial ingredients. However, the version sold in the UK was a lurid green color and contained far more caffeine, synthetic sugars, and artificial colorings than the American version. It even discolored the teeth and tongue of its drinkers for several hours after consumption.

[edit] Varieties

Diet Mountain Dew is the second most popular soda in the Mountain Dew family behind the original variety.
Enlarge
Diet Mountain Dew is the second most popular soda in the Mountain Dew family behind the original variety.
  • Mountain Dew (1948) — Citrus flavored soda. PepsiCo's original and most signature flavor in the Mountain Dew family.
Mountain Dew Baja Blast
Enlarge
Mountain Dew Baja Blast

[edit] Other Mountain Dew Flavors

  • Red (1988) — Fruit Mountain Dew. Red was the first Mountain Dew flavor variation. No longer available.
    • Diet Red (1988) — No-calorie fruit Mountain Dew. No longer available.
  • Blue Shock (2001) — Berry-citrus flavored Mountain Dew. Blue Shock failed to sell in the test market, Chicago, and was later released nationwide only in Slurpee form exclusively at 7-Eleven stores. It was there that Blue Shock made one of the most successful Slurpee flavor launches ever. No longer available as the recipe has since been reported as being sold to Faygo and marketed as "Moon Mist Blue."
  • Code Red (2001) — Cherry Mountain Dew. Not the same as the original Mountain Dew Red.
    • Diet Code Red (2002) — No-calorie cherry Mountain Dew. Available in limited areas only.
  • LiveWire (2003) — Orange Mountain Dew. First introduced as a limited-time product for the summer season, it is now a permanent addition to the Mountain Dew family. Limited in some areas.
  • Pitch Black (2004) — Grape Mountain Dew. Limited edition flavor for Halloween. No longer available.
  • Baja Blast (2004) — Tropical-lime and pineapple flavored Mountain Dew. Available exclusively at YUM! Brands' Taco Bell restaurants. While it was initially introduced under the impression of being a limited-time product in 2004, it is still available today at most Taco Bells.
  • Darth Dew (2005) — Tangy grape Mountain Dew Slurpee flavor that could be considered as “Pitch Black 1.5”. Was available exclusively at 7-Eleven stores as part of a promotion for the theatrical release of Star Wars Episode III. No longer available.
  • Pitch Black II (2005) — Sour grape Mountain Dew. Limited edition flavor for Halloween. “Sequel” to the original Pitch Black. No longer available.
  • Arctic Burst (2006) — A Mountain Dew Slurpee flavor available exclusively at 7-Eleven stores as part of a promotion for the theatrical release of Superman Returns. The Slurpee is blue in color and said to taste like blueberry. While the official name is "Arctic Burst", as seen on the actual Slurpee machine, it has also been seen mislabeled under the name "Arctic Blast" in some official online advertisements. No longer available.
  • Kryptonite Ice (2006) — A Mountain Dew Slurpee flavor available exclusively at 7-Eleven stores as part of a promotion for the theatrical release of Superman Returns. The Slurpee is green in color and the flavor seems to be tropical, like mango. No longer available.
  • "Phoenix" (2007) — An unreleased new Mountain Dew product that has been recently rumored to come out in early 2007. Early speculation on "Phoenix" suggests that if the product is indeed real it may be some sort of "lite" brand portfolio branch off of Mountain Dew and not a new Mountain Dew flavor.

[edit] Brand Portfolio

  • Dew Fuel (2002) — A caffeinated version of Mountain Dew offered in Canada. Mountain Dew is not caffeinated in Canada due to Health Canada regulations (see Table VIII) that only allow caffeine in 'dark-coloured' varieties of soft drinks such as cola and root beer. The reason Dew Fuel is allowed to bypass Health Canada regulations and be sold is due to the fact that it is marketed as a natural health product and not as a soft drink. It mainly replaces Canada's (Caffeine-Free) Mountain Dew on store shelves, although many places still sell both drinks. Dew Fuel was originally called “Mountain Dew Energy” until given its present name in 2006.
    • Dew Fuel Sugar-Free (2002) - No-calorie Dew Fuel. The caffeinated version of Diet Mountain Dew offered in Canada. Was originally called “Mountain Dew Energy Sugar-Free” until 2006.
  • Mountain Dew MDX (2005) — Mountain Dew flavored “Energy Soda.” Was code named “Mountain Dew X” during the beta test phase.
    • Sugar-Free Mountain Dew MDX (2005) — No-calorie Mountain Dew flavored “Energy Soda.”
  • Mountain Dew Sport (1990–1991) — Only test marketed in several states, as a Mountain Dew flavored sports drink. No longer available.
    • Diet Mountain Dew Sport (1990–1991) — Only test marketed in several states, as a no-calorie Mountain Dew flavored sports drink. No longer available.

[edit] Fictional Mountain Dew Flavors

  • Electrocution (2003) — A fictional Mountain Dew flavor that was rumored on many occasions between 2003 and 2005 to come out during the Easter season. From there the rumor quickly spread across the internet. The flavor of the neon purple drink has been mentioned as being mixed berry on some occasions and grape on other occasions. It was later revealed by Vince Cracchiolo of the website deercrack.com that Electrocution did not exist as it was a fictional flavor he had made up for a fake news story to generate interest in his site. Any pictures of Electrocution that exist are nothing more than elaborate doctored up hoaxes.

[edit] Non-Pepsi Bottlers

Only two non-Pepsi franchises exist in the United States for the production of Mountain Dew. At the time of Mountain Dew's acquisition by Pepsi, there were 56 franchise agreements, only 16 of which were not held by a Pepsi bottler. The two remaining agreements are permanent; however, the size of their territories make them insignificant to Pepsi.

  • West Jefferson Dr Pepper (WJDP) of West Jefferson, NC. The company does not ship outside its contracted territory, however several Web sites sell the product at a premium price. The premium price can be justified by the fact that WJDP is the last bottler in the U.S. to produce Mountain Dew with cane sugar (instead of High Fructose Corn Syrup, or HFCS). WJDP is notable for producing all their non-diet products with cane sugar, most of which are Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages (formerly Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc.) products.
  • RC Cola Bottling of Winchester, Winchester, VA. The company produces Mountain Dew, but does use High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) like all Pepsi bottlers.

[edit] Historical meanings

An old 10 US fluid ounce Mountain Dew bottle (date unknown): "It'll tickle yore innards!"
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An old 10 US fluid ounce Mountain Dew bottle (date unknown): "It'll tickle yore innards!"
  • An 1882 song from Ireland “The Rare Old Mountain Dew” (words by Edward Harrigan and music by Dave Braham) begins:
Let grasses grow and waters flow
In a free and easy way,
But give me enough of the rare ould stuff,
That’s made near Galway Bay,
Come gougers all from Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim too,
And we’ll give them the slip and we'll take a sip,
Of the rare old mountain Dew.
  • Mountain Dew appears as the name of an evil drink in the 1890 Arthur Machen story "Of the Isle of Shadows" in the book Ritual and Other Stories.
  • A 1947 version by Grandpa Jones (1913-1998) may be better-known to Americans:
There’s a big holler tree down the road here from me
where you lay down a doller er two.
When you come round the bend and when you come back again
there’s a jug full of good old mountain Dew
Oh they call it that old mountain Dew and them that refuse it are few.
I’ll shut up my mug if you fill up my jug with some good old mountain Dew.

(Grandpa Jones's 1947 record of the song also included the additional verses printed below under the entry for Flatt and Scruggs)

And another from Bluegrass group Flatt and Scruggs:

There’s a big hollow tree down the road here from me
Where you lay down a dollar or two
You stroll ’round the bend and you come back again
There’s a jug full of good old mountain Dew
They call it that mountain Dew
And them that refuse it are few
I’ll hush up my mug if you fill up my jug
With that good old mountain Dew
My uncle Mort, he’s sawed off and short
He measures about four foot two
But he thinks he’s a giant when you give him a pint
Of that good old mountain Dew
Well, my old aunt June bought some brand new perfume
It had such a sweet smelling pew
But to her surprise when she had it analyzed
It was nothing but good old mountain Dew
Well, my brother Bill’s got a still on the hill
Where he runs off a gallon or two
The buzzards in the sky get so drunk they can’t fly
From smelling that good old mountain Dew

And finally, a version by the rock band Ween. This appeared on their 2-disc live compilation Paintin' the Town Brown.

Way up on the hill there’s an old whiskey still
And it’s run by a hard working crew
If you hush up your mug they’ll fill up your jug
With that good, good old mountain Dew
Well they call it that good old mountain Dew
And them that refuse it are few
Well you may go around the bend, but you’ll come back again
For that good, good old mountain Dew
Well they call it that good old mountain Dew
And them that refuse it are few
Well you may go around the bend, but you’ll come back again
For that good, good old mountain Dew

[edit] Slogan(s)

  • Yahoo Mountain Dew... It'll Tickle Yore Innards (1965)
  • Get That Barefoot Feelin' Drinkin' Mountain Dew (1969)
  • Put a Little Yahoo in Your Life (1973)
  • Hello Sunshine, Hello Mountain Dew (1974)
  • Reach for the Sun, Reach for Mountain Dew (1979)
  • Give Me a Dew (1981)
  • Dew it To it (1983)
  • Do the Dew, Eddie C. Does Too (1984)
  • Dew it Country Cool (1986)
  • Get Vertical (1992)
  • Dew U (2004)
  • Hey, Nice Dew! (present)
  • Tuned Up Taste (present)
  • Do The Dew (present)
  • Drink Up, Throw Down. (Used for promoting the X-Games)
  • Same Dew. New View (Used when changing the art on the soda can)
  • Follow the Code (present - applies only to Code Red flavor)
  • DEW. Be. DEW. Be. DEW. (present)
  • Dew Me. (present)
  • Altitude Sold Separately. (present)
  • How Dew Does Diet (present - applies only to Diet variety)
  • People Want you, You Know What I mean (Present)[citation needed]

[edit] See also

Brands of Citrus soda  v • d • e 

Banta - Bawls - Bluna - Celeste Mountain Citrus and Orange - Citra - Club Orange - dnL - Fanta - Fresca - Gold Spot - Green River - Lift - LiveWire - MDX - Mello Yello - Mountain Breeze - Mountain Dew - Mountain Holler - Mountain Lightning - Orange Crush - Orangina - Pakola - Pelmosoda - Rondo - Schin Citrus - Schin Cola-Citrus - Slice - Squirt - Sundrop - Sunkist - Surge - Tango - Urge - Vault - Wink


[edit] External links

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