Soft drink
The bubbly, non-alcoholic refreshment that comes in countless flavors and names around the world.
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A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage, often carbonated, that usually contains a sweetener. The flavor can come from natural sources, artificial ingredients, or a combination of both. Sweeteners may include sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice, a sugar substitute (as in diet sodas), or a mix of these. Additional ingredients like caffeine, colorings, and preservatives are sometimes added.
The term "soft" distinguishes these drinks from "hard" alcoholic beverages. While a soft drink can contain a small amount of alcohol, it must be less than 0.5% alcohol by volume (ABV) in many places to remain classified as non-alcoholic. Common examples include cola, lemon-lime drinks, orange soda, grape soda, cream soda, ginger ale, and root beer.
Quick Facts
- First bottled soft drink
- Schweppes soda water, 1792
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Within a decade of the invention of carbonated water by Joseph Priestley in 1767, inventors in Europe had used his concept to produce the drink in greater quantities. One such inventor, J. J. Schweppe, formed Schweppes in 1783 and began selling the world's first bottled soft drink.
Soft drink brands founded in the 19th century include R. White's Lemonade in 1845, Moxie in 1876, Dr Pepper in 1885 and Coca-Cola in 1886. Subsequent brands include Pepsi, Irn-Bru, Sprite, Fanta, 7 Up and RC Cola. The earliest reference to carbonated ginger beer is in a Practical Treatise on Brewing published in 1809.
Reader's Guide
Soft drinks may be served cold, over ice cubes, or at room temperature. They are available in many container formats, including cans, glass bottles, and plastic bottles. Containers come in a variety of sizes, ranging from small bottles to large multi-liter containers. Soft drinks are widely available at fast food restaurants, movie theaters, convenience stores, casual-dining restaurants, dedicated soda stores, vending machines and bars from soda fountain machines.
Did You Know?
- In the United States, over half of survey respondents preferred the term "soda", which was dominant in the Northeastern US, California, and areas around Milwaukee and St. Louis.
- The term "pop" was preferred by 25% of respondents, most popular in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest.
- The genericized trademark "coke" was used by 12% of respondents, most popular in the Southern United States.
- In the English-speaking parts of Canada, "pop" is prevalent, but "soft drink" is the most common English term used in Montreal.
- In the UK, "fizzy drink" is common; in Ireland, "mineral" is used.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Soft drink (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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