7up Retro review

There has been a recent resurgence in "retro" sodas. That is to say, sodas that are made with real sugar, rather than high-fructose corn syrup. Starting with Pepsi and Mountain Dew, the movement has found it's way into Dr Pepper, among others. Even Coke threw their hat into the ring, albeit with the imported Mexican Coke (ooh, imported!).

Now, 7up is getting into the game with 7up Retro. I, being the consummate consumer, had to try it. Seeing it on the store shelves, it was calling to me. "Drop five bucks on me" it said, knowing full well that I would. I grabbed my bounty and made a beeline to the checkouts. Fuck monetary responsibilities, I had tasty sugar water to buy.



As you can see, I had to buy a regular 7up to compare it to. As a side note, have you seen the new bottle design for 7up? It's very curvy, almost feminine. I like it. It's different, and not something we usually see in the pop aisle. hopefully it'll stick around.

Hopefully, you'll also notice that 7up Retro's packaging is decidedly un-retro. Seeing Pepsi's strong vintage look with their real sugar sodas, you'd think 7up would kinda go with the flow. I'm positive 7up has never had tiger stripes on its can. Or Donald Trump.



So we're ready for the taste-off. 7up Retro on the left, represented by Gumby. 7up Current on the right, represented by the Evangelion. Lets see what our boys have to offer.



First up is the Retro variety. It's a very transparent flavor, recalling more limes than lemons, and more sugar than either. The sweet taste is definitely at the forefront of this drink. Still, it's good, if overly sweet.



The contemporary 7up has a thicker feel to it, almost syrupy. The emphasis seems to be on lemons, though I don't know if this is intentional, or just because I drank it after the Retro version. There's a pronounced chemical aftertaste that doesn't sit well with me.

After weighing the two formulas, I have to call 7up Retro as the winner!



7up Retro seems destined to be a limited edition. A week after I bought my first case, it seems increasingly hard to find another. Maybe that's for the best with these kind of sodas. When a food is taken away from us, we seem to lust after it more. Grab a case of these for yourself before they're gone!