Like the chicken and the egg, which came first, the soda or the pop is a question that rattles around some of our brains. We don’t know why we want to know, but we know we want to know. With the recent release of our outstanding RiverBluff soda pop, we set out to answer that question and look deeper into why some people call it soda, some people call it pop, and some people call it soda pop. So, kick back in the cut, fill one up, and let’s learn about soft drink stuff.
Spoiler: It was the Soda
Early methods of carbonating water consisted of adding sodium bicarbonate to water to create a fizzy drink. Hence the name soda. They first came in seltzers and tonics as they were believed to calm the stomach. That is why many early soda fountains were in pharmacies and why your parents told you to drink lemon/lime soda when you were ill. This dates back to when ginger was a common ingredient in sodas as ginger is believed to help relieve stomach discomfort. The term soda water dates back to 1798 2.
How Did it Become Pop?
By 1812, bottled soda water started to become available. In that year, English poet Robert Southey is credited with creating term Pop 1. in a letter he wrote saying, “drank some most admirable cyder, and a new manufactory of a nectar, between soda-water and ginger-beer, and called pop, because ‘pop goes the cork’ when it is drawn .” Early soft drinks contained all sorts of wild ingredients, so who knows what was in that mystical drink Robert Southey consumed…but Coke was named Coke for a reason.
What About Soda Pop?
Around 1863, the terms soda and pop had started to be connected when ordering a soft drink. By this time some companies had started using other methods than cork to seal their products, so no more pop. They were also now carried in saloons, a far cry from their early days in pharmacies. New sealing methods and the introduction to the saloon were a direct result of America’s westward expansion. The product needed to travel farther to the consumers and not every town had a pharmacy but almost all of them had saloons. The cultural crossover in the west made soda pop the standard for the time.
If Soda Pop Became the Standard, Why Do We Still Say Pop or Soda?
Chances are if you are on one of the coasts, you call it soda. If you live in the middle of the country, you probably call it pop. If you live in the south, you probably call it Coke because of brand loyalty (Coke was founded in Atlanta, GA). So why not soda pop anymore, given the chance to say something quicker, most people will air on the side of brevity. Why would you use two words that most people understand mean the same thing when you can say one? To that we say, “We are bringing soda pop back! 3”
What Did We Learn?
It doesn’t matter what you call it. People have loved soda pop for centuries. It is in many of our first memories. It is as American as apple pie and baseball. Some of the most recognizable brands in the world produce soft drinks. We strive to be the most recognizable brands in cannabis world. With that in mind, in partnership with 7 Hills Brewing, RiverBluff set out to develop our hemp-derived THC soda pops. A traditional soda pop taste with a lift! The result gave us three soda pops we are proud of and delighted to be able to offer, don’t wait purchase them today!