I'm a Pepper, your a Pepper, Wouldn't ya like to be a Pepper too?

            While in Waco at the zoo last week, we took a quick trip to the Dr Pepper Museum.  Dr Pepper was created in 1885 in Morrison's Old Country Store in Waco, Texas by a pharmacist, and no, his name was not Dr. Pepper.  It was Charles Alderton and he made it out of 23 unique flavors.  What are they?  The museum never tells, as it is supposed to be a secret.  However, my little friend Google shared with me that some of the 23 flavors are vanilla, black licorice, carrot, rum, and yes, pepper.  Most people think that it has prune juice in it...nope, not a drop!
           And why was it named Dr Pepper?  They are a lot of rumors out there that involve young love of a girl with the last name of Pepper, but none have been proven.  As the museum says, "we don't know the true origin of the name, Mr. Morrison came up with it and it stuck."

            It was a great little museum that had the history of the bottling plant, showed the deep well where the water was brought up to make the original Dr Pepper.  It displayed lots of the old ads.  Do you remember this one? Just a catchy little tune that I used to sing as a child.

             Now the original Dr Pepper was made with Imperial Cane Sugar, not the high fructose corn syrup that is used so much today.  You can get a Dr Pepper in the soda shop at the museum, made the original way with the syrup and carbonated water mixed together.  It has the real sugar in it and it is yummy.

         Other things we learned that day?

Around 1950, the period was taken out between Dr and Pepper.  They wanted to take the "medical connotation" away form the soda.  Never realized there wasn't one there until they pointed it out to me.

The Beatles originally named their Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band as "Dr. Pepper's" but had to change it based on the U.S. soda owning the name.

Many people like to drink hot Dr Pepper, made with lemon and boiled on the stove.  Hmm...i don't think so.

Dr Pepper is the oldest "major-brand" soft drink in the United States. Coca-Cola did not come a long until 1886 and Pepsi was invented in 1898.

        So what do you think Bubba Boy?  Was the Dr Pepper museum a hit?  Considering I told you all you need to know about Dr Pepper, consider yourself as having been there.  But being a native Texan, the Dr Pepper museum is a must.  It's a part of our pop-culture history!