What Is Hot Dr Pepper and Is It Any Good?

If you’ve been on the internet long enough, you’ve probably seen a picture of an old advertisement for “Hot Dr Pepper.” Surely, that can’t be real? One Google later, and here you are: yes, Hot Dr Pepper is an authentic recipe promoted by the Dr Pepper Company through advertising and even custom Dr Pepper heating appliances. Seriously, Hot Dr Pepper-themed merchandise like kettles and mugs were sold regularly for over thirty years. So how did this alternate soda-drinking format come to be?

What is hot Dr Pepper?

Hot Dr Pepper is Dr Pepper…that’s been heated. It’s really that simple, folks. While it seems social media “rediscovers” Hot Dr Pepper every year, this concept is anything but new. Dr Pepper began developing it before NASA was founded. The drink was promoted from the late ‘50s through the ‘70s as a wintertime alternative to tea or cider. Hot Dr Pepper has fallen out of fashion in recent decades, but the original advertisements for the recipe never fail to stir up confusion.

Who thought this was a good idea?

As with every questionable product innovation in history, this came about because of capitalism! Back in 1958, the president of the Dr Pepper company wanted to offer a hot beverage during the colder months. These days, the president would have an assistant make a call to the underpaid scientists working in the lab; back then, Wesby R. Parker himself went into his kitchen and started experimenting. He determined that the best method was to heat Dr Pepper to precisely 180 degrees and pour it onto a slice of lemon at the bottom of a mug.

Is Hot Dr Pepper worth trying?

I’ve never made Hot Dr Pepper to Wesby R. Parker’s exact specifications, but I’ve tried a thermometer-free facsimile and absolutely loved it. Compared to many recipes from the ‘50s, Hot Dr Pepper is fantastic. I want to see this added to Dr Pepper’s fellow Texas-born company Whataburger’s menu during the winter months. Should I pull out the electric kettle and try the authentic Hot Dr Pepper recipe for a Sporked review? Let me know in the comments.