Big Red is a

soft drink A soft drink (see § Terminology for other names) is a drink that usually contains water (often carbonated), a sweetener, and a natural and/or artificial flavoring. The sweetener may be a sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice, a su ...

. It was created in 1937 by Grover C Thomsen and R.H. Roark in Waco, TexasPatoski, Joe Nick
"Big Red"
Texas Monthly, 1986. Accessed February 14, 2008. and originally known as Sun Tang Red Cream Soda. It is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

variety of cream soda and it is the original "red cream soda".

History

The name was changed to ''Sun Tang Big Red Cream Soda in 1959 and to "Big Red" in 1969 by Harold Jansing, then president of the San Antonio bottling plant, after hearing a golf caddy refer to the soda by that name.Todd, Heather
"Seeing Red"
Beverage World, September 15, 2004. Accessed February 14, 2008 Big Red was initially marketed exclusively in

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

and

South Texas South Texas is a region of the U.S. state of Texas that lies roughly south of—and includes—San Antonio. The southern and western boundary is the Rio Grande, and to the east it is the Gulf of Mexico. The population of this region is about 4.96 ...

and around Louisville, Kentucky, and in Southern Indiana. The Louisville connection was due to Roark owning the R.C. Bottling Company in Louisville. Kentucky was the first state in which this soda was available to consumers.Witt, Kathy. "Made in Kentucky", ''Kentucky Living Magazine'', March 2018, p. 26. May 16, 2018, was proclaimed "Big Red Day" by Louisville mayor Greg Fischer in recognition of the 80th anniversary of Big Red's introduction in that city. The drink is popular in the Southern United States, known for its unique taste and red color."jTexas Food - Best of the Best"
, Lonely Planet Blue List, February 26, 2006. Accessed February 14, 2008 Though often thought to be

bubble gum Bubble gum or bubblegum is a type of chewing gum, designed to be inflated out of the mouth as a bubble. Bubble gum flavor While there is a bubble gum "flavor" – which various artificial flavorings including esters are mixed to obtain – it ...

, its flavor is a combination of lemon and orange oils, topped off by a pure vanilla that offers a creamy aftertaste. Big Red is produced and distributed by various independent bottlers including Keurig Dr Pepper, CCE, and Pepsi Bottling Group under license from Big Red, Inc., based in Austin, Texas. Big Red was the sixth-highest-selling soft drink company in the United States from 2002 to 2004, after Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Dr Pepper/7Up, Cott, and National Beverage Company.Food and Drink Europe, February 25, 2003.
"Coke Stretches Lead Over Pepsi"
/ref> As a preeminent red crème soda in the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...

. Bates, Karen Grigsby
"Red Sodas Are a Mainstay at Texas Celebrations"
National Public Radio, ''Day to Day'', June 19, 2007. Accessed February 14, 2008Moskin, Julia

New York Times, June 18, 2004. Accessed February 14, 2008 In 2007 Big Red Ltd. was purchased by Gary Smith, with backing from Citigroup Venture Capital and

Goldman Sachs Goldman Sachs () is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered at 200 West Street in Lower Manhattan, with regional headquarters in London, Warsaw, Bangalore, H ...

. Smith serves as the Chairman and CEO of Big Red and

All Sport History All Sport was launched by PepsiCo in 1994 as a competitor to The Coca-Cola Company’s Powerade and Gatorade, which at the time was a separate entity owned by Quaker Oats. After PepsiCo's 2001 acquisition of Quaker, All Sport was sold ...

, Inc. In 2008 Keurig Dr Pepper purchased a minority interest in Big Red, Inc. Dr Pepper distributes almost 80% of Big Red annually. Although the production facility is still in Waco, Texas, Big Red relocated their corporate headquarters to Austin, Texas, in 2009. In 2020, Islla St. Brewery in San Antonio, Texas created a Big Red flavored beer called Big Rojo (later renamed Wild Rojo).

Flavors

Current

*Big Red *Big Red Zero (formerly Diet Big Red) *Retro Big Red (sweetened with cane sugar rather than high-fructose corn syrup)

Current, limited availability

*Big Red Vanilla Float *Big Honey Lemonade *Big Blue *Big Pineapple *Big Peach *Big Manzana (apple flavored) Big Peach 2L

Former

*Sugar Free Big Red Vanilla Float *Big Punch Fruit Punch *Big Orange

References

External links

Big Red's websiteBig Red's NASCAR sponsorship
{{DEFAULTSORT:Big Red (Drink) Cream sodas Products introduced in 1937 American soft drinks Companies based in Austin, Texas Texas culture