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We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about what flavour red velvet cake is, as well as the fact that cola actually uses a ‘kola nut’ for its distinctive flavour.
But as much as we’ve all heard about Coca-Cola’s “ingredient 7X” – a secret recipe so carefully obscured, the two people in the world who know about it reportedly can’t go on the same plane at once — you might not know Dr Pepper has 23 secret flavours too.
According to the brand, “a signature blend of 23 flavours makes every sip of Dr Pepper truly unique”.
So what are they?
The drink’s ingredients list reveals that the pop’s base is made up of fizzy water, sugar, caramel colouring, phosphoric acid, sweeteners, some preservatives, and “flavourings including caffeine”.
Those “flavourings” are where the mystery lies. Coca-Cola similarly hides its signature taste profile.
We can’t know for sure what those ingredients include. But, according to food site AllRecipes, online speculation would have them as:
- amaretto
- almond
- blackberry
- black liquorice
- carrot
- clove
- cherry
- caramel
- Kola nut
- ginger
- juniper
- lemon
- molasses
- nutmeg
- orange
- prune
- plum
- pepper
- root beer
- rum
- raspberry
- tomato
- vanilla.
That list has not been confirmed by Dr Pepper, but it’s very common in online forums, AllRecipes claims.
Some Redditors say it’s made up of ”cola, cherry, licorice, amaretto, almond, vanilla, blackberry, apricot, caramel, pepper, anise, sarsaparilla, ginger, molasses, lemon, plum, orange, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, coriander juniper, birch and prickly ash”.
Certainly the addition of kola nut would explain the presence of caffeine in the drink.
How come companies don’t have to disclose their flavourings?
According to health site Healthline, “natural flavourings” don’t have to be disclosed by the FDA unless they include:
- spices
- fruit or fruit juice
- vegetables or vegetable juice
- edible yeast, herbs, bark, buds, root leaves, or plant material
- dairy products, including fermented products
- meat, poultry, or seafood
- eggs.
The flavourings have to meet safety requirements set by organisations like the European Food Safety Authority.
The register of flavourings sets out the rules which brands need to follow in the UK, for instance.
But once that bar’s been cleared, brands are allowed to stay coy about their flavourings – which is why those Dr Pepper add-ins are such a closely-guarded secret.
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