When we’re not busy trying to figure out what the heck Yik Yak is, getting out of a book slump or getting inside of the mind of a bracketologist, we drink the occasionally bubbly beverage. That’s right, bubbly beverage.
The Pleiad staffers are at odds about what to call these carbonated cans. Pop? Soda? Soda Pop? Coke? Ultimately, more of us say pop.
But, regardless of what you call these liquids, you’ve got a favorite and a least favorite, and so do we!
Below you’ll find favorites and recommendations from our staff:
Bella Bakeman, Editor-in-Chief
What Do You Call This Bubbly Beverage? Pop! I slip into saying soda sometimes since some of my family has moved to the south, but I am a Michigander, so it will always be pop, first and foremost.
Favorite Pop: Cherry 7-Up. This is on my hear me out cake. I am not typically a lover of cherry flavored things, but there’s something about this particular flavor that just makes me so happy. It reminds me of drinking a Shirley Temple on special occasions.
Best Served: On the rocks! Is there any other way?
If I Could Only Kind of Pop One For the Rest of My Life It’d Be: Mexican Coke. I drink regular Coke more often, but if I had the choice, it would always be real-sugar, no corn syrup, Mexican Coke.
Least Favorite Pop: Anything with the diet or zero label. I am a strictly no aspartame person. I don’t like how it tastes, and I don’t like how it makes me feel. I think anyone who likes it is completely valid, I just can’t get behind it!
Killian Altayeb, Assistant Managing Editor
What Do You Call This Bubbly Beverage? Soda!
Favorite Pop: Diet Coke is elite. It’s crisp and has that sharp bite that only a diet soda can have. The can is a perfect silver with a red that doesn’t hurt your eyes. It’s not trying to be sweet – it’s just doing its job and keeping me alive through egregiously long days, late nights and drops in caffeine levels.
Best Served: On the rocks. There should be no disagreement when I declare that ice brings out the “zing.” There’s genuinely something indescribable about the fizzy sound when you drop ice into a glass of Diet Coke, that makes it feel like a mini celebration, even if you’re just sitting on the couch in your pajamas.
If I Could Only Kind of Pop One For the Rest of My Life It’d Be: Poppi! I love Diet Coke, but I love making healthy choices more. Poppi contains apple cider vinegar, and I don’t feel as bad drinking a whole can.
Least Favorite Pop: Coke. To me, it’s like someone took all the charm out of Diet Coke and drowned it in syrup. It’s heavy on the taste buds, weirdly flat even when fizzy (a food marvel) and always leaves my teeth feeling like they’ve been sugar-glazed. A classic? Sure. But not in my fridge!
Heidi Faramelli, Assistant News Editor
What Do You Call This Bubbly Beverage? Pop!
Favorite Pop: I could talk about why Dr. Pepper is the best pop for days, but for journalism’s sake, I’ll attempt brevity. First of all, they don’t try to blend in with the crowd – they are neither Coke nor Pepsi, and they’re okay with that. I love a drink that remains itself through and through.
Second, the flavor is incomparable. The slightly cherry taste, and whatever the 22 other mysterious flavors may be, blend to create a harmony greater than Shawn Mendes’ music. And, if you know me and my love for him, you know how high of a compliment that is.
Best Served: Dr. Pepper on the rocks is the only answer; if you prefer your pop warm, we need to talk. When I die and my life flashes before my eyes, I firmly believe that one of the core memories that will come up is the number of times after a hot summer day that I returned indoors and heard the satisfying “pop” of an ice-cold Dr. Pepper being opened.
Guzzling this ambrosia is one of the most fulfilling moments of my life every time it happens. I can say that although I’m a diehard fan and I’d drink Dr. Pepper at any temperature, I’d definitely wrinkle my nose if I had to drink it warm.
If I Could Only Kind of Pop One For the Rest of My Life It’d Be: I’ve tried the Strawberries and Cream, Blackberry and Coconut versions – as well as various flavors from Freestyle machines – but the original Dr. Pepper flavor will always be my go-to desert island drink. Other flavors of this brand are still good, but are oftentimes too sweet for me to really enjoy them. The Strawberries and Cream Dr. Pepper is a close second to the original for me, but nonetheless, nothing will ever surpass the OG’s flavor.
Least Favorite Pop: I might get some hate for this, but I have to say Mountain Dew. First, a stipulation, I’m referring to the regular old Mountain Dew; Baja Blast hits sometimes.
But, as for the original flavor, I’m sorry, but are we turning battery acid into a drink now? The flavor is so strong and the caffeine content is so high that together, the drink turns me into a jittery mess that isn’t even worth it, for how mid the taste is.
Jocelyn Kincaid-Beal, Features/Opinions Editor
What Do You Call This Bubbly Beverage? Soda!
Favorite Pop: Dr. Pepper! The thing about Dr. Pepper people is we’re all so intense about Dr. Pepper. But that’s valid because Dr. Pepper goes hard. I find it sweeter and more flavorful than Coke or Pepsi. I own Dr. Pepper socks, Dr. Pepper earrings and a Dr. Pepper winter coat. In high school, I wrote a play about Dr. Pepper. I will not tolerate any Dr. Pepper slander. If you come for Dr. Pepper, I will come for you.
Best Served: I prefer my Dr. Pepper chilled without ice! Ice only waters it down. Why mess with perfection?
If I Could Only Kind of Pop One For the Rest of My Life It’d Be: It would still be Dr. Pepper.
Least Favorite Pop: Mountain Dew. I’ve never had Mountain Dew, and I never will. It is the color of toxic waste; I will not be putting that in my body.
Lizzy Kelly, Media Editor
What Do You Call This Bubbly Beverage? Pop!
Favorite Pop: A&W Cream Soda. This is one of my favorite pops, mainly because when I drink it, the liquid doesn’t feel super carbonated. The taste is addicting and consistent in every kind of container I get it in; it doesn’t change if it’s in a can or a bottle.
Best Served: Slushies! I can always go for a pop-flavored slushy. I like this as a way to be able to drink pop flavors without having to deal with the carbonation that you’d get in its normal form.
If I Could Only Kind of Pop One For the Rest of My Life It’d Be: Pepsi. I grew up drinking Pepsi with my grandpa every time I would visit, which was at least once a week. It is one of the more tolerable levels of carbonation and I think it would be doable to drink for the rest of my life.
Least Favorite Pop: Fanta, any and all flavors. I really don’t like carbonated drinks, and these are super carbonated. I feel like I can’t even taste the flavor because I’m so worried about trying to swallow it without sucking it into my lungs.
Kyla Lawrence, Part-time Staff Writer
What Do You Call This Bubbly Beverage? By its government-given name. Sprite is Sprite, Coke is Coke… the list goes on.
Favorite Pop: Cherry Pepsi. It’s delicious, it’s flavorful and those little mini cans are to die for. I love cherry-flavored anything, but the sweetness of Pepsi is unmatched. It also isn’t insanely carbonated, which makes it a lot easier for me to enjoy.
Best Served: I’m an on-the-rocks kind of girl. Chewing the ice afterward? Heavenly. It’s like a little treat.
If I Could Only Kind of Pop One For the Rest of My Life It’d Be: Pepsi. Just in case I ever get bored with the cherry flavor, I’m still true to the classic taste of Pepsi. It’s smooth, sweet and the flavor never gets old.
Least Favorite Pop: Fanta… It just has a little too much going on, I fear. I love oranges, but that flavor is not orange. Also, it looks radioactive. Any drink that has a super vibrant color scares me. Mountain Dew is a close second, but I, unfortunately, really enjoy a Baja Blast from Taco Bell.
Seiji McSwain, Part-time Staff Writer
What Do You Call This Bubbly Beverage? Pop!
Favorite Pop: My favorite POP has to be Dr. Pepper. Dr. Pepper has an exquisite taste that separates it from all of the other pops on the market. Mr. Pibb is close, but not the same. It’s like a very watered-down Pepsi to Coke if you understand the analogy. I stood with Dr. Pepper when it was hated, and I will continue to drink it while it’s at the top.
Best Served: On the rocks. A nice cold Dr. Pepper gives me the motivation to live again. Think of an allergy commercial where the person is all miserable, and then they take the allergy pill and everything is vibrant. That is what a cold Dr. Pepper does to me.
If I Could Only Kind of Pop One For the Rest of My Life It’d Be: Dr. Pepper Cherry. I would drink Dr. Pepper Cherry for the rest of my life because it’s crisp and has a great cherry flavor that doesn’t get old.
Least Favorite Pop: Mountain Dew. I can tell the type of person they are the moment they order, buy or choose Mountain Dew. It’s like battery acid, but not in a good way. Mountain Dew drinkers might be the scum of the Earth.
Gabriela Popa, Photographer
What Do You Call This Bubbly Beverage? Pop, Soda, Soda Pop!
Favorite Pop: I reach for Coke or Sprite the most, though I’m a MASSIVE fan of Taco Bell’s Brisk Dragon Paradise drink. Coke, Sprite and that Brisk drink are simply superior. Sprite can be mixed with anything, orange juice, lemonade and it adds a certain je ne sais quoi to it.
Best Served: Cold can for Sprite, either cold can or glass bottle Coke and obviously ice for the Taco Bell Brisk drink. It’s gotta be cold, it’s just the ultimate way to go, really refreshing.
If I Could Only Kind of Pop One For the Rest of My Life It’d Be: I don’t drink soda all that often but probably Sprite. It is pretty neutral and hard to go wrong with.
Least Favorite Bubbly Beverage: Dr. Pepper. I don’t understand the hype to be honest, and the flavor profile isn’t my favorite.
Shay Athayde, Volunteer Staff Writer
What Do You Call This Bubbly Beverage? Soda!
Favorite Pop: Cherry Vanilla Coke. It’s absolutely delicious, and I can only get it at the movies because they have that fancy soda machine where there are 100 different options. I think it tastes better because I get it so rarely.
Best Served: I can’t even imagine a cherry vanilla frozen Coke; that would be the best day of my life. My soda has to be chock-full of ice, it needs to be absolutely freezing. Frozen is so much better because it has a wonderful texture and, best of all, it’s freezing cold. Also, when it gets a little melty, the soda is a little sweeter than normal and it tastes so good.
If I Could Only Kind of Pop One For the Rest of My Life It’d Be: Mountain Dew Baja Blast. I feel like this needs no explanation.
Least Favorite Pop: I hate any grape-flavored soda. The artificial grape flavor has never suited my taste buds. It’s gross and we should all know it!
Ashanti McKnight, Volunteer Staff Writer
What Do You Call This Bubbly Beverage? Pop!
Favorite Pop: A&W Root Beer. I love the sweetness, and it reminds me of my childhood!
Best Served: With ice! I feel like cold and sweet drinks are the way to go!
If I Could Only Kind of Pop One For the Rest of My Life It’d Be: Pineapple or Cherry Fanta, I really like sweet stuff, and the flavors are so good.
Least Favorite Pop: Mountain Dew. Seems too sugary, like it’ll cause serious health problems.
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