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Mountain Dew

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Mountain Dew
Current Mountain Dew Logo
TypeCitrus soft drink
ManufacturerPepsiCo, Inc.
Country of origin USA
Introduced1964 (nation-wide)
VariantsCode Red, Diet Mountain Dew, Diet Code Red, Live Wire, Pitch Black, Pitch Black 2,Baja Blast,MDX,AMP,LiveWire
Related productsSierra Mist, Sprite, Vault, Surge
Websitewww.mountaindew.com Edit this on Wikidata

Mountain Dew is a caffeinated sweet citrus-flavored soft drink produced by PepsiCo, Inc. It was invented in Marion, VA and first marketed in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1948, and across the United States in 1964. When removed from its characteristic green bottle, Mountain Dew is bright green-yellow and cloudy. Unlike lemon-lime soft drinks such as Sprite, 7 Up, or Sierra Mist, Mountain Dew contains concentrated orange juice.
Ingredients Contains: Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, concentrated orange juice and other natural flavors, citric acid, sodium benzoate (preserves freshness), caffeine, sodium citrate, gum arabic, erythorbic acid (preserves freshness), calcium disodium EDTA (to protect flavor) and brominated vegetable oil, yellow 5.

Mountain Dew often incurs the disapproval of health experts due to its relatively high caffeine content for a soft drink, despite the fact that typical brewed coffee has a much higher caffeine dosage for equal volume. However, Mountain Dew marketed in Australia and Canada (see Dew Fuel/Mountain Dew Energy varieties below) — as well as several U.S. states — has no caffeine added at all. Nevertheless, Mountain Dew contains tartrazine (“FD&C Yellow No. 5” in the US), which could lead to allergic reactions in some people. This has also led to an urban legend that the Yellow No. 5 in Mountain Dew reduces the sperm count of male drinkers. This is, however, false. Mountain Dew, along with many other citrus flavoured sodas, contains citric acid and sodium benzoate. Recent reports to the FDA indicate that Mountain Dew and other soft drinks may contain high levels of benzene that are above the FDA's limit for public drinking water. The source of the benzene appears to be from a reaction of citric acid and sodium benzoate. There has been a call, recently, for soft drink companies to address the toxic chemical reaction that takes place in many similar beverages. Diet Mountain Dew contains aspartame. Mountain Dew's brominated vegetable oil (BVO) is another source of contention. More than 100 countries ban BVO for its adverse health effects. However, the exact quantity of bromine put into fat cells from BVO is questioned.

Mountain Dew was originally marketed as "zero proof moonshine" and had pictures of hillbillies on the bottle until 1973. In the 1970s through the late 1980s Mountain Dew had the crude nickname of "hillbilly piss" due to the carry-over bottle art and yellow coloring, but that usage has since fallen out of favor.

Today's marketing target is radically different. The drink is mainly marketed to people in the 20-30 year old demographic group, and Mountain Dew advertising creates a connection between the drink and extreme sports. The name Mountain Dew was first trademarked by two brothers, Barney and Ally Hartman, who ran a bottling plant in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Mountain Dew syrups are also used as Slurpee flavors.

Mountain Dew is the main sponsor of the Dew Action Sports Tour extreme sports tournament.

Mountain Dew is also known as internet celebrity Homestar Runner's favorite beverage.

Other Countries

In Europe, Mountain Dew is available in the following countries:

United Kingdom

A version of the drink was marketed for three years in the UK during the late 1990s. Many believe the urban legend that Mountain Dew is illegal (in its American formulation) to sell in the UK due to its high caffeine content and excessive artificial ingredients. However, the version sold in the UK was a lurid green color and contained far more caffeine, synthetic sugars, and artificial colorings than the American version. It even discolored the teeth and tongue of its drinkers for several hours after consumption.

Varieties

File:DietMtDew.png
Diet Mountain Dew is the second most popular soda in the Mountain Dew family behind the original flavor.

Other Mountain Dew flavors

  • Red (1988) — Fruit Mountain Dew. Red was the first Mountain Dew flavor variation. No longer available.
    • Diet Red (1988) — No-calorie fruit Mountain Dew.
  • Blue Shock (2001) — Berry-citrus flavored Mountain Dew. Blue Shock failed to sell in the test market, Chicago, and was later released nationwide only in Slurpee form exclusively at 7-Eleven stores. It was there that Blue Shock made one of the most successful Slurpee flavor launches ever. The recipe has since been reported as being sold to Faygo and marketed as "Moon Mist Blue."
  • Code Red (2001) — Cherry Mountain Dew. Not the same as the original Mountain Dew Red.
    • Diet Code Red (2002) — No-calorie cherry Mountain Dew. Available in limited areas only.
  • LiveWire (2003) — Orange Mountain Dew. Introduced as a limited-time product, it is now a permanent addition to the Mountain Dew family. Limited in some areas.
  • Pitch Black (2004) — Grape Mountain Dew. Limited edition flavor for Halloween.
  • Baja Blast (2004) — Tropical-lime flavored Mountain Dew. Available exclusively at Taco Bell restaurants.
  • Darth Dew (2005) — Tangy grape Mountain Dew Slurpee flavor that could be considered as “Pitch Black 1.5”. Available exclusively at 7-Eleven stores as part of a promotion for the theatrical release of Star Wars Episode III.
  • Pitch Black II (2005) — Sour grape Mountain Dew. Limited edition flavor. “Sequel” to the original Pitch Black.
  • Arctic Blast (2006) — A Mountain Dew Slurpee flavor available exclusively at 7-Eleven stores as part of a promotion for the theatrical release of Superman Returns. The Slurpee is blue in color and said to taste like blueberry.
  • Kryptonite Ice (2006) — A Mountain Dew Slurpee flavor available exclusively at 7-Eleven stores as part of a promotion for the theatrical release of Superman Returns. The Slurpee is green in color and the flavor seems to be tropical, like mango.

Brand Portfolio

  • Dew Fuel (2005) — Originally branded as “Mountain Dew Energy” until given its present name in 2006, Dew Fuel is a caffeinated version of Canadian Mountain Dew (which is not caffeinated in Canada due to Health Canada regulations that only allow caffeine in cola varieties of soft drinks) and is branded as a natural health product. Dew Fuel mainly replaces Canada's (Caffeine-Free) Mountain Dew on store shelves, although many places still sell both drinks.
    • Dew Fuel Sugar-Free (2005) - No-calorie Dew Fuel. Originally called “Mountain Dew Energy Sugar-Free” until 2006.
  • Mountain Dew Sport (1990–1991) — Only test marketed in several states, as a sports drink.
    • Diet Mountain Dew Sport (1990–1991) — No-calorie Mountain Dew sports drink.

Historical meanings

An old 10 US fluid ounce Mountain Dew bottle (date unknown): "It'll tickle yore innards!"
Let grasses grow and waters flow
In a free and easy way,
But give me enough of the rare ould stuff,
That’s made near Galway Bay,
Come gougers all from Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim too,
And we’ll give them the slip and we'll take a sip,
Of the rare ould mountain dew.
  • Mountain Dew appears as the name of an evil drink in the 1890 Arthur Machen story "Of the Isle of Shadows" in the book Ritual and Other Stories.
  • A 1947 version by Grandpa Jones (1913-1998) may be better-known to Americans:
There’s a big holler tree down the road here from me
where you lay down a doller er two.
When you come round the bend and when you come back again
there’s a jug full of good old mountain dew
Oh they call it that old mountain dew and them that refuse it are few.
I’ll shut up my mug if you fill up my jug with some good old mountain dew.

(Grandpa Jones's 1947 record of the song also included the additional verses printed below under the entry for Flatt and Scruggs)

And one more from Bluegrass group Flatt and Scruggs:

There’s a big hollow tree down the road here from me
Where you lay down a dollar or two
You stroll ’round the bend and you come back again
There’s a jug full of good old mountain dew
They call it that mountain dew
And them that refuse it are few
I’ll hush up my mug if you fill up my jug
With that good old mountain dew
My uncle Mort, he’s sawed off and short
He measures about four foot two
But he thinks he’s a giant when you give him a pint
Of that good old mountain dew
Well, my old aunt June bought some brand new perfume
It had such a sweet smelling pew
But to her surprise when she had it analyzed
It was nothing but good old mountain dew
Well, my brother Bill’s got a still on the hill
Where he runs off a gallon or two
The buzzards in the sky get so drunk they can’t fly
From smelling that good old mountain dew

Slogan(s)

  • Yahoo Mountain Dew... It'll Tickle Your Innards (1965)
  • Get That Barefoot Feelin' Drinkin' Mountain Dew (1969)
  • Put a Little Yahoo in Your Life (1973)
  • Hello Sunshine, Hello Mountain Dew (1974)
  • Reach for the Sun, Reach for Mountain Dew (1979)
  • Give Me a Dew (1981)
  • Dew it To it (1983)
  • Dew it Country Cool (1986)
  • Get Vertical (1992)
  • Hey, Nice Dew! (present)
  • Tuned Up Taste (present)
  • Do The Dew (present)
  • Follow the Code (present - applies only to Code Red flavor)

See also

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