Okay so hey, in the glorious randomness that is my life, I went to a Dr Pepper Knockoff tasting last weekend. It has been 20 years since the last Dr Pepper Knockoff tasting that I attended, so it was time.

NOTE: Dr Pepper dropped the "." after Dr in the 50s. 

INTEL: Dr Pepper was invented by a pharmacist in Waco Texas who wanted a drink that tasted like the pharmacy smelled. 

May 30th, 2026 Bethesda, Maryland Dr Pepper & Knockoffs tasting results:

TOP CHOICES: 

• DR PEPPER - tried and true. Best mouthfeel, best tasting
• MR P!BB - deserves a PHD. Like Dr Pepper + splash of cherry

NOT TOO SHABBY

• DR TOPPER - very respectable clone. Hint of bitters?  Would work well as a mixer for an alcoholic bev. 
• DR. PERKY - best name. Not bad actually. Solid but not stellar.

OKAY

• DR. POP - very vanilla. Almost but not as good as Perky.
• DR THUNDER - Tried and ok. Not a loser, but not a winner. 

ONLY IF YOU HAVE TO

• DR BOB - bland, watery, better the second sip but still not good. Malpractice comes to mind

JUST DONT: 

• DR. POPZ prebiotic soda from Aldi (?) - Maybe shouldn’t have been invited, more kombucha than soda. Medicinal, artificial, thin. Suggested use: drain cleaning.

THIS IS REALLY A DIFFERENT THING ALTOGETHER

• Cheerwine. This one is not even trying to be a Dr. Pepper knockoff. Not sure how it slipped into the tasting. Good, but not in the DP family,.