In 1974, Pepsi added orange flavoring and the signature lime-green coloring we’ve all come to know and know. With their support, the drink finally got off the ground, but the tweaks weren’t done yet. Whatever they did to the recipe worked because in 1964, PepsiCo came knocking at their door, looking to buy the rights to Mountain Dew. They decided to add a little lemonade to the original recipe, but kept everything else Barney and Ally created. Meanwhile, the Tip Corporation got to work on the Mountain Dew formula. So they shelled out $6.95 for a meal and the deal was done. All the Hartmans wanted out of the deal was to buy the owner dinner. The Tip Corporation, which is a strange name for a beverage company, bought the struggling soda company in the hopes of bubbling up some business. People were buying 7-Up and Sprite, but wanted nothing to do with the Dew. By the time the 1950s rolled around, they still weren’t moving much product. For a few more years, Barney and Ally continued to pop up at conventions, pushing Mountain Dew to anyone who’ll listen. In 1946, they unveiled the rebrand at the Gatlinburg Bottling Convention, which sounds pretty boring but, hey, it was the 1940s. They decided to rebrand their beverage as an Appalachian thirst quencher and gave it silly slogans like “ya-hooo!” and “it’ll tickle your innards.” They added cartoonish country folk and started selling Mountain Dew in green bottles, too. Maybe it was booze-related confidence, maybe they just really believed in the stuff, but Barney and Ally weren’t deterred by the rejection.

Unfortunately, no local stores were keen on selling it as is. The more you know.Īfter a few years of making and drinking Mountain Dew on their own, the Hartmans decided it was time to hock it to the masses. When the time came to brand their new drink, Barney and Ally settled on the name Mountain Dew, which is actually old timey slang for moonshine. This is apparently what they were shooting for, so the mix is a keeper. They decide to mix it with booze, as one does, and it tastes like homemade hooch. Pretty ambitious if you ask us.īarney and Ally got into a lab and mixed up a carbonated lemon-lime drink. Rather than have someone ship it down to them or travel to get it, they decided to make their own. The Hartmans were apparently big whiskey drinkers, but can’t get their hands on their favorite mixer, Natural Set Up, in their new city. In the late 1930s, Barney and Ally Harman, two brothers from Georgia, packed up and moved to Knoxville, Tennessee. The thing is, it’s not half bad, and it’s got a really interesting back story. Maybe it’s the ties to gaming culture or extreme sports. It’s up there among the soda giants like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Dr Pepper, but’s safe to say not everyone’s a huge fan. Mountain Dew is one of those drinks that catches your eye when you’re walking down a grocery store aisle.

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