Mountain Dew

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Current Mountain Dew Logo
Current Mountain Dew Logo

Mountain Dew is a caffeinated sweet citrus-flavored soft drink produced by PepsiCo, Inc. It was 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 yellow and cloudy. Unlike lemon-lime soft drinks such as Sprite or 7 Up, Mountain Dew contains concentrated orange juice.

Mountain Dew often incurs the disapproval of health experts due to its relatively high caffeine content. However, Mountain Dew marketed in Australia and Canada — 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, unfortunately true. Males who drink one Mountain Dew a week are six times more likely to not ejaculate during intercourse. 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.

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

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.

Mountain Dew was originally marketed as "zero proof moonshine" and had pictures of hillbillies on the bottle until 1973. 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.

Mountain Dew syrups are also used as Slurpee flavors.

Varieties

The name Mountain Dew was first trademarked by two brothers, Barney and Ally Hartman, who ran a bottling plant in Knoxville, Tennessee.

File:DietMtDew.png
Diet Mountain Dew is the second most popular soda in the Mountain Dew family behind the original flavor.
AMP
AMP is an energy drink "from Mountain Dew" and was introduced in 2001
Baja Blast
Baja Blast is tropical-lime flavored. It is available exclusively at Taco Bell restaurants
Baja Shock
Originally tested in a few areas like Chicago, Blue Shock is berry-citrus flavored. Mountain Dew Blue Shock failed to sell in the test market though and as such was later released nation wide only in Slurpee form exclusively at 7-Eleven stores in 2002. It was there that Blue Shock made one of the most successful Slurpee flavor launches ever. The formula has since been reported as being purchased from PepsiCo by Faygo and is now used for their Moon Mist Blue flavor
Caffeine-free
A non-caffeinated form of the original Mountain Dew flavor is available in Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Washington, Iowa, Vermont, Nebraska, Utah (Provo), Nevada, Oklahoma, Ohio, West Virginia, and Virginia.
Caffeine-free Diet
A diet and non-caffeinated form of the original Mountain Dew flavor is also available in Alabama, eastern Kentucky, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Washington, Iowa, Virginia, Michigan, Tennessee, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, Ohio, andUtah, .
Code Red
Code Red is cherry flavored and has a bright red color. It was introduced in 2001 and comes in both regular and diet forms
Darth Dew
A slightly tart modified Slurpee version of Pitch Black; possibly the early workings of Pitch Black II. It was served exclusively at 7-Eleven as part of a promotion for the theatrical release of "Star Wars: Episode III" in 2005.
Diet
A diet version of Mountain Dew's original flavor
Diet (fountain)
As indicated on the official Diet Mountain Dew website, Diet Mountain Dew Fountain is a variation of Diet Mountain Dew that uses treated water instead of carbonated water in its formula. It is available in limited areas only.
Energy
Energy is caffeinated Mountain Dew that was introduced in Canada in 2005, and is marketed as an energy drink. It is the Mountain Dew formulation sold in the United States. The packaging contains extensive health warnings about the high caffeine content of the drink. This comes in both normal and sugar-free forms. PepsiCo has been pressuring food establishments to replace Mountain Dew with Mountain Dew Energy on their shelves. Due to its classification as a Natural Health Product (due to the caffiene content), it can not be served in Fountains.
LiveWire
LiveWire is orange flavored. It was introduced in summer 2003 as a limited-time product, but was brought back again for summer 2004 for another limited-time offering. It is now a permanent addition to the Mountain Dew family, although it may not be available in all areas.
Mountain Dew
Mountain Dew's original citrus flavored drink.
MDX
Mountain Dew MDX is a new energy drink, and is being marketed as "Energy Soda". Unlike AMP, MDX is widely regarded as a competitor to Vault, an energy soda manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally code named Mountain Dew X, a "beta test" of the new soda was conducted in 2005 through the Mountain Dew web site. It was released on November 1, 2005. Mountain Dew MDX comes in a plastic bottle similar to the 20 oz bottles that many soft drinks are available in. However, the MDX bottle is smaller (only 14 oz). It tastes very similar to original Mountain Dew, with the exception of a mild aftertaste, likely from the addition of the energy drink roots and extracts. Mountain Dew MDX is actually sweeter than original Mountain Dew but with fewer carbs, perhaps because of its Maltodextrin content. Other ingredients include Ginseng, Taurine, Guarana, and D-Ribose. It comes in both normal and sugar-free forms.
Pitch Black
Pitch Black is grape flavored. It was a limited edition flavor for Halloween and originally released in August 2004.
Pitch Black II
Pitch Black II is also grape flavored but has a more sour bite to it. This is a "sequel" to the original Pitch Black, and was released in August 2005 also as a limited-edition flavor.
Red
Not to be confused with Code Red, Red was the first Mountain Dew flavor variation--fruit-flavored to be exact--beginning in 1988 and would be a precursor of things to come. Many people did not like the taste, though, and it didn't last long. This came in both regular and diet forms.
Sport
Sport was test marketed in several states in 1990 and 1991 as a sports drink. It came in both regular and diet forms.
Sugar-Free Dew
Sugar-Free was an artificially sweetened variation of Diet Mountain Dew released earlier.

Historical meanings

An old 10 US fluid ounce (300 ml) Mountain Dew bottle (date unknown): "It'll tickle yore innards!"

Mountain Dew was originally southern and Irish slang for homemade whiskey, or poitín as it is called in Ireland.

An 1882 song from Ireland "The Rare Old Mountain Dew" (words by Edward Harrigan and music by Dave Braham) begins:

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.

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.

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
If 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
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