Most of us reach for cola, lemonade, or orange soda without a second thought. But some drink makers have taken huge risks with flavours that sound more like a dare than a treat.
From turkey dinner soda to drinks that taste like cucumber, real companies have bottled some truly strange ideas and sold them in shops. Get ready to meet the weirdest bubbly drinks ever made, and maybe find one you are brave enough to try.
1. Jones Soda Turkey and Gravy
Picture Thanksgiving dinner squeezed into a bottle. Back in 2005, Jones Soda released Turkey and Gravy soda as a holiday joke, and it sold out almost instantly.
Fans said it smelled exactly like a roast dinner, which was either amazing or terrifying. The company later added flavours like Green Bean Casserole and Mashed Potato.
Tip for brave tasters: keep a glass of water nearby. Most people only manage one sip before reaching for something normal.
2. Pepsi Ice Cucumber
Japan loves surprising snacks, and in 2007 Pepsi joined the fun with Ice Cucumber. The soda was bright green and tasted cool, fresh, and slightly sweet.
Shoppers were curious, and many described it as tasting like a melon mixed with a salad. It was only sold for a short summer season.
Did you know? Pepsi Japan has released dozens of odd limited flavours, so collectors watch the shelves there closely every year.
3. Crystal Pepsi
Cola that looks like water? In 1992, Crystal Pepsi arrived with no caramel colouring at all, and people could not decide how to feel.
The drink tasted a little like regular Pepsi but lighter and more citrusy. Confused buyers stopped purchasing it, and it disappeared within about a year.
Nostalgia brought it back for short runs in 2016 and 2022. Sometimes a failed idea becomes a loved memory years later.
4. Pepsi Christmas Cassis
Holiday cheer came in purple for Japanese Pepsi fans in 2011. Christmas Cassis mixed cola with blackcurrant, a berry popular in jams and juices.
The result was fruity, tangy, and surprisingly pleasant, according to many who tried it. Some even said it tasted like fizzy grape candy.
If you like berry flavours, look for blackcurrant sodas from the UK. They give a similar taste without hunting down rare bottles.
5. Lester’s Fixins Buffalo Wing Soda
Spicy chicken wings are great to eat, but would you drink them? Lester’s Fixins thought so and released Buffalo Wing soda in 2008.
The flavour copied hot sauce, with a peppery kick at the end of every sip. It was sold mainly as a novelty for parties and gag gifts.
Fun idea: bring one to a sports watch party. Your friends will remember the challenge long after the game ends.
6. Bacon Soda
Bacon lovers once went wild for anything bacon flavoured, from mints to lip balm. Naturally, a smoky bacon soda followed close behind.
Lester’s Fixins sold it, and later other novelty brands made their own versions. Drinkers said it smelled like breakfast but tasted sweet and salty.
Honestly, it works better as a funny gift than a daily drink. Still, it proves people will bottle almost any trendy taste.
7. Pepsi Azuki
Sweet red bean paste fills many Japanese desserts, like mochi and pancakes. In 2009, Pepsi Japan turned that treat into a fizzy drink called Azuki.
The taste was earthy, sugary, and a bit like a bean pastry. People who grew up with red bean sweets enjoyed it far more than visitors did.
It shows how flavours we find bizarre can feel totally normal in another country. Food really depends on culture.
8. Ramune Wasabi
Ramune bottles are famous for the glass marble you push down to open them. Inside, though, some flavours get seriously wild, like wasabi.
Expect a sweet soda that suddenly burns your nose like the green paste served with sushi. It is a quick shock rather than a lasting heat.
Opening tip: push the marble down firmly and hold it for a few seconds. Otherwise the fizz may spill everywhere.
9. Coca-Cola BlaK
Coffee or cola for breakfast? Coca-Cola tried to give you both in 2006 with BlaK, a fizzy mix of cola and coffee.
Grown-ups wanted either a coffee or a soda, not a strange in-between. Many complained about the bitter aftertaste, and sales dropped fast.
By 2008, BlaK was gone in the United States. It became a classic lesson that combining two hits does not always make a bigger hit.
10. Pepsi Salty Watermelon
Sprinkling salt on watermelon is a summer habit in Japan and many other places. Pepsi Japan bottled that idea in 2012.
Salty Watermelon was pink and sweet, with a gentle salty finish. Some drinkers thought it was refreshing on hot days, while others found it odd.
Want to test the trend at home? Try a tiny pinch of salt on fresh watermelon.
Salt actually makes the fruit taste sweeter.
11. Irn-Bru
Scotland has its own national soda, and nobody can quite say what it tastes like. Irn-Bru is bright orange, sweet, and mysteriously fruity.
Its recipe has 32 flavourings and is a secret known by only a few people. Some fans say bubblegum, others say cream soda with oranges.
Fun fact: for years, Irn-Bru outsold Coca-Cola in Scotland. Very few places in the world can claim that.
12. Moxie
Long before Coca-Cola ruled, Moxie was a hit in New England. Created in 1876 as a medicine, it contains gentian root, which is very bitter.
First-time drinkers often make a face. The taste is sweet at first, then sharp and medicinal, almost like root beer gone rogue.
The word moxie, meaning courage, actually comes from this drink. You certainly need some to finish a bottle.
13. Pepsi Shiso
Shiso is a leafy herb related to mint, often served with sushi. Pepsi Japan made a bright green soda from it in 2009.
Drinkers described a minty, grassy, almost lemony taste. It felt more like a garden in a bottle than a normal cola.
If you want to try the flavour safely, grow shiso in a pot. Its leaves taste wonderful in salads and smell amazing too.
14. Dill Pickle Soda
Some people drink leftover pickle juice straight from the jar. Rocket Fizz and other quirky brands turned that habit into dill pickle soda.
Every sip is sour, tangy, and slightly salty, with a fizzy tingle. Pickle fans call it delicious, while everyone else usually gags.
Here is a helpful hint: serve it ice cold. Cold temperatures soften strong flavours, making weird drinks much easier to enjoy.
15. Pepsi Baobab
Baobab trees grow in Africa and can live for thousands of years. Their fruit inspired Pepsi Japan’s Baobab soda in 2010.
The taste was described as sweet and tropical, somewhere between pear and citrus. Most buyers had never eaten baobab, so it felt exciting and mysterious.
Baobab fruit powder is now sold as a healthy smoothie ingredient. You can try the real fruit flavour without hunting for rare soda.
16. Kalamansi Fanta
Ever heard of calamansi? This tiny citrus fruit is super popular in the Philippines, and Fanta has sold flavours inspired by it there.
It tastes like a cross between lime and tangerine, bright and zingy. Locals drink calamansi juice daily, so the soda feels familiar rather than strange.
Travel tip: Fanta has more than 100 flavours worldwide. Checking local shops abroad is a fun way to taste a country.
17. Inca Kola
Bright yellow and bubbly, Inca Kola is Peru’s beloved soda. It tastes a lot like bubblegum, thanks to a herb called lemon verbena.
Peruvian families drink it with big meals, especially rice and chicken dishes. Visitors are often surprised that it pairs so well with savoury food.
Did you know? Coca-Cola could not beat Inca Kola in Peru, so it bought part of the company instead.
18. Jones Soda Corn Dog
State fairs smell like fried treats, and Jones Soda tried capturing that in a bottle. Corn Dog soda appeared as a limited-edition gag flavour.
Tasters said it carried notes of sweet cornbread and hot dog, which sounds rough. It sold mostly to collectors and curious YouTubers.
Planning a taste-test party? Line up weird sodas, hand out scorecards, and let friends rate each one.
Laughter is guaranteed.
19. Mountain Dew Flamin’ Hot
Spicy snacks fans got a surprise in 2022 when Mountain Dew released Flamin’ Hot. The bright red drink mixed citrus with fiery heat.
Many said it tasted like Mountain Dew followed by a tickle of chilli in the throat. It became a viral challenge online very quickly.
Spicy sodas are not for everyone. Start with tiny sips and keep milk nearby, because milk calms spicy burns better than water.
20. Coca-Cola Starlight
What does space taste like? Coca-Cola tried answering that question in 2022 with Starlight, part of its Creations series.
The red-tinted cola had hints of cotton candy and something cool, like a campfire under the stars. Nobody could describe it exactly, which was the point.
Since then, Coca-Cola has released other mystery flavours inspired by dreams and pixels. Each one appears briefly, so collectors grab them fast.
21. Pepsi Fire
Cinnamon candy fans, this one was for you. Pepsi Fire launched in 2017 as a summer drink that blended cola with warm cinnamon.
Every sip started sweet and finished with a spicy tingle, a bit like chewing cinnamon gum. Reviews were mixed, but plenty of people stocked up.
Want a homemade version? Drop a cinnamon stick into a glass of cola for ten minutes.
The flavour sneaks in nicely.