Sprite's Winter Spiced Cranberry Got The Green Light For The Holiday Season
It seems like every food and beverage brand and their sister companies have a holiday special. Caribou Coffee created eggnog cold foam, Angie's popcorn has a white chocolate and peppermint flavor that tastes better than it sounds, and Trader Joe's is disappointing people with its gobbler quesadilla. With all these options landing in the holiday aisle, it's a mixed bag. The good, the bad, and the decidedly disgusting all make an appearance as the year winds to a close. If you and your taste buds are feeling overwhelmed, you're not alone. However, now is not the time to stop sampling, as some of these seasonal tastes are well worth your time.
Soft drink companies have a long history of being closely tied to the holidays. This may largely be because of Coca-Cola. The Museum of Health Care explains that jolly old Saint Nick is, in part, a media creation of the soda giant. In the 1930s, Coke began using the modern image of Kris Kringle in its advertising, portraying him as the rotund, cheery, bearded chap we see today. Before that, The Public Domain Review shows he was sometimes depicted as scary, violent, and various other unsavory traits.
Besides using the right jolly old elf to sell products at Christmas, Coca-Cola is now taking aim at other holidays, using its Sprite label to bring back a cranberry flavor that seems geared toward gatherings of giving thanks.
Both the regular and sugar-free version of cranberry Sprite are appearing on store shelves
The year was 2013. The United States military had just overturned a ban on women serving in combat. The Ravens beat the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII, and the ladies of Paris, France, were finally allowed to wear trousers after more than 200 skirted years. In addition to being a banner year for women, 2013 also showed the debut of a new cranberry Sprite flavor, says Beverage Industry, which is claimed to have been celebrated by many.
Apparently, the new Sprite flavor caught on with those who wanted a light, refreshing holiday drink. So much so that by 2019, Comic Book says that Coca-Cola sent it back into the lab for the soft drink scientists to devise a sugar-free version. Fast forward to 2022, and both the sugared and not varieties of the winter spiced cranberry drink are back in grocery stores, according to Brand Eating, for a limited time.
Though there's no exact dates listed for how long the cranberry with lemon-lime Sprite flavor will be available, Brand Eating says that it will be around so long as supplies last, which might have steadfast fans hoarding the stuff as they do with McDonald's Szechuan sauce.