We have a few objects in the Museum that always raise eyebrows, and anything with HOT Dr Pepper are sure to attract attention. That’s right, Dr Pepper can be served hot like tea! As Dr Pepper has done many times throughout the years with their distinct taste, in the late 1950s they began challenging preconceived notions people have about soft drinks by serving HOT Dr Pepper.
If people were used to soft drinks being served cold, how in the world did the HOT Dr Pepper fad get started? It all began in September of 1958 when Wesby R. Parker, President of Dr Pepper Company, had an idea to create a warm and comforting version of Dr Pepper. While visiting a bottling plant during a blizzard, one of the route salesmen joked that they needed a hot drink to sell during winter weather. This sparked an idea in Parker and he began to experiment in his kitchen. Through trial and error, he experimented until he found the perfect way to serve Dr Pepper warm.
Dr Pepper simply needed to be heated to 180 degrees and poured over a thin slice of lemon to create this delicious and comforting concoction. Through his experiments, he determined that overheating the drink scorched it and ruined the Dr Pepper flavor, and that a slice of lemon was important because it gave the flavor of the rind.
By visitor reactions to the HOT Dr Pepper items on display, you would think it was just a passing fad. However, this is not the case! From the time HOT Dr Pepper was introduced in the late 1950s, it proved favorable with taste testing and was a popular holiday drink well into the 1970s. And even though the drink became more obscure over time, HOT Dr Pepper merchandise was sold well into the 1990s. There have even been references to the drink in popular culture such as in the 1999 movie “Blast from the Past.” Today, loyal Peppers still occasionally serve HOT Dr Pepper at holiday functions. The Museum serves HOT Dr Pepper in our Soda Fountain from November through February — the perfect reason to stop by if you haven’t been here before or in a while!
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The Dr Pepper Museum is located at 300 S. 5th Street in downtown Waco. The Museum is open Monday through Sunday from 10:00 AM until 5:30 PM. For more information, visit us on the web at drpeppermuseum.com. To purchase your own
Dr Pepper memorabilia, visit the Museum’s online gift shop.
My husband makes warm dr pepper every winter. His dad made it for him when he was a child. I found a sign that Dr. Pepper sold glass mugs with metal handles long ago for the Boomer drink. I’m trying to find those mugs. Do you know of any that are for sale by chance?
Thanks!