.svg){kind=logo}  American and international logos used since 2024 and 2023, respectively | |
| Type | Lemon-lime drink |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Keurig Dr Pepper PepsiCo (international distribution only) |
| Distributor | PepsiCo |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Introduced | June 19, 1929; 95 years ago (1929-06-19) (as Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda) June 23, 1936; 88 years ago (1936-06-23) (as 7 Up) |
| Color | Colorless Pink (Cherry/Diet Cherry, United States only) |
| Variants |
List
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| Related products | Mitsuya Cider, Sprite, Bubble Up, Starry |
| Website | www |
7 Up (stylized as 7up outside the United States) or Seven Up is an American brand of lemon-lime–flavored non-caffeinated soft drink. The brand and formula are owned by Keurig Dr Pepper, although the beverage is internationally distributed by PepsiCo except the UK where it is distributed by Britvic, PepsiCo's designated UK distributor.
History
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7 Up was created by Charles Leiper Grigg, who launched his St. Louis–based company The Howdy Corporation in 1920. Grigg came up with the formula for a lemon-lime soft drink in 1929. The product, originally named "Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda", was launched two weeks before the Wall Street Crash of 1929. It contained lithium citrate, a mood-stabilizing drug, until 1948. It was one of a number of patent medicine products popular in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. Its name was later changed to "7 Up Lithiated Lemon Soda", becoming just "7 Up" by 1936.
The origin of the name is unclear. Britvic claims that the name comes from the seven main ingredients in the drink, while others have claimed that the number was a reference to the lithium contained in the original recipe, which has an atomic mass of 7. Britvic also claims that the name alluded to 7 Up being packaged in seven-ounce bottles when Coca-Cola and most other soft drinks were bottled in six-ounce bottles.
The 7 Up company was privately owned by its founding families until it was sold in 1978 to Philip Morris, which sold it in 1986 in two parts: the international division to PepsiCo and the US business to a group led by the investment firm Hicks & Haas. In the US, 7 Up merged with Dr Pepper in 1988; Cadbury Schweppes bought the combined company in 1995. The Dr Pepper Snapple Group was spun off from Cadbury Schweppes in 2008; it merged with Keurig Green Mountain in 2018 to form Keurig Dr Pepper.
Consumption
7 Up is commonly consumed cold – refrigerated or with ice. It is also used as a mixer for highball alcoholic lemon-lime soda cocktails, including the 7 and 7 (Seagram's 7 Crown and 7 Up) and CC and Seven (Canadian Club whisky and 7 Up). 7 Up is also used in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic punches.
Formula
7 Up has been reformulated several times since its launch in 1929. In 2006, the version of the product sold in the U.S. was reformulated so it could be marketed as being "100% natural". This was achieved by eliminating the chelating agent calcium disodium EDTA, and replacing sodium citrate with potassium citrate to reduce the beverage's sodium content. This reformulation contains no fruit juice and, in the U.S., is sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). The manufacturing process used in the production of HFCS has led some public health and advocacy groups to challenge the ad campaign's "natural" claims.
In 2007, after the Center for Science in the Public Interest threatened to sue 7 Up, it was announced that 7 Up would stop being marketed as "100% natural". Instead, it is now promoted as having "100% Natural Flavors". The controversy does not extend to other countries, such as the United Kingdom, where HFCS is not generally used in foods, including 7 Up. In 2011, 7 Up began test marketing a formula, called 7 Up Retro, using sugar rather than HFCS. Container labels sport the caption "Made With Real Sugar".
Variants
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| Name | Year launched |
Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Up | 1929 | The original flavor. | |
| 7 Up Zero Sugar | 1963 | No calorie variant of 7 Up. It was originally introduced in 1963 under the name of Like (not to be confused with 7 Up's Like Cola from the 1980s), using cyclamate as sweetener. After the U.S. government ban of the sweetener the drink was discontinued in 1969, and relaunched as Diet 7 Up in 1970. The drink had a brief period of using the name Sugar Free 7 Up between 1973 and 1979 before reverting to its former name.
Diet 7 Up was later reformulated and advertised as being sweetened with sucralose and acesulfame potassium replacing aspartame. The recipe later reverted to using aspartame. The beverage was rebranded as 7 Up Zero Sugar in late 2020. |
|
| Cherry 7 Up | 1987 | A cherry-flavored variant, it was introduced in 1987.
It was renamed and reformulated as Cherry 7 Up Antioxidant in January 2009; however, the soda's antioxidant line was pulled from shelves in 2012 amid a controversy about the rumored detrimental health effects of consuming antioxidant drinks, and the original formula returned. |
|
| Cherry 7 Up Zero Sugar | 1980s | Low-calorie version of Cherry 7 Up. It was pulled from shelves around the time 7 Up Plus Cherry was introduced but was reintroduced in 2006 due to popular demand.
As with the regular variety, it was reformulated as Diet Cherry 7 Up Antioxidant in 2009 before reverting to the original formula in 2013. It was rebranded as Cherry 7 Up Zero Sugar in late 2020. |
|
| 7 Up Gold | 1988 | A spice-flavored beverage, similar to Vernor's Ginger Ale. Though 7 Up's marketing slogan at that time was "Never Had It, Never Will" (referring to caffeine), 7 Up Gold included caffeine as an ingredient. It was introduced by 7 Up in the hopes of capturing 1% of the cola market, which at the time was $26.6 billion. However, it only captured 0.1% of the market because people were confused by 7 Up marketing a dark-colored soft drink with caffeine, and the drink was discontinued the following year. The 7 Up Gold recipe was actually an unused Dr Pepper invention. | |
| Diet 7 Up Gold | 1988 | Low-calorie variant of 7 Up Gold, released and discontinued at the same time as the standard variety. | |
| 7 Up Ice Cola | 1995 | Produced by PepsiCo for the Netherlands and a few other international territories, this was a clear cola, in essence a repackaging of Crystal Pepsi. As with that, it failed in the market and was discontinued shortly afterwards. | |
| Orange 7 Up | 1980s | A variety with added orange flavor. It was sold in many non-US territories by PepsiCo throughout the 1990s including Canada (As 7 Up Orange Chill) Thailand (As 7 Up Clear Orange Flavour), Germany (As Orange 7 Up Plus, Austria (As 7 Up Orange) and The Netherlands (as 7 Up Clear Orange). | |
| 7 Up Revive | 1990 | A special variant sold in India and Laos and is marketed as an Isotonic drink. It was relaunched in 2015, and prior to that was also sold in other Asian territories such as Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Vietnam. | |
| 7 Up Free/7 Up Light/7 Up Zero Sugar | 1990s | The alternative to Diet 7 Up sold in countries such as Iceland, UK, Ireland, Mexico, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Argentina, Finland, UAE, Uruguay, Pakistan, the Netherlands, Thailand, Malaysia, France and Germany. However, some regions also have it under the original Diet 7 Up brand. In the UK, the drink was originally branded as 7 Up Light until rebranding as 7 Up Free in 2005.
In Norway, it contained a combination of artificial sugars, and for eight years was the only variety on the Norwegian market. The lack of the usual light or zero-label is confusing to Norwegian consumers, who often buy it not knowing they are buying a product with artificial sugars. |
|
| 7 Up Tropical Twist | 2002 | A tropical flavored drink that was sold in Canada by PepsiCo for a limited time in 2002 as 7 Up Tropical Splash, and re-released for a limited time in 2018. It was also sold in the Netherlands during 2002. | |
| dnL (7 Up turned upside down) |
2002 | An alternate take on 7 Up released in the United States containing an added citrus kick, green color and caffeine, made to rival Mountain Dew in the market. It was released during a time when other attempts to extend soft drink brand names were done with new variations, including Pepsi Blue, Dr Pepper Red Fusion, and Vanilla Coke. The drink was discontinued in 2006 in favor of the "7 Up Plus" brand. | |
| 7 Up Plus | 2004 | A range of healthy alternative drinks, containing no caffeine and has 2 grams of carbohydrates per serving, as well as 5% apple juice, which is uncommon among American market carbonated beverages. It was available in three varieties - Mixed Berry, Cherry and Island Fruit. | |
| 7 Up Citrus Splash | 2004 | A variety with added Pink Grapefruit flavor. It was sold in Canada by PepsiCo until being discontinued in 2006, with a brief re-release in 2008. | |
| 7 Up Frootaz | 2000s | A tropical flavored variety sold by PepsiCo in the Philippines for a short time in the 2000s. | |
| 7 Up H2OH! | 2000s | A range of lightly carbonated water drinks that were sold in Latin America, Malaysia, the UK, and Ireland in the late 2000s. In Brazil it is sold under the brand H2OH! in some flavours, as Citrus, lime and apple and orange. | |
| 7 Up Lemon Squeeze | 2007 | A variety with extra lemon juice. It was sold in Canada by PepsiCo for a limited time during the 2007 season, as the Canadian alternative to Sierra Mist Lemon Squeeze. | |
| Pomegranate 7 Up | 2007 | A pomegranate flavoured variety that was sold for the holiday season in the United States from 2007 until 2010, and saw returns in 2016, 2021 and 2022. The 2009 and 2010 formulas were named Pomegranate 7 Up Antioxidant. | |
| Diet Pomegranate 7 Up | 2007 | A low calorie pomegranate flavoured variety that was sold for the holiday season in the United States from 2007 until 2010. The 2009 and 2010 formulas were named Diet Pomegranate 7 Up Antioxidant. | |
| 7 Up Retro | 2011 | A variety sold in the United States that uses cane sugar instead of corn syrup. It was Introduced on the 2011 season finale of The Apprentice, packaging in 12-oz. cans features either the 1970s disco mirrorball-themed logo or the 1980s logo. It is also available in 12-oz. glass bottles with a label inspired by 7 Up's original logo. | |
| Mixed Berry 7 Up Antioxidant | 2011 | A mixed berry variety that was sold for a limited time in 2011. It used the "Antioxidant" formula. | |
| Diet Mixed Berry 7 Up Antioxidant | 2011 | A mixed berry variety that was sold for a limited time in 2011. It used the "Antioxidant" formula. | |
| 7 Up Ten | 2013 | A low-calorie variant with only ten calories per serving, sold as part of Dr. Pepper Snapple Group's "Ten" lineup in the United States. It uses a blend using high fructose corn syrup along with aspartame and acesulfame potassium to sweeten it. | |
| Tropical 7 Up | 2014 | A pineapple and mango flavored variety. It was sold in the United States in 2014 for a limited time, as well as a return in 2015 with newer branding. It was re-released in 2023 and sold exclusively at Kroger-owned stores. | |
| Salted Lemon 7 Up | 2014 | A variant exclusively sold in Hong Kong that contains Salted Lemon. It is a common drink that can be found in dai pai dong and cha chaan teng. It is also named one of the Hong Kong summer drinks by Cathay Pacific Discovery. | |
| 7 Up Mojito | 2014 | A mint-flavored variety that was first released in France, but was later released in Belgium and Germany as well. | |
| 7 Up Cocktail Exotique | 2014 | A tropical flavored variety sold in France, originally as 7 Up Goût Tropical. | |
| 7 Up Free Mojito | 2016 | Low calorie variant of 7 Up Mojito sold in the United Kingdom, and later was released in Belgium and France. | |
| 7 Up Lemon Lemon | 2016 | A lemonade sold in France, the Netherlands and Belgium. | |
| 7 Up Free Cherry | 2020 | A low-calorie cherry variant sold in the United Kingdom. | |
| Simple 7 Up | 2022 | A natural variant made using filtered water, cane sugar and stevia leaf extract. | |
| Tropical 7 Up Zero Sugar | 2023 | Low calorie Mango and Pineapple flavored variety, sold exclusively at Kroger-owned stores. | |
| Shirley Temple 7 Up | 2024 | A cherry and pomegranate flavored variant based on the lemon-lime soda and grenadine combination featured in the Shirley Temple non-alcoholic mixed drink. | |
| 7 Up Hecho en Mexico | A variant of regular 7 UP sold in the United States produced and imported from Mexico using real cane sugar and packaged in 12-ounce glass bottles. |
Barbecue sauces and marinades
In 2007, Cadbury Schweppes entered into a licensing partnership with Vita Food Products to produce a line of barbecue sauces and marinades flavored with Dr Pepper, 7 Up, and A&W Root Beer.
Advertising campaigns
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Metal pedestrian crossing markers saying "Drink 7up Safety First" were installed in many U.S. cities in the 1930s.
"Fresh-Up Freddie" was the rooster mascot for 7 Up in the 1950s. He gave viewers lessons about how to plan successful parties and picnics by having plenty of 7 Up on hand. The commercials were produced by Disney, giving the character the specific Disney look of the time. Freddie has been described as a hybrid of the rooster Panchito Pistoles from The Three Caballeros and the zany Aracuan Bird from the same film. He often was dressed in human clothes. Freddie also appeared in the 1957 Zorro TV series' commercial intermissions. In these commercials, Freddie fought with Pete the Cat. Freddie, who was featured in a small amount of merchandising, was voiced by Paul Frees.
In the late 1960s and 1980s, Geoffrey Holder appeared in television ads as part of 7 Up's "Uncola" ad campaign, designed to highlight differences between 7 Up and other soft drinks on the market with cola flavoring. In the ads, Geoffrey holds a pair of cola nuts in one hand and a lemon & lime (used to flavor 7 Up) in the other hand and describes them as "Uncola nuts".
In 1987, 7 Up introduced Spot, the red-orange dot in the 7 Up logo anthropomorphized into a mascot. The character was used heavily in advertising and licensed items across the U.S., including the 1993 platform video game Cool Spot, and its 1995 sequel, Spot Goes to Hollywood.
The cartoon character Fido Dido was used as a mascot in international areas from the late 1980s through the early 1990s, and was reintroduced in international markets in the early 2000s. Since PepsiCo did not own the rights to 7 Up in the US, certain ads featuring Fido Dido were instead reworked to advertise the company's Slice brand of lemon-lime soda.
In the early 2000s, Orlando Jones served as the spokesperson for 7 Up in the United States in a series of commercials. Notably, one commercial had him wear a t-shirt that had 7 Up's then-slogan Make 7 Up Yours divided between the front and back with the double entendre on the back that featured the Up Yours part; 7 Up would sell the shirt through specialty retailer Spencer Gifts for many years.
Corporate sponsorship
In 1974, 7 Up became The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon's first corporate sponsor; this was at a time when its sponsorship was generally limited to trade unions and civic organizations.
See also
Notes
- Carbonated water, sugar, essence of lemon, lime oils, citric acid, sodium citrate and lithium citrate.
References
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External links
- Official website
- 7Up page on PepsiCo International UK & Ireland (archived)
- 7 Up (undetermined source of product name from Snopes.com)
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