It’s a great time to be alive if you’re a ’90s nostalgia fan, especially if you love sugary sweet beverages. In the recent past we’ve seen the re-release of Coca-Cola’s ’90s classic Surge soda along with the now-in-stores Hi-C Ecto Cooler which was released to coincide with the new Ghostbusters movie. If all that nostalgia wasn’t enough for you, now you can look forward to stocking up on another iconic drink’s return: Crystal Pepsi.
Yes, Crystal Pepsi’s return isn’t entirely new. PepsiCo offered a promotion last year that put bottles in the hands of a few select fans. The marketing stunt now appears to have been a test launch to see if there was enough momentum to bring back the ill-fated soda. Canada will see the product on shelves beginning July 11th with fellow retro-addicted U.S. customers seeing the clear cola beginning August 8th.
It’s unclear exactly how long the throwback drink will be available to consumers, so you may want to snag a few extra of the $1.79 20-oz. bottles while you can. In the hype of the product launch, some may forget that the original clear cola wasn’t around very long due to its unpopularity with consumers. Regardless, Pepsi is certainly making an effort to appease nostalgic adults like myself by not just bringing the soda back, but doing it with some flair. Fans of the soda can also relive another fond memory of yesteryear by playing the “Crystal Pepsi Trail” (a variation of the landmark Oregon Trail computer game) online beginning July 7th by visiting www.crystalpepsi.net (site is not currently active and redirects to Pepsi.com).
I know I’ll be looking forward to the relaunch if not to just satisfy my curiosity to see it it tastes like I remember. If time makes the heart grow fonder, then perhaps its 20-plus-year absence is just what we needed to make us accept the curiously clear soda. In the meantime, enjoy the gloriously cheesy vintage commercial below.
