Top Local Pops: 10 Regional Sodas

Originally from: Waialua, HI

Distribution areas: West Coast, Texas, Washington D.C. area

With flavors like lilikoi (passion fruit), pineapple, and mango, Waialua sodas corner the market in tropical appeal. Produced on the island of Oahu, these glass-bottled beauties are sweetened with Maui Brand natural cane sugar and flavored with local vanilla, honey, and other ingredients. Waialua also comes in root beer and cream soda flavors.

waialuasodaworks.com

Originally from: Salisbury, NC

Distribution areas: Southeastern U.S.; Buffalo, NY; Pittsburgh, PA; various cities in Maryland and Virginia

Known as the "Nectar of North Carolina," Cheerwine is a super bubbly soft drink flavored with a hint of wild cherry. Loyal Cheerwine fans, of which there are many (the Cheerwine facebook page boasts more than 83,000 likes!), say the flavor is indescribable, which comes in regular, diet, and caffeine-free.

Originally from: Lowell, MA

Distribution areas: Northeastern U.S.

Patented in 1885 (two years before Coca-Cola) and originally dubbed "Moxie Nerve Food," Moxie soda was invented by Dr. Augustin Thompson as a cure-all. Made from 20 different roots and herbs (including gentian root, a bitter herb long used to aid digestion), Moxie's somewhat bitter, somewhat sweet flavor is considered to be an "acquired taste," even to its rabidly loyal fan base known as the Moxie Congress. The state of Maine named Moxie its official drink in 2005, and a museum in the town of Union, Maine, (birthplace of Moxie's inventor) even houses an entire Moxie Wing dedicated to displaying memorabilia and the original Moxie soda stand.

Originally from: Winchester, KY

Distribution areas: Kentucky, Southern Ohio, Southern Indiana, Knoxville, TN, and Atlanta, GA.

Distinguished as the only soft drink invented in Kentucky that's still in existence, Ale-8-One is a ginger- and fruit-flavored soda. Create by G. L. Wainscott during Prohibition, Ale-8-One comes from the slogan "A Late One," meaning the latest thing in soft drinks. The slogan also camouflaged the word "ale," which was a touchy term in that era, though the formula contained no alcohol. In 2003, Ale-8-One introduced its first new product since the original formula hit the market in 1926: Diet Ale-8-One. Three years later, the company expanded to produce Ale-8-One lollipops and salsa under the same brand name.

Originally from: Brooklyn, NY

Distribution areas: New York

The secret family recipe for Manhattan Pure Espresso Coffee Soda has been closely guarded since it was developed in Brooklyn in 1895, but the company does call out "the world's finest coffee beans" and "pure cane sugar" as keys to the unique beverage's success. Tasters have noted the super-fizziness, strong, roasty coffee flavor, and serious kick of sweetness in both the regular and diet versions. Prefer your bottled coffee on the tamer side? Manhattan Special also offers milky, flavored Iced Coffee varieties, not to mention non-coffee, fruit-flavored sodas.

Originally from: Waco, TX

Distribution areas: Austin, TX, and Wal-Marts around the U.S.

When Big Red was born in 1937, the original moniker was Sun Tang Red Cream Soda, calling out the fiery color that distinguishes it from other cream sodas. The name was shortened to Big Red in 1959, and since then, other "Big" flavors have been introduced, such as Diet Big Red, Big Blue, Big Red Vanilla Float, Big Peach, Big Pineapple, Big Honey Lemonade, Big Orange, and Retro Big Red. Big Red's flavor has been likened to combo of cream soda and strawberry bubble gum.

Originally from: Breese, IL

Distribution areas: St. Louis, MO, and Southern Illinois

Using the reward money he earned from nabbing a bank robber in 1936, Edward "Lefty" J. Meier bought a used bottling machine to launch his own soda line at the Excel Bottling Company. By 1961, Excel started bottling the Double-Cola Company's newest invention, Ski, a citrus soda whose flavor is akin to Mountain Dew but with more pronounced orange flavor. In Clinton County, IL, where this soft drink is produced, Ski fans are so loyal that new restaurants wouldn't dream of opening without this precious soda on tap.

Originally from: Blenheim, SC

Distribution areas: Various retailers around the U.S.

Natural spring water in South Carolina became a health craze and vacation destination in the 1700s thanks to its purported mineral benefits. Around 1900, Blenheim resident Dr. C. R. May had the bright idea to bottle the spring water with the addition of Jamaican ginger to make the flavor more palatable. Sold only in 12-ounce glass bottles, this feisty, sinus-clearing ginger ale comes in #3 (extra spicy), original #5 (milder but retains the ginger kick), and #9 (diet).

Originally from: Birmingham, AL

Distribution areas: Southeastern U.S.

Another soft drink with a spicier-than-average flavor profile, Buffalo Rock "Southern Spice" ginger ale was first formulated as a cure for stomach ailments in 1901. Today's Buffalo Rock is dark amber in color with pronounced carbonation and a spicy ginger punch that can make your eyes water.

Originally from: Detroit, MI

Distribution areas: West Coast, Texas, Washington D.C. area

This golden-hued, powerfully effervescent soda is a Detroit standard that tastes like a not-too-sweet mix between cream soda and ginger ale, according to fans. Not to be outdone by other long-surviving sodas, Vernor's was developed by Detroit pharmacist James Vernor before he was called to battle in the American Civil War in 1862, but it wasn't until he returned home in 1866 that he discovered the secret to his soft drink's greatness. Before leaving, Vernor stored his ginger beverage in an oak cask, which radically transformed the ginger ale inside. Vernor's is still aged in oak casks before being bottled, resulting in a distinctive final product.