Dr Pepper

Dr Pepper is a soft drink created in 1885 by a pharmacist from Waco, Texas, named Charles Alderton. The American soft-drink industry, which began in the 1830s, had developed steadily as the result of antiliquor pressure from the temperance movement. Local pharmacies had become popular gathering spots for refreshments, and pharmacists naturally developed innumerable new soft-drink flavors. Alderton supplemented his pharmaceutical duties at Morrison’s Old Corner Drug Store by serving its soda-fountain customers. Fascinated by the various carbonated beverages, he developed a successful new combination of flavors that patrons called “a Waco,” in reference to its local affiliation. Wade B. Morrison, owner of the drugstore, reportedly named it Dr Pepper after a former employer named Dr. Charles T. Pepper in Rural Retreat, Virginia.