When you’re in the mood for a cold, refreshing non-alcoholic beverage, what’s your go-to? Perhaps your fridge is fully stocked with Snapple. Maybe you’re a Coca-Cola ride-or-die. Or possibly nothing hits the spot quite like an ice-cold Gatorade. We’ve tracked down the 50 most popular non-alcoholic beverage brands in America, and the top pick might surprise you.
There once was a time when if you wanted a cold non-alcoholic beverage, your options were pretty much limited to things like iced tea, milk, fruit juice, and lemonade. But with the invention of beverages like Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola in the late 1800s, along with the rise of soda fountains where they could be enjoyed, more and more beverage brands began to emerge. (Here are the signature drinks from every state.)
Nowadays, a trip to the local convenience store or supermarket presents you with scores if not hundreds of beverage options, from juice to bottled iced coffee to sweet iced tea to energy drinks to fruit punch to sugar-sweetened soda and their diet counterparts (though here are 10 reasons why you’ll never want to drink diet soda again).
To determine the most popular non-alcoholic beverage brands in America, 24/7 Tempo reviewed the results of a survey conducted by the international data and analytics group YouGov. The survey tracks the percentage of respondents who have heard of a brand, then calculates a popularity rating by taking the proportion of “have heard of” respondents who view a brand positively. (Because of an apparent editing error, YouGov listed 7-Up twice in their ranking, at No. 15 and No. 8. We removed the listing at No. 15.) Survey results were updated as of October 11, 2021.
Click here to see America’s 50 most popular non-alcoholic beverage brands
When you stop and think about it, it’s actually pretty astonishing how many beverage brands are out there — and how many are owned by huge conglomerates. Coca-Cola alone is the parent company to more than 200 brands, including Barq’s, Dasani, Fanta, Minute Maid, and Sprite; and Pepsi owns Gatorade, Lipton, Naked Juice, Ocean Spray, and many more.
How many of the following brands have you tried?
50. RC Cola
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 44%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 88% — 46th most on list
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49. Tang
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 45%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 89% — 43rd most on list
48. Crystal Light
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 46%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 93% — 31st most on list
47. V8 Splash
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 47%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 86% — 47th most on list
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46. VitaminWater
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 48%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 89% — 43rd most on list
45. Nescafé
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 48%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 90% — 37th most on list
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44. POWERade
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 48%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 85% — 48th most on list
43. Dasani
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 49%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 95% — 22nd most on list
42. Hi-C
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 49%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 94% — 27th most on list
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41. Nestlé Pure Life
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 49%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 90% — 37th most on list
40. Mountain Dew
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 49%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 97% — 7th most on list
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39. Sunny D
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 49%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 91% — 33rd most on list
38. Sierra Mist
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 49%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 94% — 27th most on list
37. Aquafina
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 51%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 95% — 22nd most on list
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36. Country Time
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 51%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 81% — 49th most on list
35. Maxwell House
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 52%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 90% — 37th most on list
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34. AriZona Iced Tea
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 52%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 90% — 37th most on list
33. A&W Cream Soda
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 55%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 93% — 31st most on list
32. Nestea
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 56%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 91% — 33rd most on list
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31. Florida’s Natural
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 57%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 81% — 49th most on list
30. Capri Sun
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 58%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 94% — 27th most on list
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29. Hawaiian Punch
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 58%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 96% — 14th most on list
28. Snapple
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 59%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 96% — 14th most on list
27. V8
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 59%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 95% — 22nd most on list
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26. Schweppes Ginger Ale
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 59%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 90% — 37th most on list
25. Folgers
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 60%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 97% — 7th most on list
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24. Fanta
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 61%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 96% — 14th most on list
23. Crush
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 61%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 96% — 14th most on list
22. Barq’s
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 62%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 89% — 43rd most on list
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21. Coca-Cola
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 62%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 97% — 7th most on list
20. Pepsi
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 62%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 99% — most on list
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19. Sunkist
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 63%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 96% — 14th most on list
18. Gatorade
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 64%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 97% — 7th most on list
17. Simply Orange
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 64%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 90% — 37th most on list
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16. Kool-Aid
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 64%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 97% — 7th most on list
15. Sprite
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 64%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 99% — most on list
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14. Canada Dry
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 65%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 94% — 27th most on list
13. Mug Root Beer
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 65%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 91% — 33rd most on list
12. Ocean Spray
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 66%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 96% — 14th most on list
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11. Dr Pepper
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 66%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 98% — 4th most on list
10. Mott’s
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 67%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 91% — 33rd most on list
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9. Lipton Ice Tea
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 68%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 96% — 14th most on list
8. 7-Up
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 69%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 99% — most on list
7. Minute Maid
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 70%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 98% — 4th most on list
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6. Lipton Ice Tea
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 70%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 98% — 4th most on list
5. A&W
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 70%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 95% — 22nd most on list
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4. Del Monte
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 71%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 95% — 22nd most on list
3. Tropicana
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 72%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 96% — 14th most on list
2. Dole
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 73%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 97% — 7th most on list
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1. Welch’s
> % of people who have a positive opinion: 75%
> % of people who have heard of the brand: 97% — 7th most on list
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