The Most Likely Flavors That Make Up Dr Pepper

Dr Pepper's unique flavor profile has been appreciated for years on its own and in recipes as surprising as brownies. The complex soda originated in a Waco, Texas corner store, where it was said to be crafted by a young pharmacist who also served carbonated drinks. According to the Dr Pepper Museum, the scent of the store's different fruit aromas blending together inspired that pharmacist, Charles Alderton, to create a unique drink. He experimented by mixing up various syrups and keeping track of the ones that worked. His goal? To craft a beverage that resembled the fusion of scents he enjoyed. 

Whether or not any of that is true, Dr Pepper cans boast a medley of 23 flavors. But what are those, exactly? Although the company isn't divulging the details of its secret recipe, people have made some fairly good guesses about what might be in this mysterious soda. A simple taste will not help anyone detect just one flavor, but some flavors are easily identified. Cinnamon, cola, and cherry — just three of the most discernible extracts — haven't been confirmed by the company, but seem to be on the money from taste alone. Dr Pepper enthusiasts have speculated that notes of ginger, clove, nutmeg, vanilla, rum, root beer, and even tomato are part of the recipe.

Of course, the above flavors hardly add up to 23 in total. Some have guessed that orange, lemon, carrot, blackberry, cherry, plum, raspberry, and prune make up the rest of the Dr Pepper flavor profile. More botanical flavors, including almond, black licorice, juniper, nutmeg, amaretto, and pepper, are also believed to be in the patented formula. What provides the sweetness? A good guess would be either molasses or caramel, which could be another entry in the list of flavors. Count that up, however, and that's more than 23, so the complex brew probably doesn't contain absolutely everything listed here.

Creative minds have adapted the unique taste of Dr Pepper and tried adding other flavors to the mix. A TikTok video suggested adding pickles (a little tart to balance out the sweet isn't such a bad idea) while commenters proposed strawberries — not a bad idea, since such a flavor must be part of Dr Pepper's strawberry and cream variety.