I did not know that yesterday!

I've often pondered how the good doctor gets the peculiar taste. I've heard it's prune juice. I've heard it's grape juice. I've even heard it's a top-secret combination of ingredients that only a few people know.

I started with a simple Yahoo! search on "Dr Pepper," which led me to two Dr Pepper categories. Choosing to head down the Drinks and Drinking > Dr Pepper path, I found six web sites dedicated to the popular soft drink. I clicked on the Official link, which actually led me to the commercial side of the directory. I went straight to the site from the doctor himself, Drpepper.com, a pretty cool site with Flash animation.

I clicked on the Our Story link and quickly learned that Dr Pepper is the oldest major soft drink in the U.S. It was first made and sold in 1885 in Waco, Texas. I scrolled down and learned more about the soft drink, its history, and Dr. Charles Pepper, the man after whom the drink is named. However, I didn't find any information on the drink's flavor. We decided to check out the FAQs.

The quest for an answer was solved, sort of. The second question asks, "What's in Dr Pepper? Is prune juice in Dr Pepper?"

The answer:

The formula for Dr Pepper is proprietary, but prune juice is definitely not one of the ingredients. It is a blend of many spices and flavor extracts. The color is supplied by caramel especially made for the product.

So, the question remains unsolved, but at least some of the conjecture can be put to rest. Looks like you'll just have to be satisfied knowing that "Dr Pepper makes the world taste better."