Mountain Dew has powered American sportspeople and gamers alike, for years, and is not only a really tasty energy drink but can have a unique flavor that many are often interested in pinning down.
Often with these carbonated sweet drinks the flavors are a combination of things which can be hard to put your finger on if you haven’t looked into it.
If you enjoy the drink you may also wonder about what other things you can do with it, or even other drinks with a similar flavor.
If you love Mountain Dew we’re really going to break it down in this article and present some fun interesting drinks you can make with it as well as other similar drinks you could get into. Find out more below.
Is Mountain Dew an Energy Drink?
What may surprise many is that Mountain Dew was originally invented back in 1940 and has since been a popular drink for 83 years, and is now owned by Pepsi.
As of today it owns around 6.6% of the general carbonated drinks market in the US, mainly competing with brands like Coca Cola and Pepsi.
Whether Mountain Dew is an energy drink is relatively up for debate. At one point the UK production of Mountain Dew was marketed as ‘Mountain Dew Energy’.
Yet, while Mountain Dew has around 60-70mg of caffeine, other more notable energy drinks like Monster or RedBull have around 300-400mg of caffeine, which is a big difference.
Equally, Coca Cola and Pepsi have probably around half the caffeine of Mountain dew at around 30-40 mg per brand.
Like an energy drink, though, Mountain Dew has added vitamins and minerals to help it be more of an energy inducing tonic, albeit pretty unhealthy, that can help wake up your body, in addition to the caffeine.
What Does Mountain Dew Taste Like?
If we were to broadly define the flavor of Mountain Dew, not many would argue with citrus being its main flavor.
It has the effervescence and mild bitter taste of Sprite or another lemon and lime brand, but is also bright and citrusy with a little more sweetness.
The ingredients of Mountain Dew quite purposefully listed concentrated orange juice as one of the main ingredients, alongside other acidic and citric ingredients like citric acid and sodium citrate.
It is, of course, very sweet too which pairs quite well with the acidity and citrus notes and noticeably tangy in combination.
Many may know the original Mountain Dew, which was more like Sprite or 7UP and didn’t contain any caffeine.
When the company was bought by Pepsi back in the 60s they changed the recipe to be more citrusy and acidic in its flavors, as well as adding some caffeine.
How do you do the Dew?
While many enjoy drinking it on its own as a sugary pick-me-up or as a treat. It is often paired with alcohol, mostly vodka.
Considering many cocktails rely on the cirtusy and sweet notes from fruit juice, Mountain Dew can comparably provide a flavor that is similar but is also carbonated and sweet.
Before we get into the recipes, there are many alcoholic versions that come directly from Mountain Dew’s brand.
Hard Mountain Dew is a take on the original Mountain Dew recipe that combines the original drink with alcohol.
The alcohol isn’t necessarily a vodka or a rum, but is in fact sourced from the drink being malted.
In other words its alcoholic content comes from the fermented and malted barley in the drink, like a beer, but don’t expect it to taste like beer.
This is essentially a hard seltzer like a Whiteclaw, High Noon, or similar brand, which sources alcohol in the same way.
Hard seltzers, including Hard Mountain Dew, have less calories than most other alcoholic beverages and often aim to be no or low sugar.
For due diligence, hard seltzer’s like Hard Mountain Dew will 100% get you drunk and should be drunk in moderation and only when at the legal age limit.
This Hard Mountain Dew tastes quite similar to the original but with an extra boozy kick, its only 5% ABV which isn’t that high and is around a little higher in alcohol content than a beer.
It comes in a few flavors including the original, such as Black Cherry, Watermelon, and the popular Baja Blast flavor, all of which similarly contain the same level of alcohol.
THis is a quite popular cocktail you can even find in some cocktail bars, but is a great and easy one to make at home if you like a Mountain Dew.
There’s arguably no better time to binge on sugary drinks when you’re planning on drinking alcohol anyway, so long as they are both consumed in moderation.
The cocktail combines some seriously citrusy elements, so if you aren’t a fan of the citrus flavor of Mountain Dew, this might not be for you.
Melon Liqueur like Midori (or a substitute) as well as Triple sec are the two alcoholic elements that provide a boozy and citrusy kick respectively.
Equally, adding pineapple juice provides another layer of citrus flavor that pairs perfectly with the Mountain Dew and the Melon flavors present in the cocktail.
Something about the green, near fluorescent, color of the cocktail just makes you want to garnish it with a cocktail. It’s a good drink for the summer if you want a fun cocktail to sip in your garden.
Drinks Similar To Mountain Dew
There are other drinks you could enjoy that you may not have had before, which can taste a lot like Mountain Dew.
While Baja Blast is a popular flavor of the Mountain Dew brand, many didn’t necessarily realize this at the time.
The Baja Blast is a tropical take on the citrus flavor of the original Mountain Dew that you can get from the fountain at Taco Bell, although it’s now widely available in grocery stores.
If you haven’t tried the Baja Blast flavor it’s really worth a look in, with many suggesting it is potentially better than the original flavor.
Lilt was originally a drink only sold in certain European countries but has recently made its way to the US. Like the Baja Blast it takes a tropical twist on the classic citrus flavors of Mountain Dew.
Lilt is more fruity and tropical but is great for satisfying your citrus needs, its main flavors being grapefruit and pineapple, and worth trying if you like Mountain Dew but want something a little less sugary and caffeinated.
Ting is an originally Jamaican drink enjoyed exclusively in the Caribbean in the 70s, but was soon brought to the US.
Again this is a great sparkling citrus drink that is reminiscent of Mountain Dew. The main flavor is grapefruit so it is great if you want something a little more tart than sweet.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, Mountain Dew is a popular drink in the US, and somewhere between an energy drink and your classic Coke or Pepsi.
Its main flavor is citrus, specifically an orange citrus note. Many people like to use it in cocktails, with Mountain Dew releasing their own alcoholic brand of the drink.
What Does Mountain Dew Taste Like? What Drinks Are Similar?
Recipe by AubreyCourse: Taste Like
Servings
4
servings
Prep time
30
minutes
Cooking time
40
minutes
Calories
300
kcal
Ingredients
Mountain Dew
Ingredients from your favorite recipes
Directions
While many enjoy drinking it on its own as a sugary pick me up or a treat, it is often paired with alcohol.
Considering many cocktails rely on the citrusy and sweet notes from fruit juice, Mountain Dew can comparably provide a flavor that is similar but is also carbonated and sweet.
Hi, I’m Aubrey, and I have been a chef for close to 8 years. Cooking has always been a passion of mine, as long as I can remember. I loved my play kitchen when I was a kid, and would offer my parents my own (albeit gross) cookie recipes to taste!
Here at ButterandSaltGatherings, I want to offer a wide range of ingredients, flavors, meals and recipes so that you can start living each day to the fullest, and enjoy only the best food.
