The Most Iconic Local Soft Drink Brand In Your State
Few things are as refreshing as an ice-cold glass of something fizzy, and we've certainly got no shortage of options when it comes to soft drinks. While you might find yourself reaching for big-name brands, we'd like to suggest not overlooking regional favorites. Will it make you slightly jealous that you don't have access to these brands and flavors? Absolutely. Is there the potential to make your next road trip much more fun? Definitely. We can also almost guarantee you'll discover some unique soda flavors you never knew existed along the way.
For the sake of our list, we started with setting some guidelines. We looked for soft drink brands that were founded in each state — or had long-standing connections with a particular area — and maintained a devout fan base without spreading much beyond those borders (though some might be available online or in specialty stores). These are sodas with a neat history, that offer up flavors tied to the state, and they're the ones people miss when they move away from their hometowns. (Several states are not included, as they're lacking on the regional soft drinks front. Is that an indication of a business opportunity? Maybe!)
Alabama: Buffalo Rock Ginger Ale
Ginger ale is famous for working incredibly well in mixed drinks, but Buffalo Rock Ginger Ale isn't your ordinary soda. Take your favorite mass-market ginger ale and dial it up to 11, and then raise the spice level more. And honestly, that's an understatement.
This soft drink is legitimately olde-timey, as it was made in Birmingham in 1901 from a medicinal recipe used to treat stomach issues. Prohibition helped raise this ginger ale's profile, and it's still renowned for its ability to add some serious kick to any cocktail.
Alaska: Frontier Alaska Soda
Frontier Alaska Soda is made by the same people behind 49th State Brewing, and they're putting out a soft drink that's uniquely Alaskan. Flavors include white birch beer, citrus spruce tip, and Cloudberry Burst, and the ingredient list doesn't read like one you'd expect to see on a soda can.
The birch syrup, for example, is the real deal, harvested from trees in the spring. The cloudberries are grown on the Alaskan tundra, and the pine-flavored tang of the citrus spruce tip soda comes from springtime growth snipped from spruce trees.
Arizona: Squirt
Squirt is perhaps one of the more available soft drinks we're talking about here, but it's still uniquely Arizona — and it can be difficult to find outside of the state. The soda with the unmistakable grapefruit flavor started out as a regional specialty — all the way back in 1938.
When the Roosevelt Dam turned Arizona into an agricultural paradise, grapefruit crops were considered king. There were so many that something had to be done with all of that fruit, and Squirt was one of the things that came out of the boom.
Arkansas: Grapette
Grapette was the brainchild of an Arkansas entrepreneur, who started a soda company in the 1920s with a single bottling plant and a few friends and family members working sales. When Grapette hit the market in 1940, it skyrocketed in popularity and became nationwide hit.
Unfortunately, things went south in the 1970s, and mismanagement (after the creator stepped aside due to health issues) saw this one-time favorite soft drink fade back into near obscurity. Luckily, it was eventually rescued by Walmart, the current and only distributor of this Grapette International soda in the U.S.
California: Cactus Cooler
Head to SoCal, and you'll find a delightfully nostalgic soda that's almost impossible to find elsewhere. That's Cactus Cooler, a super-citrusy, extra-sweet, orange and pineapple soft drink that tastes so much like the Southwest that you'll almost feel the sun on your face as you close your eyes to take a sip.
It's been around since the 1960s and is currently under the Keurig Dr. Pepper umbrella. There, it's achieved something of a cult following for those in-the-know.
Colorado: Zuberfizz
Patronize any fast food spot in most states, and you're likely to find Coca-Cola or Pepsi products on offer. In Colorado, you might just find Zuberfizz, a Durango-based brand that's making all kinds of fun flavors. Think strawberry rhubarb, watermelon, vanilla cream, and sparkling waters like lemongrass basil and cucumber.
It's all backed up by pure cane sugar and water sourced from the Rocky Mountains. And if you happen to stumble across any bottles, they're delightfully retro, not to mention environmentally friendly (as if you would expect anything less from Colorado).
Connecticut: Foxon Park
Foxon Park dates back to 1922. There's a lot to love about this Connecticut favorite, including the whopping 17 different flavors. There are standouts like white birch, strawberry, the Irn-Bru inspired Iron Brew, and the lemony gassosa.
Connecticut natives probably recognize this as a staple in countless pizzerias, and even the bottles and labels get a lot of love for being wonderfully nostalgic. That makes sense: This soda company is still owned by the same family and made with the same recipes.
Delaware: Dominion
Delaware's Fordham & Dominion Brewing Company is taking a hands-on, small-batch approach to brewing beer and making soft drinks, and the root beer is its flagship soda. The flavor is historic: It was created with help from some legit old-school recipes sourced from the Library of Congress.
There's also ginger ale — made with cane sugar and real ginger — alongside an orange that has none of the acidity that can come with orange sodas, while the black cherry is extra sweet. And when you put that much commitment into each flavor, four is all you need.
Florida: Materva
Materva is made in Miami, but it wasn't always that way. For about the first 40 years, this unique, yerba mate soda was made in Cuba. It was reborn in the U.S. in the 1960s — after the Cuban Revolution — and is now one of a number of sodas made by parent company Cawy. (Other soda flavors include coconut, watermelon, and pineapple.)
So, what does the OG yerba mate flavor taste like? A little fruity, a little creamy, and a little grassy, and fans say the carbonation is off the charts.
Georgia: Nehi
The Georgia-born Nehi came onto the market in the 1920s, and it made a splash right out of the gate. Not only were the flavors — grape, orange, and peach — standouts, but it came in bottles that were twice the height of most.
It's hard to overstate just how popular Nehi was, thanks in part to some rather seductive advertising, endorsements from celebrities like Bob Hope, Hedy Lamarr, and Joan Crawford, and regular appearances on the television show "M*A*S*H." Interestingly, Nehi has some history in common with several other olde-timey sodas: founder Claud A. Hatcher was a pharmacist.
Hawaii: Hawaiian Soda Co.
The Hawaiian Soda Co. is a relative newcomer in an industry filled with companies that have been around for a century or more, as this one only came onto the scene in 2023. The idea was to develop delicious soft drinks with no extra sugar and with all the flavor that can be harvested from Hawaii's lush landscape.
The company has won a number of awards, and it's easy to see why. The flavors are pure Hawaii and include strawberry guava, lychee, orange, and mango.
Idaho: Buck Snort Soda Company
If you've ever wondered what gives root beer its unique flavor, there's no single, easy answer. There's a lot that goes into making root beer, and what's produced at Boise's Buck Snort Soda Company is so tasty it's earned founder Kainoa Lopez kudos for making the best in the state.
Making great root beer was a family tradition, but the final recipe here only came after a ton of experimentation. Also in the lineup is ginger beer, maple cream soda, red cream soda, and if you're not thirsty yet, there's an espresso-infused root beer called Black Sheep, too.
Illinois: Dad's Root Beer
Fortunately, there's a good chance you'll be able to get your hands on Dad's Root Beer nationwide, but its origins are pure Chicago. You'd have to take a trip back to the 1930s to sample the earliest batches, brewed in a basement and named for the once-widespread tradition of fathers brewing in precisely that same way.
Fun fact: Dad's Root Beer boasts that it was the first to take full advantage of the genius of the six-pack. The company has changed hands several times, and it has since moved to Indiana.
Indiana: Ski
For the most part, regional soft drinks tend to be popular in the states and cities where they're made, but Ski is a bit of an oddity. It's headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee, but it's particularly beloved in Evansville, Indiana. The 1950s-era soda is affectionately known as Westside Water there, but ... why?
Working Distributors is an Evansville beverage wholesaler, and it had such success selling Ski that it became the go-to for community events and baseball games on the west side of town. The OG is a lemon and orange soda, and it's still made with a recipe that uses juice concentrate.
Iowa: Green River
Giving Green River Soda to Iowa seems to be, at a glance, a bold move. It's undeniably associated with Chicago, and it's even advertised as being created there in 1919. However, that's not the entire story.
It was technically invented three years earlier in a neighboring state. Richard C. Jones was the owner of a candy and soda shop in Davenport, Iowa, who formulated the funky green drink back in 1916. It was such a huge hit that Chicago's Schoenhofen Co. came knocking and offered Jones a pretty penny for his recipe. Adjusted for inflation, the recipe cost the equivalent of $1.8 million.
Kansas: Louisburg Cider Mill/Lost Trail
Lost Trail root beer comes with a pretty cool story. It's made by the Louisburg Cider Mill & Country Store in Louisburg, Kansas, and the recipe dates back to the mid-19th century.
The Santa Fe Trail ran from Missouri to New Mexico, and Joe Marshall lost the trail when he was traveling it in 1848. He wrote in his journal that some friendly folks introduced him to root beer, and his recipe eventually made its way into the hands of his great-great-granddaughter, Shelly Schierman. She's continuing to make this small-batch soda today.
Kentucky: Ale-8-One
Just what is Ale-8-One? The exact answer to that is no one really knows, as the recipe is a secret — and it has been since it made its debut in 1926. The family-owned company goes to extreme lengths to keep it that way, with a single person having access to the blending room to formulate each batch.
The result is a soda that's just as Kentucky born-and-raised as bourbon, and yes, it makes outstanding cocktails. As for the taste, imagine a ginger ale with the ginger dialed up a bit, then adjusted with some botanicals and a little bit of a citrus flare.
Louisiana: Big Shot
Big Shot has a vintage look, and there's a good reason for that — it hit the market in New Orleans back in 1935. You might expect a soft drink that old to lean heavily into classic flavors like root beer and cream soda, and sure, they're there in the lineup. But there's also pineapple watermelon, blue pineapple punch, peach, and strawberry, too.
Notoriously affordable and beloved for being downright delicious, it's a shame this soda didn't spread throughout the U.S. Interestingly, much of Big Shot's history has just sort of disappeared, making this one as mysterious as it is admired ... in NOLA, at least.
Maine: Moxie
In addition to being an excellent word that needs to be used more, Moxie is Maine's official state soft drink. The taste is ... admittedly polarizing. In one thread, Reddit users described it as having flavor notes of cough syrup, tree sap, Listerine, shampoo, Angostura bitters, and Pine-Sol, among other things. That said, it makes perfect sense that it was originally created in 1884 as a medicinal pick-me-up and snake-oil style cure-all.
While it's safe to say it's not going to cure all of your aches and pains, this soda is undeniably Maine. There's even a Moxie Festival held every summer in Lisbon.
Maryland: Frostie Soda
Lemonade soda? Honestly, Frostie Soda has us right there, but there's even more to this Maryland classic. There are 16 different flavors, including ginger beer, vanilla root beer, cherry limeade, and blue cream soda, which means the lineup just keeps getting better and better.
Frostie was founded in 1939 and became wildly popular with the growth of America's mid-century car culture. It was the soft drink of choice in carnivals and drive-ins, and it still has plenty of fans, who are quick to chime in with their favorite flavors.
Massachusetts: Polar
Polar was founded way back in 1882, and it got a healthy start with classic soft drink flavors like ginger ale. While Prohibition put an end to the company selling liquor, its line of seltzers, sodas, and water has kept it a win, and there's a lot of good will and state pride going on here, too.
The late 20th century brought questions of whether the company was going to move outside of its native Massachusetts in the name of growth. But in a wonderful gesture, Polar made it clear Worcester was home.
Michigan: Vernors
Vernors has a neat story: According to the lore, it was created when Detroit pharmacist James Vernor left a medicinal tonic fermenting when he stepped away to duty in the Civil War. He later found that time had turned his tonic into the extra-gingery beverage we all know and love today.
The authenticity of that story is debatable. But what we do know is Vernors was a massive hit. It's under the umbrella of Keurig Dr. Pepper these days, and it's still used by many for its original purpose: soothing upset stomachs.
Minnesota: 1919 Root Beer
Prohibition hurt the U.S. in a lot of ways, but for our purposes, it forced some breweries — like Minnesota's August Schell Brewing — to focus on other, non-alcoholic products. This family-owned business switched to root beer, and today's 1919 Root Beer remains an homage to the soda that kept the brewery afloat.
The company still prides itself on an old-school recipe and small-batch brewing, and the result is a rave-worthy root beer. You'll often find this one in kegs and mini-kegs, and when you do, you should stock up.
Mississippi: Barq's Root Beer
Barq's Root Beer was first made in Biloxi way back in 1898. The brainchild of a chemist named Edward Charles Edmond Barq, it was such a hit during Prohibition that it spread like wildfire. It was affordable, came in larger-than-standard bottles, and — of course — delicious.
That makes it a little different than some of the soda we've been talking about, as this didn't stay strictly a regional specialty. But the Mississippi roots are undeniable. And fun fact: It was originally called Barq's Root and Herb Brew.
Missouri: Vess
Take a drive through St. Louis, and you might even spot a local landmark: a 25-foot-tall Vess soda bottle. Vess has remained a Missouri staple for well over a century, and there's a bit of fun soda history here. An early employee was Charles Leiper Grigg, who worked for the company in 1919, invented the still-popular Whistle orange, and then went on to create 7Up.
Today, Vess is still putting out super-fun flavors. Think peach, strawberry, fruit punch, and yes, there's even a Vess Up.
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Montana: Flathead Lake Gourmet Soda
Yes, Flathead Lake Gourmet Soda is now owned by a company based in New Jersey: that deal happened back in 2005. However, this means that, in addition to the original huckleberry and root beer flavors, the brand has expanded into other varieties like black raspberry and wild white grape.
Today, you'll be able to pick up that OG (albeit reformulated) huckleberry, along with sour cherry, strawberry orange, and apple. And fun fact: This soft drink brand is named after a body of water in Montana where a Loch Ness Monster-like creature is said to live.
Nebraska: Kool-Aid
Hold on, you're saying, Kool-Aid isn't a soda! No, but it is technically marketed as a soft drink, and the Nebraska connection is one we just refuse to overlook. For the Kool-Aid origin story, we can thank Edwin Perkins' experimentation at his family's general store, which he eventually grew into his own Perkins Products Company.
Perkins originally developed Kool-Aid as a ready-made drink called Fruit Smack, and it wasn't until 1927 that he turned it into the powder. It became an international success story by the 1930s.
New Hampshire: Squamscot Old Fashioned Beverages
Squamscot Old Fashioned Beverages was founded two years into the American Civil War — back in 1863. And it's been churning out sodas since the 1890s.
Although the company remained family-owned for more than a century, it went up for sale in March 2026. Squamscot has boasted a repertoire of 27 different flavors, with a small-scale, small-batch process that's meant stores might have to wait weeks for a particular flavor.
New Jersey: Boylan Bottling Co.
Boylan Bottling Co. started in the final years of the 19th century at a Paterson, New Jersey, pharmacy. Birch was the original flavor, and the company got a major boost through Prohibition. Boylan still makes it a point to stress it's staying true to the old traditions of using cane sugar to stand out from the rest.
Flavors are delightfully old school, too. Creamy red birch beer, creme soda, ginger beer, and ginger ale are on offer, in addition to the absolutely iconic root beer.
New Mexico: Zia
Not only does Zia put out flavors that are wonderfully reflective of New Mexico's unique culinary landscape — think ginger and red chile, prickly pear and cactus, and roasted piñon and kola nut — but it's also deeply rooted in Indigenous culture. Co-founder Christalyn Concha is a part of Taos Pueblo, a Native American community with a history that goes back 10 centuries.
Zia's sodas are all-natural. Other flavors in the lineup include root beer (featuring yucca root, licorice, and Mexican vanilla) and sandia (watermelon juice with mint and lime).
New York: Dr. Brown's
Make a pilgrimage to the oldest deli in the U.S. — Katz's — and you're likely to get Dr. Brown's alongside your bigger-than-your-head pastrami sandwich. This NYC soda classic dates back to 1869 and has long been an integral part of the deli experience.
The lineup includes the funky Cel-Ray. Made with celery seed extract, it's definitely a case of needing to try it to believe it. It's a little peppery, wonderfully sweet, and uniquely refreshing.
North Carolina: Cheerwine
Cheerwine is a North Carolina soda that goes all the way back to 1917. It was originally marketed as something of a health tonic, and it's so popular it has its own festival. That's not too bad for a soft drink that was sort of created out of necessity.
Wartime rationing meant sugar was off the table, and Cheerwine was made with that distinctive cherry flavoring. Add in a whole bunch of extra carbonation and ultra fizziness, and it's no wonder it's so beloved.
Ohio: Norka
It's easy to remember where Norka hails from: It's Akron spelled backwards. Founded during Prohibition, it was initially an ultra-regional soda that could be found only in a few Ohio counties.
Norka's century-long history was interrupted for a time, as it closed in 1962 and didn't make a reappearance until 2014. That's when a descendant of a family friend of Norka's founder decided to bring the brand back, and old-school flavors like root beer, ginger ale, and cherry-strawberry are now back on shelves.
Oklahoma: Okola-Homa Soda Co.
Okola-Homa soda came on the scene in 2017. The use of cane sugar helps to set this Oklahoma-born soda apart from the large-scale producers, and a ton of work went into testing and perfecting flavors like root beer, cream soda, and the spiced cherry-vanilla Mr. Twister before they were released to the market.
The distinctly Oklahoma-themed packaging was done on purpose, as the family-owned company has been vocal about the fact that it wanted a product that was pure Okie. Seasonal offerings make occasional appearances.
Oregon: Henry Weinhard's Gourmet Soda
Henry Weinhard learned the art of brewing in Stuttgart, Germany, before making his way to the States and settling in Portland. By the 1870s, he had bought several breweries, built a completely respectable business, and eventually, Prohibition hit hard. The founder died years before his breweries pivoted to making and selling sodas, but those sodas are still on the market today.
Flavors include vanilla cream, orange cream, and black cherry cream, along with — of course — root beer. Interestingly, the soda side of the business ended up outlasting the beer side, which was sold and closed in 1999.
Pennsylvania: Appalachian Brewing Co.
Appalachian Brewing Co. is known for being one of the biggest microbreweries in the country and producing some seriously outstanding beer, as well as delicious soft drinks. The sweetness comes from cane sugar and honey, there are flavors like ginger beer, orange cream soda, and white birch beer, and you can visit, too!
The brewery offers tours of the soda-making facilities. Visitors get hands-on experience making their own sodas, and when it comes to better ways to spend a weekend afternoon, we can't think of many.
Rhode Island: Yacht Club Soda
Yacht Club Soda is Rhode Island's official soda brand. The coastal theme is incredibly appropriate as a favorite in the Ocean State, and Yacht Club has been top-tier for a long time — since 1915.
There's something for everyone to love, with 24 main flavors that include fun and funky things like Rhody Red, lemon, orange cream, sarsaparilla, sour grapes, and strawberry. There's also the promise of limited and seasonal offerings, including things like — at the time of this writing — Mercy Brown Vampire's Blood Orange Mango and Gaspee Point Berrymelon Rebellion.
South Carolina: Blenheim Ginger Ale
Blenheim Ginger Ale lore says everything started with a Revolutionary War-era discovery of a mineral spring, which was later found to be great for alleviating stomach ailments. A local doctor added ginger and sugar to make it taste not-so-terrible, and Blenheim Ginger Ale was born.
Today, the company is still known for ultra-spicy ginger ales that come in several different heat levels. The precise recipe is a secret, and if you've ever wished your ginger ale was just a bit extra, this is the brand for you.
Tennessee: Dr. Enuf
Dr. Enuf was founded in 1949, and the idea was to create a vitamin-fortified soda. Old ads leaned into the benefits of this beverage in a big way, boasting that it could make you feel younger and all-around healthier.
Advertising worked — so well that there was a bottle shortage, and purchases needed to be limited. Fast forward to today, and you'll still hear people saying there's a definite medicinal taste to Dr. Enuf, but it's still widely beloved in Tennessee. (Even without all those absolutely wild claims!)
Texas: Big Red
There are a few different sub-styles of Texas barbecue, but one thing they might have in common is being served with some Big Red on the table. Defining exactly what it is can be a little complicated, but if you imagine something like a fruity, orange-adjacent, slightly lemony cream soda, you're on the right track.
It's been around since 1937, and today, you'll find some of the best BBQ restaurants in Texas serving not just Big Red, but also cocktails and sangria that give this old classic soda a brilliant upgrade. Off-the-charts sweetness pairs perfectly with the richness of smoked meats, and it doesn't get much more Texas than that.
Utah: IronPort
Utah natives might recognize the name IronPort, a soft drink that's still fondly remembered. It's described as a little like a root beer crossed with cream soda and flavored with cherry, and there are a ton of great stories that have grown around the soda — like the one that suggests it was named after what's now a Utah ghost town.
Finding it is next to impossible ... but not entirely. Former manufacturer Bandit Beverages seems to have disappeared, but Reddit users say you can still find it on draft at various places around Utah. We confirmed that, at the time of this writing, it's still on menus — including the one at Hi-Mountain in Kamas. Get it before it's gone!
Vermont: Vermont Sweetwater Bottling Company
Can you get more Vermont than maple syrup? Absolutely not. So, it's only fitting that Vermont Sweetwater has both a maple soda and a maple seltzer, along with other neat flavors like raspberry rhubarb and tangerine cream.
The company has been around since 1993. And it also uses legit maple syrup in its beverages in what's a clear labor of love.
Washington: Bedford's
Bedford's has been making small-batch sodas since 1984. The company came from founder Ed Bedford's desire for a great cream soda like those that were no longer around, so he took matters into his own hands, and here we are.
More flavors have joined that OG cream soda, like orange creme, marionberry creme, and ginger cola. And the company still prides itself on small batches made with the very best ingredients.
West Virginia: Cryptid Club Soda
It doesn't get much more regional than West Virginia's Cryptid Club Soda. It's available mainly through Mythical Pizza in Berkeley Springs.
Flavors like Loveland Frogman Lemonade, Bigfoot Brew Birch Beer, and Flatwoods Fantasie Orange Soda pay homage to legends of cryptids and monsters, as is only fitting. Because yes, there's a flavor dedicated to West Virginia's own Mothman, and it's called Mothman's West Virginia Scream Soda.
Wisconsin: Sprecher
Sprecher might look old school, but it's almost surprisingly modern. The brewery was founded in the mid-1980s, with its most popular flavor — root beer — being added to the product lineup in 1988.
Open fires during the hand-crafted, small-batch brewing process help to create ultra-deep, rich flavors. And as intensity and natural flavorings have always been at the forefront, the company's root beer has earned this regional favorite some national acclaim.
Wyoming: Jackson Hole Soda
Jackson Hole Soda has changed locations and hands several times, but it remains true to the spirit that accompanied its founding in 2002. The idea was to tap into that Wild West theme, and today, you'll find flavors like Outlaw Orange Cream, Buckin' Rootbeer, and Snake River Sarsaparilla.
There's also a High Mountain Huckleberry, a true regional delight. Huckleberries might look like blueberries, but they're entirely different in flavor and texture. They're intense, and as far as we're concerned, a soft drink that brings all that delightful mountain flavor is a total win.
Methodology
If your state is missing from the list, that's because there are no real fan-favorite soft drink companies — new or old — in the area, or the area's tastes are monopolized by a brand that has stronger ties to another state. We looked for soft drink companies that were founded in each state, continue to be popular there, and — as a bonus — were largely unknown or difficult to find outside of the region.
We did make allowances for regional favorites that have gotten national exposure (like Barq's and Squirt), but we tried to stick with those brands that were the sort of thing locals know, love, and miss when they move away. The best brands are those that are making soft drinks from historic recipes, utilizing regional flavors, and creating something special to the state.