Today at work I went to go grab a Mt. Dew from our break room vending machine only to find the dollar mechanism was broken. With dismay, I walked over to the Coke machine and grabbed a Mellow Yellow. On my way back to my cube, I got to thinking about those old days back when I was 13 or 14 and we used to down Mellow Yellow like water. I can remember getting 2 bottle holders on my bike for more storage of this tasty drink. I have to admit I haven’t drank any for a long time because of my preference to Mt. Dew, but the stuff isn’t half bad.
That got me thinking about other caffine/sugar sources from my teenage years. The first one I can remember is Jolt. There’s really not much to remember other than I wasn’t allowed to drink it at home. So usually I’d grab one if I was staying over at a friends place or if I was going to be out of the house for awhile with no chance of getting caught. It was probably for the better.
Then came Kick. I remember we started drinking it just because we’d heard it had more sugar and caffine than any other drink. Turns out it really didn’t, but that didn’t stop us from guzzling it can after can. Any sleep over called for at least half a dozen per person. When all my friends were in league bowling, we’d grab a can to wake us up.
I don’t know what happened. I can’t remember if we found Surge and liked it more or if Kick just got discontinued. Hell, I can’t even remember who made Kick anymore. Regardless, Surge was the next on the list of sugar rush beverages. Andy used to drink it way more than I did and eventually I gave up pop altogether in favor of performing better in skiing.
If I was a teenager today I’m sure I’d be putting down the energy drinks like Red Bull and Monster left and right. Though if I think about it, they’re usually at least $1.30. And the cans are smaller than 12oz. Maybe they’re not. Who knows, but it’s funny how one sip from a beverage can set off so many vivid memories.
