Pepsi Nitro!

March 30, 2022 6:58 PM

A statement from Pepsi says that “some people still cite heavy carbonation as a barrier to enjoying an ice-cold cola.” Comes in vanilla flavor! "Nitro Pepsi Vanilla smells almost like a candy store, sugary and sweet. And the taste is notably smoother than regular Pepsi, as if the fizz and bubbles have all been kneaded out of the drink. Pepsi promised a “nitrogen-infused cola that’s actually softer than a soft drink,” and well, that’s what I got. I love vanilla and I would choose that version over regular Nitro Pepsi."Interested? Get your free Pepsi Nitro at Wal-Mart!
posted by geoff. (50 comments total)

Hope they backed way off on the sweeteners. Nitro hasn't got that acidic counterpoint that carbonation does. Pepsi is already too sweet for my palate.
posted by BrotherCaine at 7:06 PM on March 30, 2022 [6 favorites]

Previously
posted by ActingTheGoat at 7:10 PM on March 30, 2022 [19 favorites]

No interest in nitro Pepsi, but nitro wine which would give off enough nitrogen after it opened to retard oxidation (and might not need sulfites for preservation during fermentation) would be another story.
posted by jamjam at 7:14 PM on March 30, 2022 [7 favorites]

oooh--wine without sulfites, you say? Yes, please.
posted by zardoz at 7:19 PM on March 30, 2022 [2 favorites]

My family tried this last week (which was fun) and the consensus was that it tasted a little flat and too much like syrup. Vanilla was better than regular. The foam was nice.

I suspect co2 bubbles are like 24fps in films; they’re just part of the magic and all the recipes are balanced around the old “worse” way.
posted by michaelh at 7:23 PM on March 30, 2022 [6 favorites]

Where do I get drinks with more carbonation?
posted by amtho at 7:25 PM on March 30, 2022 [18 favorites]

Where do I get drinks with more carbonation?


Here

Also isn't this post a bit early for april fools?
posted by lalochezia at 7:31 PM on March 30, 2022 [1 favorite]

I tried this the other day because why not. Pepsi still sucks but I think it's a promising concept for non-terrible sodas. Something that is already not super sweet like a birch beer or something would be good with this.
posted by feloniousmonk at 7:48 PM on March 30, 2022 [3 favorites]

Where do I get drinks with more carbonation?
In all honesty? Polar seltzer has the most carbonation, in my opinion, of any of the seltzers on the east coast US. I am consistently just enough disappointed with the home carb machine to still sneak a few pints of the weird flavors here and there.

Right now I'm coming off a medication that makes carbonation taste vile, so I'm waiting for the day my seltzer and I can be reunited.
posted by cobaltnine at 7:49 PM on March 30, 2022 [2 favorites]

Hope they backed way off on the sweeteners. Nitro hasn't got that acidic counterpoint that carbonation does. Pepsi is already too sweet for my palate.

The article says that, on the contrary, they apparently added more sugar. Weird choice.

I think it would be interesting to have a less sweet cola with a mix of nitrogen and a little CO2. That way you'd get the foamy head, but also some continuing carbonation.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 7:57 PM on March 30, 2022 [4 favorites]

Pepsi Blue
posted by ShawnStruck at 7:57 PM on March 30, 2022 [14 favorites]

I like nitro cold brew coffee just fine--it's a much better replacement for Guinness than any non-alcoholic beer--but I'm none too fond of Pepsi. Get me some nitro Coke Zero (and Nitro Zero just sounds cooler, like cyberpunkesque), and we might talk.
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:30 PM on March 30, 2022 [7 favorites]

Pepsi Zima!
posted by Saxon Kane at 8:34 PM on March 30, 2022 [1 favorite]

Interested to try this, although I'm skeptical of the more sugar! I'm probably the only person out there who misses Pepsi Natural and I'm always trying to see if I can find something like it again.

On preview, Polar Orange Dry is one of my favorite sodas out there but it's not something easy to find in California.
posted by Brassica oleracea at 8:35 PM on March 30, 2022 [1 favorite]

Where do I get drinks with more carbonation?

I was lucky enough growing up that I had access to soda siphons filled in the Bronx, and man, that stuff was so carbonated it BURNED. It was wonderful.
posted by mikelieman at 9:00 PM on March 30, 2022 [3 favorites]

Where do I get drinks with more carbonation?

I used to combine a can of plain seltzer with fruit juice, but it watered down the carbonation. Now I use fruit juice concentrate and I can get just the right amount of flavor/sweetness without diluting the carbonation much.
posted by straight at 9:07 PM on March 30, 2022 [1 favorite]

/Pepsi Zima!/

Pepzi. *tips white fedora*
posted by The otter lady at 9:07 PM on March 30, 2022 [9 favorites]

I'd be intrigued by a really harsh ginger beer smoothed out by nitro.
posted by BrotherCaine at 9:42 PM on March 30, 2022 [6 favorites]

This seems like something that would work really well if done with root beer.
But then you're limiting your market to just Americans (and Starfleet).
posted by bartleby at 9:54 PM on March 30, 2022 [7 favorites]

I haven’t tried this, but it’s bringing back childhood memories of drinking the dregs of 2 liter bottles of soda that would languish in my parents fridge after a birthday party or some such thing. Not as good as a fresh can soda, but also not undrinkable enough for a 10-year old to pass up. Flat, sweet, reminiscent enough of the real stuff.

Growing up soda was only allowed on Fridays after my brother and i completed our chores. As such there wasn’t a soda I didn’t like and would probably drink the Pepsi nitro happily and declare it the best ever.
posted by heatherbeth at 10:38 PM on March 30, 2022 [2 favorites]

Pop, but lay off the gas?

Isn’t that the entire point of Shasta?
posted by armeowda at 11:02 PM on March 30, 2022

"Help me coupon"

-Grandpa Simpson
posted by clavdivs at 11:35 PM on March 30, 2022 [1 favorite]

Where do I get drinks with more carbonation?

In Korea you can get Chilsung Cider (basically Sprite) and Pepsi both with more carbonation. They are called 'strong'. I can't really find any definitive links in English, but if you search for Pepsi Strong or Chilsung Cider Strong there is some info out there.
posted by Literaryhero at 12:48 AM on March 31, 2022 [4 favorites]

I like nitro beer but mostly just because for the first 10 seconds after aggressively pouring it into a glass it is quite satisfying to watch the bubbles form and rise.
posted by srboisvert at 2:45 AM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]

No interest in nitro Pepsi, but nitro wine which would give off enough nitrogen after it opened to retard oxidation (and might not need sulfites for preservation during fermentation) would be another story.

That's how keg wine works. We use a gas mix for beer and cider, but wine is all nitrogen to push the liquid through the tubes. Keg wine lasts a long time, too.

You can do the same at home with nitrogen or argon, they sell 'em in stores online I reckon. Single bottle taps that keep the wine in the bottle fresh and just suck out the 5oz pour.
posted by lazaruslong at 2:51 AM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]

If I recall from back when I still drank pop, the carbonation was the whole point, really. The way it cut the dryness was the "refreshment" for me. This stuff is probably ok, though. I guess.
posted by Thorzdad at 3:20 AM on March 31, 2022

*More* carbonation you say?

Link for the truly dedicated: https://www.seriouseats.com/pros-cons-diy-carbonation-rig

I built one of these. I think with the tank it cost about $180-200 in mid 2020.

I still buy La Croix on occasion out of laziness, but I can make water so carbonated it puts Topo Chico to shame. Bubbles that hurt and make me wonder if I am doing damage to my teeth.

This thread has me wondering about picking up a small cylinder of nitrogen...
posted by jellywerker at 4:13 AM on March 31, 2022 [5 favorites]

Where do I get drinks with more carbonation?

On top of tall mountains!
posted by Bee'sWing at 4:24 AM on March 31, 2022

If I recall from back when I still drank pop, the carbonation was the whole point, really. The way it cut the dryness was the "refreshment" for me. This stuff is probably ok, though. I guess.

Diet coke is my sustaining lifeforce, but in the past I have given it up completely for plain seltzer because all I really need are cold bubbles and a slightly acidic taste. (and I can give up diet coke any time I want, or so I keep telling myself)
posted by RonButNotStupid at 5:17 AM on March 31, 2022 [2 favorites]

For a brief, shining moment, there was an attempt at a new novelty Pepsi product on the Japanese market (but I repeat myself) called Pepsi Dry, which was basically unsweetened cola-flavored seltzer with caramel color added. Reader, that shit RULED
posted by DoctorFedora at 5:30 AM on March 31, 2022 [4 favorites]

I like how someone posited somewhere online--prolly Twitter--that Pepsi Nitro is meant to be disappointing to drive sales of plain ole Pepsi up. I'd buy that (the idea, not the drink).
posted by Kitteh at 5:39 AM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]

I only really like flat warm fizzy drinks, so this was surely invented for me so I don't have to open cans and then leave them out for several hours, a thing that really seems to revolt most people.
posted by lesbiassparrow at 5:51 AM on March 31, 2022 [2 favorites]

I should ask the guys at a local microbrewery how they make their artisanal handcrafted sodas. I mean, part of it is clear that they're putting 14oz of sugar in a 12oz can, but they also end up with a much finer carbonation that's super light on the tongue. It's not flat and I don't think it's nitro, but it's different.
posted by Kyol at 6:17 AM on March 31, 2022

I am so here for this.
posted by Mchelly at 6:27 AM on March 31, 2022

I was excited to try this (I'm a sucker for "new" formulations of just about anything), but I was shocked to find they don't make a diet version. Seems like a no-brainer, since you'd think they already don't have to worry about the sweetness as much. Hmmpf. Maybe I'll get around to it on a cheat day sometime.
posted by Rock Steady at 6:38 AM on March 31, 2022 [2 favorites]

Is it safe to put Pepsi Nitro in my Soda Stream?
posted by 3j0hn at 7:24 AM on March 31, 2022

Doooo it, 3j0hn. Just do it and be a legend.
posted by Rock Steady at 7:26 AM on March 31, 2022 [8 favorites]

I look forward to trying this. The article was surprisingly informative, btw.
posted by davidmsc at 7:28 AM on March 31, 2022

Pepsi Nitro is meant to be disappointing to drive sales of plain ole Pepsi up.

My own more boring Pepsi Nitro conspiracy theory is that the more varieties of Pepsi (and its many, many other brands, including Mountain Dew, 7-Up, Sierra Mist, Naked Juice, Tropicana, Lipton, Pure Leaf, Gatorade, Propel, bottled/canned Starbucks drinks, Life Wtr, Aquafina, Izze, Bubly, etc., etc.) that retailers feel compelled to stock, the less room there will be on the shelves for products from Coca-Cola (and, to a lesser degree, Pepsico's other competitors).
posted by box at 7:54 AM on March 31, 2022

Pepsi Nitro is meant to be disappointing to drive sales of plain ole Pepsi up.

If I had to guess, it would be that they have set up a tool-chain to manufacture nitro cold brew coffee and that it is not being used to its full capacity (or it's sales are disappointing), and this is a stab at extracting more value from that equipment. (I grant that it is possible it produces value by making regular pepsi seem better in comparison)

Doooo it, 3j0hn. Just do it and be a legend.

In the earlier days of the internet, it would be easy to google whether some other genius/bonehead had done this (surely some tiktoker has already thought of this!), but alas, it seems impossible to search for this sort of stunt these days
posted by 3j0hn at 8:01 AM on March 31, 2022

Idea for a new drink: SLOW COKE - That same great cola taste, but much higher viscosity.
posted by acb at 8:11 AM on March 31, 2022 [2 favorites]

My own more boring Pepsi Nitro conspiracy theory ...

... is very much endemic in grocery marketing, box. That's how you get dozens of varieties of Coke, or Pepsi, or Oreos, or Cheerios, ad infinitum. You don't really hear people complaining that there just aren't enough kinds of products on the shelves, but there are only so many shelves, and the temptation is high to try and squeeze competitors off of those shelves. Shelves.
posted by Flexagon at 8:33 AM on March 31, 2022 [1 favorite]

Is “nitro” to the ‘20s what “extreme” was to the ‘90s?
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 8:43 AM on March 31, 2022 [5 favorites]

there are only so many shelves, and the temptation is high to try and squeeze competitors off of those shelves

Macro-brewers have been doing this for years to try to squeeze the micros. No one really wants to drink all those hard seltzers and lemonades. Fortunately there are stores that cater to microbrew drinkers and just toss the dross into one end of the cooler for those who prefer to drink malt-flavored water.

Diet Coke and Coke Zero are my lifeblood and caffeine delivery vehicle of choice. Mrs. Ber is a Coca Cola enthusiast though she limits herself to a bottle a day, preferring Mexican Coke from Costco. We're the type of people the waitstaff apologizes when we get horrified at the "we only serve Pepsi products". I greet this Nitro with the same enthusiasm I greet people selling home security systems door-to-door.
posted by Ber at 9:25 AM on March 31, 2022 [3 favorites]

Is it safe to put Pepsi Nitro in my Soda Stream?

Just be sure to add some Mentos for, um, catalysis.
posted by achrise at 9:45 AM on March 31, 2022 [2 favorites]

Home brewers use cornelius kegs to carbonate their beer. Any home brew supply store will provide you with advice on how to use them to make soft drinks.
posted by No Robots at 10:07 AM on March 31, 2022

A buck.88 for a can of sugar water? Pffft.

I don't want it bad enough to:
find the display
scan the code
go to the website
work through the advertising hype to redeem offer
watch the video
do the interaction and enter my email
get the card
put it in Apple/Google wallet (first I'd have to set up the damn thing)
pick it up
and finally scan the bar code at check out.

One can of soda for the pleasure of giving my address to PepsiCo and HellMart so they can scam my email.

Screw dat.
posted by BlueHorse at 11:32 AM on March 31, 2022

Re: SLOW COKE

Pretty sure my mother (God rest her soul) served us that stuff over ice when we got barfy.
posted by armeowda at 9:53 PM on March 31, 2022

My wife says she wants Coca-Cola to come out with a helium-infused cola and then people can sing I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke in "that funny voice".
posted by neuron at 9:14 AM on April 2, 2022 [1 favorite]

The pressure inside a bottle of soda ranges between slightly less than 3 to slightly less than 5 atmospheres,
and 3 atm. is right at the upper limit of the depth (100 ft.) at which nitrogen narcosis becomes a factor in diving:

Due to its perception-altering effects, the onset of narcosis may be hard to recognize.[6][7] At its most benign, narcosis results in relief of anxiety – a feeling of tranquillity and mastery of the environment. These effects are essentially identical to various concentrations of nitrous oxide. They also resemble (though not as closely) the effects of alcohol or cannabis and the familiar benzodiazepine drugs such as diazepam and alprazolam.[8] Such effects are not harmful unless they cause some immediate danger to go unrecognized and unaddressed. Once stabilized, the effects generally remain the same at a given depth, only worsening if the diver ventures deeper.[9]

Even if the pressure inside a bottle of Pepsi Nitro is comparable to regular soda pressure, I think the probability it could have mood altering properties attributable to dissolved nitrogen is vanishingly small, but it’s fun to think about.
posted by jamjam at 12:36 PM on April 5, 2022