My dad, now 70, grew up working on farms and in oil patches in South Texas, where the only true choice of tonic during a scorching day was a crisp, cold Dr Pepper from the service station.
“They had ice crusted on the edges,” he says. “But you don’t drink cold drinks in the winter.”
Incredible culinary innovations often come from unexpected places, and Hot Dr Pepper with lemon is no different.
In 1958, the Waco-based Dr Pepper Company created Hot Dr Pepper in order to boost winter sales; they launched an iconic ad campaign that catapulted the beverage into popularity in the 1960s and 1970s.
“What a treat,” my dad still marvels.
As Food & Wine explains, Dr Pepper stands out from its competitors because its 23 flavors include cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, ginger, oranges, and allspice — the same basic stuff Starbucks puts in Pumpkin Spice lattes. This, of course, makes Dr Pepper a natural choice for a holiday drink.
Hot Dr Pepper is extremely simple to make: Heat the soda to 180 degrees — do not let it reach a boil — and then add a squeeze of lemon and garnish with a slice.
The kitchen at Taste of Home accurately reported that “the spiciness that makes Dr Pepper stand out from Coke or Pepsi was flattened only a little by the heat, making it taste like a melted Tootsie Roll, and the lemon slice added a spray of fresh citrus.” (The Dr Pepper Museum has occasionally served a Hot Dr Pepper of their own, but their recipe includes a “secret syrup,” so it’s not possible to recreate at home.) If you’re going to try this drink, do not skip the lemon. The acidity offsets the sweetness, which only gets more intense when Dr Pepper flattens.
Though there are tons of Reddit pages about folks discovering Hot Dr Pepper over the years, Instagram user @morganchomps went viral last month with her recipe. Those more than two million views persuaded both People magazine and Food & Wine to try it too. Food & Wine Editorial Director Dylan Garret calls Hot Dr Pepper “absolutely delicious, full stop” and recommends making yours the real sugar variety of the soda.
In the age before everyone had a Crock-Pot, it could be tough to get the temperature right without killing the bubbles or burning it, so our family often relied on the microwave. When you pull out the mug, the bubbles should still be popping a bit. “Carbonated drinks lose their bubbles quickly when warmed because carbon dioxide escapes more easily from hot liquids,” per Food & Wine. “The Hot Dr Pepper might still have a touch of effervescence if you try it soon after you’ve heated it up.”
My dad introduced this extremely Texan beverage to my mom when he met her in the 1980s, and my brother and I grew up sipping Hot Dr Pepper in the winter. “It has that syrup-y feeling in the back of your throat,” my brother says. “It’s really good when you’re sick.” Reddit agrees, where a user named Goraji called it “absolute bliss for a sore throat,” though folks have noted that it’s strange to give children caffeine, a point to which I have …no rebuttal.
Of course, non Texans reasonably scoff at the idea of Hot Dr Pepper with lemon. For the skeptical, my brother helpfully offered up a comparison to Diet Coke and red wine, a 1920s-era Spanish beverage called Kalimotxo (which I also find tasty). Kalimotxo was created, according to Food & Wine, when several cases of wine went bad at a festival and a quick-thinker had an idea to salvage them. “The drink was a success, and has been enjoyed around the world since then,” wrote the magazine. “Kalimotxo is especially popular during the cocktail hour, paired with olives, cheese, and other snacks.” Most people who enjoy this drink today use a cooking-quality red wine.
As the magazine wrote about the “easy-drinking” Kalimotxo, “combining red wine and cola sounds like sacrilege, but don’t knock it until you try” it.
I encourage readers to apply that same principle here. There’s a whole world of strange beverages to explore, and if you’re not moved by my urgings, please remember that Harry Styles wrote about combining red wine and Ginger Ale in his song “Little Freak,” some folks enjoy a mulled Dr Pepper (or chocolate syrup version), and our writer-at-large, Cat Cardenas, tried Dua Lipa’s viral Diet Coke and pickle drink during Austin City Limits. Cat’s still alive, so I know y’all will survive this. Plus, I’ve got a great track record for recommendations and gift-giving, including Harry & David pears, so please bear with me while I attempt to influence you.
Chomps’ now-viral video says her mom made it for her — and that it was often the go-to warm drink at concession stands when her mom was in high school. This unconfirmed anecdote is plenty evidence for me that Hot Dr Pepper is a time-honored Texas tradition on par with Friday Night Lights.
But Chomps uses a slow cooker for a few hours, and in her version, the bubbles are likely killed by the time you’re sipping it.
I cannot stress this enough: This is not the way to drink Hot Dr Pepper if you want to enjoy it. Please consume your Hot Dr Pepper the right way — while the bubbles are still spitting a bit. (Though if you’re using a microwave, beware of metal mugs or freshly opened cans bubbling over, and please wait to add the lemon because it will only worsen the latter problem.) If you leave it on the stove or in a Crock-Pot for two hours, it’ll be too sweet.
When I showed my mom Chomps’ video, she confirmed for me that’s the way to drink it “only if you like it dead.” And another urgent warning from a mother who reared her children in the age of the South Beach Diet: “I tried to use Diet Dr Pepper to make it, but I met with stiff resistance from all of you to the point of mutiny.” To that end, don’t mess with a good thing. Go with the original Dr Pepper, use plenty of lemon, and don’t leave it on the stove for too long.
Fail to heed her words at your own peril.
Happy Holidays,
xo Olivia