Folks on social media have discovered a niche regional drink called “heavy soda,” which left many asking what is it, exactly? The answer is a drink option that is confusing even to many Missouri residents, where the drink originates.
Featured VideoWhat is heavy soda?
According to TikToker Pete (@earlypete), heavy soda comes specifically from the southernmost tip of Missouri. Even residents in the northern part of the state have no idea it exists.
Advertisement“On fountain soda machines, you have the ability to adjust the ratio of syrup to water,” Pete explained. “And in some places that have a serious American-sized sweet tooth, some gas stations seem to be turning up the ratio of soda syrup so that the drink is increasingly sweet.”
In addition, he added, the name also carries a local cultural nod. When Budweiser introduced Bud Light, according to Pete, beer drinkers casually referred to the original version as “Bud Heavy.” Over time, the label spread beyond beer and stuck to soda with more syrup.
Because of that connection, “heavy soda” became the shorthand for this super-sweetened version. Other TikTokers confirmed the drink’s existence.
AdvertisementAnother TikToker (@kateboyerx2) posted a panning video of a soda fountain where half of the options had “HEAVY” stickers on them. Text overlay reads, “You know when the gas station fountains have this option you’re in Gods country.”
Social media reactions
Redditors also shared first-hand accounts of their experiences with the sweet beverage in a post on the r/Soda subreddit.
“Worked at a drive-in with a soda machine that mixed syrup from 5-gallon cubes and fizzy tap water,” one Redditor wrote. “It was great because it was ‘fresh’ — not canned/bottled — and you could drink all you wanted on break. Had a ‘measuring device’ that was basically two cups in one. One cup measured the syrup output, and the other measured the carbonated water output of the dispenser when you pressed the ‘cup/fill’ lever. Set it for more syrup than ‘formula’. Great Coke. Very cherry Cherry Coke. Kinda miss that.”
Advertisementu/jcmib recalled, “I went to a baseball game when I was around 10 and I still remember the faulty sprite that was 90 % syrup 40 years later.”
@earlypete Heavy Soda Explained! #missouri #soda #pop #regionalfood ♬ Blurry – Puddle Of Mudd
Additionally, some users argued that heavy soda served a practical purpose.
u/Old_Qenn explained, “It is for people who work outside or travel in their car/truck all day. Normally purchased in the morning, so when the ice melts throughout the day, it dilutes the heavy to make the soda taste normal. If one were to use regular, when the ice melted, the soda would taste watered down.”
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