Which carbonated soft drink is the best?

Do yourself a favor and trick yourself into liking the Zero or Diet versions of your chosen soda. Notably, the Zero formulations have less and less aftertaste. I have found Zero versions of Dr. Pepper, Sprite, Pepsi, Coke, etc. I even found Cherry Dr.Pepper Zero, which if you know what that means is just nonsensical. I go back to the regular sugar sometimes and it doesn't taste any better. I enjoy my acidic spiced cherry lemon Dr.Pepper without the diabeetus.
Calorie rant: Why? 1.5 cans of soda is 250 kcal. That is equivalent to 30 MINUTES OF EXERCISE. PER DRINK. 3500 kcals (or calories) is equal to 1-0.5 pounds of fat gained or lost. Stop drinking or substitute soda for 2 weeks and lose a pound/0.4kg. Stop for a year and lose 25 pounds/12 kg FOR NO EXERCISE. Do you know how disheartening to know that all of my exercise is wasted by just chugging a large soda? Do the inverse and save an hour of jogging with a large DIET/ZERO soda.
- Another important note about diet soda is that they can often increase appetite, so try to avoid drinking them before or during a meal. Of course water is better but we all know damn well nobody is perfect lol. With thoughtful timing and good moderation you can enjoy diet drinks without worry (water still better though).
- Well as long as you're doing yourself favors, try to go with water, and cut out soda for most of your diet.
  But of course this isn't really an answer to the question at hand.
  
  Water is best but unsweetened tea has a nicer flavor and the only thing I can find that makes it worse than water from a health standpoint is the caffeine.
  
  I agree! I have also found carbonated water to quench my need for texture. I can't find it sold as a drink in the drive-thru, though. But when I partake, I can't get enough of it when I take a big, painfully acidic and bubbly sip.
  As for just water, I find the water/ice dispenser in my new apartment's fridge to be the #1 health device I can use. I imagine diet and zero soda to be stepping stones to sparking water, which is a stepping stone for still water.
- Already way ahead of ya! Zero only for me, unless there is no other option mind you. :P
- I went to artificially sweetened sodas. I started getting these gnarly tension headaches. (And sometimes my jaw would hurt too.) Bummer. I bit the bullet and just went with drinking less soda instead.
  Ice really makes water taste a lot better at least.
- For anyone wondering difference between zero sugar and diet. Diet is meant to taste ‘lighter’ so it’s supposed to taste different where as zero sugar soda attempts to taste the same as the original.
- I can't stand replacement sugars and sweeteners. I do enjoy sodas, but I try to drink mostly water. They all have a metallic, chemical flavor that makes me feel queasy.
- My wife introduced me (53M) to Coke Zero on our honeymoon 18 years ago.
  I dropped 10 pounds just from that one change. It didn't take me any time to "get used" to drinking it, like Diet Coke, which to this day still tastes metallic.
  Adults really should minimized any and all calorie intake from drinking. So that means water, or zero calorie sodas and drinks.
- Soda is great for energy if you’re doing crazy exercise though. On the Seattle to Portland ride, I was able to up my calorie intake by about 800 kcal just by drinking full sugar soda when I stopped to eat. I still wasn’t able to consume enough calories, but it got me a might closer.
  
  I wouldn't say it's "great" since it's so sugary, but they had soda at an ultra marathon I did last Saturday. It was a great pick me up to drink a cup of coke. Supplimented the soda with other food, but it helped recover some calories quickly and has caffeine. I really try to stay away from the stuff otherwise.

Water! You can even carbonate it yourself!
- That's exactly my answer to "Which carbonated soft drink is the worst?"
- Sparkling water ftw. Do you have a CO2 tank to carbonate?
  
  My wife got me a kegerator a couple years ago. It’s amazing! Like $700. Fill up the keg with tap water when you run out (my keg is like 10 gal), refill the CO2 tank every 100 gals or so. I did a math a while back and it’s like 6 cents per glass, not including upfront costs.
  Or you can get an adapter to use with a standard CO2 tank with a soda stream machine. Refill those CO2 tanks at your local home brewing supply store, which again is way cheaper than the sodastream CO2
  
  Sometimes... no all times, I wish I also couldn't taste Bitter 2. Unfortunately when you carbonate water, that is literally the only flavour it has. And it has alot of it. It's one of the most disgusting flavours to people that can taste it, and completely non-existent to everyone else.
  
  Yeah a soda stream!
- Correct answer!

Water

Carbonated water
- I uses to hate it but finally cave in. It's my favourite sparkling drink. It tricks my brain into thinking I'm drinking a sweet drink.
- Maybe with a little fruit flavor
  
  No!

When I was a kid, we had a drink called "suicide punch". You mix equal parts of every drink in the fountain.
It is definitely not that.
- ooooh man I had forgotten about "suicides", high fructose corn syrup makes kids do crazy shit
  
  Idk. That's more a case of kids making high fructose corn syrup doing crazy stuff.

Baja blast zero by a mile
- I have to drop my daughter off at dance class for 45 minutes every week. Fortunately there's a Taco Bell nearby that led me to discover the wonder that is Baja Blast Zero. Now it gives me something to look forward to every week.
- For some reason the zero versions of mtn dew give me a headache. Which is sad because I love mtn dew but refuse to drink the sugar versions
- Yes! It's so good. I always pick up a few 12 packs when I see it because it only comes around every once in a while
  
  Its finally back for good!

Dr Pepper!
But I have to say Jarrito Tamarind soda is really good
- I remember when Jarritos was this exotic little mandarin drink, only stocked in one row at my local super market. I've loved them since then, and now I see them everywhere in all flavors. Like watching a child grow up :')

I know I'm going to be in the minority here, but I've been on a carbonated flavored water kick for a few years after I realized sugar was killing me. It was a two fold realization that I just really enjoy the fizz and not the sugar.
That said, Polar seltzer-ade with lemon or lime juice is just 🤌 if you're into carbonated waters
- yaaaas queen

Water.

There's so many cliches, but despite them all, Mountain Dew. Not because it makes me feel Xtreme while I'm playing Call of Duty and eating Doritos on my skateboard, it's just a much better flavor.
- I miss Canadian mountain dew. It was just the pop, no caffeine. Turns out caffeine doesn't taste very good. I mean you would assume that, but it really hit home when the pop I loved all of a sudden added it. Wish they continued to offer a caffeine free version. But I know in the states the caffeine is like their whole marketing thing.

The prices for coke and pepsi products has gone up an absurd amount the last few years. Unless they drop back down a bit in price (unlikely) I'm sticking to my sodastream for all my home carbonation needs.
- That's fair enough. Tbh everything has gone up by absurd amounts, at least where I am.

That depends on the context.
Eating pizza, nothing can ever compete with a nice glass of Trocadero, it just feels right.
At cristmas? Coca Cola? Absolutely not! Give me Zeunerts Julmust every time!
Drinking soft drink with friends and watching a movie, give me an Indian Tonic with a lemon slice, lasts long and is very tasty.
Have some dark rum (I have plenty) and want a quick drink with a good mixer, Fanta used to be great, but they have added sweeteners in addition to sugar, so they taste like crap now, so I tend to look for som itallian orange soda, it is works well.
Eating a bruger, Coca Cola is still great!
Having a quiet evening by the computer? Just stick to mineral water.
- A different drink for every occasion, I like it haha.
- I would drink Julmust in summer if it wasnt such a social faux pas.
- My favorite with a slice is Mandarin Jarritos. Sometimes Lima. Stewart’s Orange Creame soda is also pretty great.
  I’m also a big fan of ice-cold Sprite.
  
  I am expecting Sprite to get the sweetener treatment as well, but for now it makes a great drink to mix it with some local distilled raspberry liquor I have, tastes like Sprite, but with a really nice aftertaste of Raspberries

Bundaberg ginger beer! It's the only answer

Beer. It's.. soft?
- The word "soft" in "soft drink" is contrasting "hard" as in "alcoholic" (eg. "Hard cider"). Beer is decidedly not a soft drink.
  
  Whoooooosh
- If we were including beer, that might of been top of my list XD.

Fevertree ginger beer. Strong ginger flavor, not overly sweet like many other ginger beers I've tried.
- Second! I always like the strong bite of ginger. Im finding it harder and harder to get good ginger beer or even birch beer, they seem to have the tendency to be too sweet, like Reeds.
- I like cock and bull, especially with a squeeze of lime
  
  Moscow Mule hold the Moscow. Been making these a lot lately. Not decided on what my preferred ginger beer for it is though.
- Add some lime 👍
- Have you tried Buffalo Rock ginger ale? I'm pretty sure it was a civil war era tonic. They still sell it in parts of Mississippi. It hurts to drink, but mixes well with bourbon.

I've been into vanilla coke zero sugar for a while now.
Sprite zero sugar if you want no caffeine.
Both work well with alcohol. Bourbon or spiced rum with the coke. Vodka with the sprite.
- On those funky Coke machines in some restaurants, there was an option to get Raspberry Coke Zero for a long time. I grew to love it. Now it looks like they're taking it away in most places.

those glass bottles of coke
aside from that, flavored iced tea with sprite (or honestly any lemon lime soda, its all the same) is great
- Not just any glass bottles of Coke, but the Mexican Cokes with real cane sugar. I've been fooled by non-cane sugar glass bottle Cokes before.
  
  wait those exist? I thought all the glass ones were mexicen

Rivella
- Had to scroll far for this, rivella FTW. Surprised to see someone from a german instance answering though
  
  It's the beauty of the fedi. You will find people from absolutely everywhere on each instance.
  But, Lola Cola is also pretty nice.
- Rivella Pineapple as well, great stuff!
  
  We don't have this in the country of origin. You are from the Netherlands for sure!
  The best for me is the Rivella Bio Mint!

Rarely drink anything sugary but Jarritos in various flavors. Cranberry Sierra Mist is also good.
- I mostly drink water/seltzer, but I love grapefruit Jarritos.

Dr Pepper and Cherry Coke.
- Similar opinion to me. Although I almost always drink Coke Zero, I find Classic a little too sweet. I also love Irn-Bru!

Sprite does it for me.
- Sprite is pretty amazing.
  
  Try starry. More lime flavor ftw.

Cheerwine.
(Despite the name, it's non-alcoholic.)

Dr pepper, Portello or Pepsi Max.

Ale-8-1.

- Any recommendations for root beer or birch beer? I'm on the US East Coast. Thanks!
  
  I used to enjoy Boylan’s, and there’s a brand called Journey that made a “Borealis birch beer” which was my favorite
- Squirt is amazing. Not only does it have a humorous name, but it's delicious ice ice cold. They also now have Squirt Zero, which not only is extra humorous as a name, but also very delicious. We use it as a mixer for cocktails.

Store brand cola (Rainbow) is fine for me. Also Pepsi Max out of a can, just something about it.
A special shoutout to Canada Dry Ginger Ale, I miss it. I haven't seen it in the store for over a month now.

Oh man I am crazy for Jones Soda. Fufu Berry (which is hard to find in my area), Cream, and Berry Lemonade are my favorites.
It is pretty expensive, but for an occasional treat it's not bad.
I used to love Coke, Mountain Dew, and Monster but I cut back and now they taste gross to me.

Cream soda or Dr. Pepper. Or just check all the boxes with Dr. Pepper Cream Soda

I kinda like tonic myself... though I usually take it with gin 😁.
I drink coke only when I got stomach problems, it goes great with mint tea, a 50/50 soltion, try it 👍.

I loke Orangina, which is like sprite and orange juice with some pulp.
Sadly, it's not sold where I live.
Or perhaps it's a good thing, I'd probably gain a lot of weight if they did.
- Yes, Orangina is definitly in another league. My first bottle of it practically ruined all other soft drinks for me, can't stand them anymore. Besides certain kinds of sparkling mineral water it is practically the only carbonated stuff I drink once in a while. Oh, and I also like Bionade which is also not so sweet and slightly bitter tasting because of its malt basis. But Bionade is probably even harder to get than Orangina in most parts of the world...

Dr. Pepper unless energy drinks count, then NOS.

If you live in the UK, Lidl sells an excellent cola called Freeway. Their Freeway Zero is better than Pepsi Max or Coke Zero, IMHO, and literally one-fifth the price.
- Lidl is German... You don't have to live in the UK to visit a Lidl, they're all around.
  As for Freeway, I've previously tried it as a friend said it was better than Coca Cola. After a sip, I poured the rest into the drain. Not for me

Barq's root beer. It's a pretty rare find in my area. But it's a special treat when I find it.
Vanilla Coke is a close 2nd place.

A rarity, but Maine Root has(had?) a drink called "Pink Drink", a carbonated Prickly Pear Lemonade. I had it at the Austin City Limits festival. It was, without a doubt the most refreshing drink I've ever consumed. I usually drink mostly water (free) at the festival, but that year we spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $60-80 just on cups of Pink Drink because we couldn't get enough of it.
I really, really, REALLY wish they sold bottles of it, but as far as I can tell, it's only occasionally available and only as a fountain drink.

Sugar-free Canada Dry Ginger Ale.

Irn Bru or dandelion & burdock.

Huge soda fan so picking just one is super hard but I'd say:
Oronamin C or Sweet Blossom's Rose soda
Oronamin C is a Japanese soft drink with a taste that is often described as "drinking (American) Smarties". It's incredibly refreshing and delicious. Sweet Blossom is I think an eastern European beverage company and they make a rose flavored soda that is to die for. It has far and away my favorite quality of carbonation (very fine, soft bubbles).
Other honorable mentions include Ocean Bomb: Sailor Mercury (i.e. pear flavor), and as a big fan of cherry colas, Bawls Guarana Cherry Cola and Fentiman's Cherry Tree Cola.

Vernors

Bitter Lemon
- Tastes great, but too much sugar, even more than coke.
  
  Try Italian chinotto.

regularly drunk: go-to is rimarily Coke Zero because it's the easiest to find here and no empty calories.
special occasion: probably some variety of birch beer with ginger-ale being a close follow-up. On rare occasions, a very cold regular coke on a hot summer day (though not the US ones; last time I went back, both regular and diet had this really weird taste I don't remember being there before).

Moxie

Ale-8 for flavored sweet drink, sparkling mineral water for unsweetened.

I used to love both Vanilla and Cherry Coke, but I can't stand cola flavors (any brand) ever since I got covid last year. So it's been mostly the cream soda flavor Dr. Pepper if I drink soda at home.
- Damn, I didn't know that existed. I need to find me some cream soda Dr. Pepper. Hopefully they have it in my region.

Manhattan Special Espresso soda.
Made in Brooklyn. Two shots of espresso in carbonated form.

Calpis Soda

Perrier carbonated water
It's subtly bubble and has a very mild flavor

Topo chico for lyfe

Before COVID, Coca-Cola all the way. Not too sweet, and was often more consistent in cans and bottles.
Something happened after COVID, and it no longer tastes the same. I don't know if this was the effects of the illness, or a change in manufacturing.
... Right now, it's Dr. Pepper (or Cheerwine, if I can find it). Sharp bite, good flavor, doesn't really have an analog with other drinks. However, I can buy one bottle and it be perfect, and buy another bottle the next day and it be less carbonated than it needs to be, or too sweet and syrupy... And I can't ever tell why.

I prefer Pepsi over coke . But I really like jarritos pop other than the cola flavor . Also cream soda dr pepper is awesome.

Bawls, which is sadly getting harder and harder to find. And IBC Black Cherry
- IBC Black Cherry is awesome!

Barq's Red Creme soda
- Big Red/Blue creme soda
  
  I tried a big red recently and it just tasted off, like they changed the formula in the last 15-20 years, but was glad to see Barq's was just as I remembered.

Canada Dry ginger ale I guess, good chaser for the rare whiskies I don't like neat. Honorary mention for Pommac, but I have not had it probably 10+ years

The discontinued Hansen's Soda Lemon Mint Green Tea soda. I near bought the whole pallet when it showed up at an outlet grocery store over the course of a summer after college.
Fuck I sound old.

Green River... unless it's the Sprecher Red Apple but that's seasonal which makes me angry lol

Oronamin C or Sweet Blossom's Rose soda