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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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 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.
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
I'm from India, Thums Up is my absolute favourite. Always loved it over coke and pepsi. During the 90's we'd a drink called goldspot, that was an amazing soft drink. It's sad coca cola company instead of continuing goldspot, launched fanta here instead, which honestly is a watered down version of the classic goldspot.
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.
Personally a "softer" root beer is generally my go-to.
I used to really like Canadian mountain dew before they were able to sell US mountain dew here and abandoned the Canadian one. It was so much better without caffeine. But that's their whole gimmick. Except it sold totally fine in Canada without it.
Tonic has to be the best soft drink ever, once used to actually treat sickness now I can just have it with my cold brew or espresso everyday without the sugar high.
I'm partial to Vanilla Coke, IBC Root Beer and Barq's in a bottle. I had a bottle of Mystic River Root Beer years ago and it still is my favorite. Finally fresh sasparilla yum. Oh an Birch Beer of any kind. I don't really drink soft drinks often, but those are my favs.