Mountain Dew
[related: Mountain Dew Code Red, Code Red Virus]
Highly caffeinated citrus flavored soft drink invented by the Tennessee bottlers Barney and Ally Hartman in 1940. The name "Mountain Dew" was Scottish slang for moonshine, and the beverage was originally developed to cut or compliment the bite of illegally distilled grain alcohol. Upon purchase by the Pepsico company in 1964, Mountain Dew became the first soda to include lab-developed chemical compounds, including Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (or EDTA), an aminopolycarboxylic acid used mainly to bind metal ions, yellow lake #5, a dye linked to an increase in ADHD-like behaviors and reduction of testicle size in children, and brominated vegetable oil, an emulsifier later banned throughout Europe and Asia. The beverage played a pivotal role in the Pepsi vs. Coke Cola Wars of the 1980's: in response to Sprite's repackaging as a "natural" product with pure ingredients, Pepsi launched the highly successful contrarian Do the Dew campaign, linking the soda to skateboarding, BMX bike riding, and an overall "play hard, party hard" lifestyle. The subsequent consumption spike led to increased rates of teenage alcohol poisoning and a rash of "Mountain Dew Mouth", a minor crisis in the world of dentistry marked by rapid tooth decay and pungent oral odor [1]. In the twilight of the Cola Wars , Mountain Dew introduced its first variant: Code Red [2]. The drink was criticized as having a flavor identical to the original, due to the simple swapping of yellow lake #5 with Allura Red AC or red #40, and failed to achieve significant market share.
- ↑ A phenomenon retroactively attributed in part to the spread of crystal meth use throughout rural Appalachia - ironically, a chemical substance often produced in small batches via the "Shake and Bake" method using empty Mountain Dew bottles.
- ↑ A name now predominantly associated with the Filipino computer worm Code Red, a Microsoft-targeting, large-scale mixed threat attack (the first of its kind) discovered by the eEye Digital Security employee Riley Hassell while pulling a Mountain Dew-assisted, 24-hr code busting bender.