PS: One of my favorite details of the image posted by
Beaudry:
Here is a vintage Nesbitt's sign almost identical to the one in the above photo:
LINK
I used to drink a lot of orange soda when I was a kid, and Nesbitt's was my favorite. My family would take vacations in our car, and I used to buy Nesbitt's from those old soda machines where you would grab the bottle by its top and pull it from the machine (remember those?). Those machines used to be everywhere, in front of hotels, liquor stores, etc.
You can still buy Nesbitt's today:
LINK
Sadly, the company that produces them does not duplicate the cool and unique vintage bottles:
LINK
Here is a
Nesbitt's promotional video from the 1940s, featuring vintage footage of Union Station, Olvera St, Downtown, and the La Brea Tar Pits:
https://archive.org/details/75634BehindTheScenes
They sure make orange-picking look like a lot of fun! Is this really what citrus farmers look like?! I need to find me a citrus orchard, pronto!
Another favorite of mine is NuGrape grape soda:
LINK
Again, the vintage bottle design is not used:
LINK
Here is a 1926 promotional jingle for NuGrape:
https://archive.org/details/Nugrape
Before anyone starts thinking “Vintage
sodas? This guy might be the most pretentious person in the world!”, allow me to point out that I
hate the aftertaste of HFCS (high fructose corn syrup), so I refuse to drink sodas that contain it (which means
every soda available at the supermarket). I like my sodas with real cane sugar, just like in the old days. Sooo much better tasting.
For people in the LA area, my highest recommendation goes to
Galco's Soda Pop Stop, located in Highland Park. They specialize in vintage sodas (nearly all of them HFCS-free), unique imported liquors, vintage-style candy, even some old-fashioned toys! They apparently do mail order as well.
I try to go easy on my sugar consumption, but every few months I will go to Galco's and treat myself.