BevReview.com

After a long line of failed spinoffs of the famed Dr Pepper brand, including Red Fusion and Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper, I think the folks at Cadbury Schweppes might finally have some traction with Dr Pepper Berries & Cream.

Announced in Fall 2005 as "Dr Pepper Creame", Dr Pepper Berries & Cream is the second extension of the "Fountain Classics" line (first started with Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper). I really liked the branding and labeling on this drink. The oval-shaped Dr Pepper logo harkens back to an older iteration of the beverage logo. The font and reference to the drink's inception date create a nice historical context as well. Contrast the look of this label with that of last year's Cherry Vanilla flavor.

The drink itself is standard Dr Pepper color, however it has a slight hint of grape. I guess that's supposed to be raspberry, but it's all pretty much the same anyway. It tastes pretty good. It's basically Dr Pepper with a hint of vanilla… Something like creme soda. Add to that a very complimentary berry flavor and you've got a nice drink. Amy and I found that the berry flavor was actually more prevalent when the drink wasn't super cold… just normally cold, if that makes any sense. When it was really cold, the flavor seemed to disappear.

Overall, I think this is a solid brand extension for Dr Pepper. Obviously, given that Diet Dr. Pepper outsells the namesake, the makers are probably hoping for a huge influx of diet fans to give this drink a try. I really hope it does pretty well. It's a nice contrast to the same old stuff put out by Coke and Pepsi.