2011: Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash 2011

While the product is the same, it looks like the label has had a slight update when compared to 2010. For example, Cranberry Splash no longer features a transparent label, this time going with the standard wrap used on most other soft drinks in 20 oz. bottles. Frankly, it's a downgrade.

Compare with 2010 label

A new callout for "Naturally Sweetened with Real Sugar" has been added above the logo, with more green coloring placed on the bottom to make it look more "Sierra Mist-like", I suppose.

Have you spotted the 2011 version of Cranberry Splash yet?

The new Cranberry Splash is part of the reboot of Sierra Mist into Sierra Mist Natural. While not taking on the "Natural" name, Cranberry Splash is now being positioned as "Naturally Sweetened" and "Made with Real Sugar", while assuming the branding and redesign of Sierra Mist Natural. The drink has seemingly been a success for Pepsi, noted by its return year after year. Even the folks at Dr Pepper Snapple Group have tried to get in on the "cherryish carbonated beverage that also works well as a mixer" game with Pomegranate 7Up, which has also returned seasonally.

Personally, I've never been a fan of the flavor of flagship Sierra Mist… but I absolutely love Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash. I wondered how the flavor would change with the shift in sweeteners from high fructose corn syrup to most likely a cane/beet sugar combination ("Real Sugar" is never really defined on the bottle, but this is what Pepsi confirms that they use in their Throwback products under the same branding).

Well, I'm not disappointed. If nothing else, I think the drink has actually improved. There is still that sweet, bitter flavor that you associate with cranberries. But to be honest, in the previous iterations of this drink, it was more like a "red, cherry-ish" flavor. The addition of sugar really helps that cranberry taste punch out! The flavor profile is far more distinctive now. Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash still has the uniquely "light" flavor that reminds me of one of my other holiday favorites, Schweppes Raspberry Ginger Ale.

It's clean, it's flavorful, it's good.

Ingredients:

Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash
Carbonated water, sugar, natural flavor, citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, potassium benzoate (preserves freshness), potassium citrate, Red 40, calcium disodium EDTA (to protect flavor), Blue 1

A 20 oz. bottle contains 260 calories, 60 mg of sodium, and 67 g of carbs (67 g sugars). This drink is caffeine free and contains no juice.

(Source: GillettePepsiCola.com)

As far as Diet Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash is concerned, it's still available. Additionally, Walton Beverage Co's distributor website notes that "Diet Sierra Mist and Diet Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash will be restaged with great new graphics but will not be converting to Natural until 2011."

One of our favorite seasonal flavors returns for a 4th installment during the holidays, as Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash is once again available for a limited time.

2009: Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash

This drink was first introduced in 2006, returned in 2007 with a diet version, and both drinks came back in 2008.

2009: Diet Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash

For 2009, the formula is the same, but the look is dramatically different. It took a little while for Pepsi's controversial logo redesigns to hit Cranberry Splash, but they are in full effect this year.

2006-08: Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash

Contrast the new look with the design we've seen from 2006-2008. You'll also note a name change on the diet installment from "Sierra Mist Free Cranberry Splash" to the more normal "Diet Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash" — apparently, "Free" is dead.

In any case, as we noted in our review, this is a Sierra Mist flavor that is actually good… so don't miss it!

Returning for the third straight holiday season, PepsiCo's Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash is once again available for a limited time.

Introduced in 2006 and brought back in 2007 with a diet version, Cranberry Splash has been a solid performer for the franchise… and frankly, it doesn't taste half bad either!

This product is actually made by Dr Pepper/Seven Up, which was purchased by Cadbury Schweppes along with Mott's and Snapple, to become Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages, which was merged with the larger conglomerate a few years ago, only to be demerged this year while the parent company focuses on their confectionery business without the distraction of soft drinks. Thus, it will now belong to the new Dr Pepper Snapple group of the company, going public as a standalone unit in 2008. Confused yet? It gets worse. My 2-liter of Canada Dry Cranberry Ginger Ale was actually bottled by Coke. Crazy!

While this flavor is available year-round in some sections of the country, it tends to make seasonal appearances around the holidays, predating other "light" Christmas flavors like Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash and Pomegranate 7Up. I had read that this particular flavor was rather good and was fortunate to find it stocked here in the Chicago area.

I must confess that my personal favorite as far as flavored ginger ales is Schweppes Raspberry Ginger Ale, so I was curious how this cranberry version would stack up. The packaging is attractive, dominated by Canada Dry's green color scheme, complete with their famed shield. There's a pink tint to the graphics to denote the cranberry color.

Speaking of color, the drink itself is far more red than pink, especially when compared to other competitors in this area. I found this to be rather enticing. I mean, who really wants to drink a pink beverage? The scent that emanates from the bottle is distinctly ginger ale, with just a hint of berryness. So far, so good.

As for the flavor, there's no mistaking the ginger ale roots here, but then you are pleasantly greeted by a distinctive influx of cranberry. It really does taste like someone mixed ginger ale and cranberry juice. Unlike the rather sweet tastes found with Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash, Pomegranate 7Up, and even Schweppes Raspberry Ginger Ale, there's a muted flavor here. It's uniquely different, which we liked quite a bit. Something that stands on its own quite well, but could also be easily partaken with a meal or as part of a mixer. There's a very good base drink here.

The bottle notes that it contains less than 1% juice (which based on the ingredients, consists of "concentrated cranberry juice"). That same listing also notes that this drink is sweetened by your friend and mine (not!), high fructose corn syrup.

Overall, we liked Canada Dry Cranberry Ginger Ale quite a bit. It's a light, caffeine-free soda that distinctly separates itself from similar products. Highly recommended!

Last fall/winter, PepsiCo rolled out a very tasty line extension to Sierra Mist called Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash. It basically was a berry version of Sierra Mist that I thought actually tasted better than the flagship.

At the time, due to the positioning, I felt that the drink was perhaps ready for year-round rollout. My comments:

What's interesting is that in all the marketing, this drink is pitched as a limited time thing. However, unlike other seasonal flavors previously offered by Pepsi (such as Pepsi Holiday Spice, the first-run of Mountain Dew LiveWire, Mountain Dew Pitch Black, and Mountain Dew Pitch Black II), Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash has no reference to "limited time" or "limited edition" on the actual labeling. In fact, there's no "holiday" element at all on the package. One wonders if Pepsi has plans for this drink beyond the holidays.

Well, Cranberry Splash wasn't rolled out as a fulltime line extension, but it is making a return in 2007!

It's now being mentioned by various beverage insiders that Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash will be returning for the holidays… along with a diet version, Sierra Mist Free Cranberry Splash. Keep your eyes open!

Back in May, Pepsi announced many new beverages in their lineup. These included Diet Pepsi Jazz Black Cherry French Vanilla and Diet Pepsi Jazz Strawberries & Cream, along with a new holiday entry: Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash.

While I continue to mourn the disappearance of 2004's Pepsi Holiday Spice (a personal favorite), I applaud Pepsi for again trying something in the "mainstream flavor with a seasonal modification" category. The packaging of the drink defines this as "lemon-lime soda with a splash of cranberry," though it should be noted that Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash contains no actual juice.

Personally, I've never been a big fan of Sierra Mist. I have always felt that Pepsi's previous lemon-lime drink, Slice, was superior in flavor. (Sierra Mist Free is even worse). As too much caffeine tends to keep me up at night, I've always on the lookout for a good caffeine free beverage when given the opportunity to have a soft drink. Typically, the leaves you with Sprite (blah, expect for the 3 Remix flavors — Tropical, Berryclear, and Aruba Jam — no longer available), 7Up (which was good until they ruined it), or some other non-cola option (which tends to be rare). If given the option, my favorite caffeine free drink is Schweppes Raspberry Ginger Ale, which you typically can only find in 2-liter bottles. All that to say that I was very interested in seeing what Cranberry Splash tasted like, but I was skeptical due to the Sierra Mist base.

So, my thoughts? Overall, I'm impressed.

The coloring of the drink is pretty much what you'd expect to find with a cherry beverage, such as you'd see with 7Up Plus Cherry, Cherry 7Up, Fanta Strawberry, or ever something like Door County Cherry Cider Cooler. It's a light red, typical of a non-cola derivative. Cranberry Splash is packaged in the same type of bottle that is used for both Pepsi and Sierra Mist. Upon opening the bottle, a pleasant aroma awaits you, similar to what you may encounter with a fresh batch of Kool-Aid. It's strong, but relaxing.

The flavor itself has some bitterness, which I would tend to associate with the cranberry flavor. It was better than Jones Soda's Halloween 2006 entry, Creepy Cranberry Soda. The drink starts out well, with a cherry flavor, with the aftertaste sharing a more pronounced cranberry/lemon-lime combination. Overall, the drink feels "light", and really did remind me quite a bit of Schweppes Raspberry Ginger Ale. Heck, I think I liked this drink better than normal Sierra Mist, which is saying a lot. I would imagine that this probably would go well with food, or more likely, probably a good mixer for alcoholic beverage drinking folks.

I'd recommend trying Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash. What's interesting is that in all the marketing, this drink is pitched as a limited time thing. However, unlike other seasonal flavors previously offered by Pepsi (such as Pepsi Holiday Spice, the first-run of Mountain Dew LiveWire, Mountain Dew Pitch Black, and Mountain Dew Pitch Black II), Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash has no reference to "limited time" or "limited edition" on the actual labeling. In fact, there's no "holiday" element at all on the package. One wonders if Pepsi has plans for this drink beyond the holidays.

Finally, should you hop over to the Sierra Mist official website, you'll find that they have built a small section for Cranberry Splash, including drink recipes you can make with the beverage in downloadable PDF format. Given that these probably won't be online forever, I've included the PDF here (see if you can find Pepsi's typo!), as well as provided the recipes below. You can chuckle at the fact that they all include Pepsi-owned products. Enjoy!

Cranberry Recipes

Created by those little red scamps the Cranberry Elves, these cranberry recipes are sure to become holiday favorites. You could say we're "juicing up" you holidays. But we wouldn't recommend it.

Cranberry Vanilla Smoothee
12 oz. Sierra Mist® Cranberry Splash™, 3 cups ice, 2 tbsp vanilla ice cream, 2 tbsp vanilla yogurt, splash of white cranberry juice – mix in blender. Makes 3 servings

Cranberry Energy Spritzer
3 parts Sierra Mist® Cranberry Splash™, 1 part Tropicana® Orange Juice, 1 part SoBe® A-Rush

Holiday Breeze
1 part Sierra Mist® Cranberry Splash™, 4 parts Tropicana® Orange Juice

Cran-Cherry Punch
Sierra Mist® Cranberry Splash™, splash of grenadine, splash of cranberry juice

Cranberry Sparkler
3 parts Sierra Mist® Cranberry Splash™, 2 parts Dole® Sparklers™ Pomegranate/Blueberry

When I first saw this flavor, I immediately thought of the Cranberry Soda that was part of the 2005 National Holiday Pack. That beverage was sweetened with sucralose and did not taste very good.

Here's what we wrote at the time we reviewed that original Cranberry flavor:

The color was a non-offensive dark red. The scent was fresh and berry-like. Even the cover art was redemptive with two illuminated reindeer standing there in the dark. Could it really be as bad as the others?

Jones Cranberry Soda
(National Holiday Pack 2005)

The predominant theme was that it tasted like cough syrup, specifically Robitussin. Amy didn't have good memories of that as a kid. She told me that she often would chase her cough medicine with a Hershey's Kiss to cover up the bad aftertaste. So needless to say, this flavor of Jones Soda was not going to be a winner with her.

Shortly after testing the holiday version of Cranberry we mixed all the flavors together and tried that. Not a good idea.

Thankfully, the Halloween version of this flavor, here called "Creepy Cranberry", was nothing like our previous experience. It helped that this was sweetened with high fructose corn syrup.

The scent was very berry-like, but you could tell there was a whiff of fakeness there. And then we finally drank… and didn't mind it that much.

We expected something pretty bad, but actually this was a rather tame drink. Perhaps too tame. Amy mentioned that it really lacked the tartness one would associate with a cranberry-flavored beverage. Overall, it was just bland tasting.

This drink was not as good as the previously sampled bottle of Lemon Drop Dead Soda. When stacked up against the canned flavors, it was better than Spider Cider and Candy Corn, but not even close to the goodness found in Berried Alive and Gruesome Grape.

As I mentioned in my Lemon Drop Dead review, it would seem that the bottled Halloween beverages are destined to be used as alcoholic mixers. The blandness, but unique flavor of Creepy Cranberry seems to support that theory.

Not great, but won't make you vomit.

Dole Sparklers to Hit Shelves in October – Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash Available for the Holidays

PURCHASE, N.Y. – May 18, 2006 – Pepsi-Cola North America today announced two new additions to its expanding beverage portfolio – Dole Sparklers and Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash. Dole Sparklers, an entirely new line of sparkling juice drinks, launches this fall in four unique flavors. Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash, a limited-time flavor extension available exclusively this holiday season, launches in November.

Dole Sparklers
Dole Sparklers, an invigorating, low-sugar sparkling juice, is made with real fruit, B-complex vitamins and 50% less sugar and calories than a regular juice drink. The light, refreshing beverage comes in four flavors: pomegranate blueberry, orange tangerine, cranberry raspberry and pink grapefruit. Available in a single-serve, 16.9-oz proprietary plastic bottle with a distinctive "bubble" design embossed into the packaging, the product launches in October.

Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash
Sierra Mist is launching its first limited-time-only offering with Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash, the crisp lemon-lime soft drink flavored with a hint of cranberry. Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash will be available for eight weeks, beginning in November, in packaging that will reflect the spirit of the holiday season. Supported with national television and radio advertising, Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash will be available in 20-oz. and two-liter bottles as well as 12-packs of 12-oz. cans.

"We're constantly examining our product pipeline to develop innovations that will satisfy the unmet needs of our consumers," said Meena Mansharamani, senior vice president of innovation and insights, Pepsi-Cola North America. "With the introduction of Dole Sparklers, we're providing a light, invigorating sparkling juice that's low in sugar and calories, but indulgent on taste. Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash is the ideal beverage for the holiday season, when consumers tend to seek more variety. From its crisp, unique flavor right down to its festive graphics, it will make its way to the top of plenty holiday shopping lists this year."

Pepsi-Cola North America also plans summer launches of Jazz, from Diet Pepsi, and Ben & Jerry's Milkshakes. Jazz, a new low-calorie cola, comes in two indulgent flavors: Black Cherry French Vanilla and Strawberries & Crème. Rich, indulgent Ben & Jerry's Milkshakes will be available in classic Ben & Jerry's flavors that consumers know and love.

The color was a non-offensive dark red. The scent was fresh and berry-like. Even the cover art was redemptive with two illuminated reindeer standing there in the dark. Could it really be as bad as the others?

For this flavor, Amy actually stepped in and gave it a try. She had chickened out of most of the other Jones Soda adventures, primarily because she didn't like artificial sweeteners (or didn't want to vomit). So she drank a sip:

The predominant theme was that it tasted like cough syrup, specifically Robitussin. Amy didn't have good memories of that as a kid. She told me that she often would chase her cough medicine with a Hershey's Kiss to cover up the bad aftertaste. So needless to say, this flavor of Jones Soda was not going to be a winner with her.

After trying Jones Cranberry Soda, we realized that we had now tasted all 10 flavors found in the various collections. From the National Holiday Pack, we endured Turkey & Gravy, Brussels Sprout, Cranberry, Wild Herb Stuffing, and Pumpkin Pie. Adding the Regional Holiday Pack into the mix, we had the bonus benefit of a repeat Turkey & Gravy, Broccoli Casserole, Smoked Salmon Paté, Corn On The Cob, and Pecan Pie.

What do you do when you have all these flavors in the same room? Well my good friend John thought we should mix them all together and try that experience! Unbelievably, I agreed to do this with him. The mixed drink didn't look too bad sitting in our Dixie Cups. It smelled pretty much like maple syrup as well, so obviously that Pecan Pie flavor was dominating over the others. But what happened when we attempted to drink this concoction?

Needless to say, this was a bad idea. In any case, I hope you enjoyed our look at the various Jones Soda holiday flavors!