Just when you thought that highly caffeinated and high sugar sodas were becoming a thing of the past, Jolt Cola is making its return, September 2017.
For the La Croix, R.C. Cola, Cheerwine, Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper, and other niche-loving "fizzy beverage" fans and consumers out there, beware. Touting itself as "The Original American Energy Drink," Jolt Cola—that highly caffeinated and high sugar soda introduced in the mid-1980s—is making a return to the U.S. markets in September of this year.
Now, for those who may enjoy the "fruit essence," cherry flavor, or unique tastes of particular fizzy drinks, Jolt Cola may not be a suitable object of your beverage consuming affection. This news is for all those people (like myself) who made their parents raise eyebrows or cringe in the mid-1980s, knowing that their child was consuming two times the caffeine and all the sugar that could be packed into an eight-ounce can. And this was before dinner time (and right after the day's schoolwork had been done, mind you) that Jolt got downed with a few trepidatious sips to start after cracking the can open.
Courtesy of NJI Media
Sure, as a kid during the Atari 2600, Atari 7800 and Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) 8-bit game-playing days (I'm a Late Gen-Xer), fellow neighborhood chums and school kids alike would drop their jaws in downright awe at the mention of the fact that a six-pack of the sugary liquid rocket fuel would be downed in less than a few hours. Or that we were able to get our hands on something that contemptuous from the parental figures.
It was a real treat, the rare times it was allowed. I have to admit, there was a short time during my freshman year in high school when people getting their hands on Jolt Cola was a sign of being a rare or fringe member of the sugar soda drinking sect. It was quite a novelty to drink it ... But, I digress.
Alas, for those looking to find Jolt Cola in your large supermarket chains like the '80s and early '90s days of yore, we hate to disappoint you. It will only be sold in Dollar General stores, $1 per can, according to reports. There are many Dollar General stores in the state of Maryland and Virginia, so finding them this month should not be much of a concern. It really boils down to whether or not one needs the sugar and the caffeine, or the recollections of '80s youthfulness and that once, carefree life.
What is your favorite, highly caffeinated or high sugar-content-laden beverage of choice? Do you remember the Jolt Cola drinking days? Will you be buying Jolt Cola when it returns in September? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
