I’ve always thought Dr. Pepper tasted medicinal - I remember them advertising a number of years ago during the winter months to try Dr. Pepper heated up. Tasted like warm medicine.
I also remember the rumors that Dr. Pepper is prune juice - so “us” kid wouldn’t touch the stuff.
It’s an acquired taste.
I’ve loved it ever since I was a kid.
Before I drank Dr. Pepper, I’d drink ‘Double Cola’, a regional brand in The South.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Cola_Company
They used to put small aluminum disks under the cork in some of the bottle caps that had a value from 5 cents to a dollar as an incentive to buy their product........................
It started out as a cough syrup