What began as a creative marketing campaign to increase Dr Pepper sales during the winter months ended as…a creative marketing campaign. From what I can tell, Hot Dr Pepper never really took off despite the star power of Dick Clark and a fancy glass serving set. I’ve experimented so much with Dr Pepper this year and it would be a shame if I didn’t put this concept to the test.
The recipe is extremely simple. Here are the ingredients:
- Dr Pepper
- Thin slice of lemon
Step 1, heat the Dr Pepper to 180 degrees (or whatever your preferred hot beverage temperature is). Step 2, pour over a thin slice of lemon. Step 3, enjoy. Or not. After trying this, I don’t think that it’s for everyone.
As a very open and public Dr Pepper fan, I liked this more than I thought I would. It smelled like a strong mulled cider, and the heated lemon reminded me of an herbal tea. The flavor of Dr Pepper does carry through, but the lack of carbonation is temporarily off-putting. This is probably just mental conditioning through many years of drinking Dr Pepper. You have to break that association to enjoy this for what it is. As I dug in further I appreciated the fruity notes of Dr Pepper and the bright aromatic lemon. There are much worse things you could drink in the middle of a Seattle December. The only real complaint I have is that without the carbonation the Dr Pepper tastes, or feels, extra syrupy on the palate.
Would I make this again? Probably not. I’d rather drink tea if I want something warm and nuanced. Fun experiment, though.
Sodafry 
in the mid-1960s they used to serve hot Dr. Pepper with a slice of lemon just as you suggested at the Cotton bowl during Dallas cowboy games, the vendors had a backpack type tank that was filled with hot Dr pepper and a hose that they filled your cup. It was so good at a cold football game.
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That’s fascinating! Thank you so much for sharing.
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