Archive for the ‘Dish’ Category

Photos by Brantley Hargrove​I guess it's just plain dumb luck that I happened to be drifting through tiny Dublin (population 4,000) on the one day a month delicious Dublin Dr Pepper is bottled. Now, for the uninitiated, Dublin Dr Pepper distinguishes itself from its Plano-based brethren in one key respect: It's made with Imperial Pure Cane Sugar, not high-fructose corn syrup. I had no choice but to pull over and grab a sixer of The Real Thing. Then, when I found out they were bottling, I had to take a tour, of course.

Via.​Back to the Dr Pepper-on-Dr Pepper lawsuit ...Early this morning we posted Dublin Dr Pepper's response to the lawsuit filed in June by Plano-based Dr Pepper Snapple Group, which is trying to limit Dublin's real-deal Imperial Sugar-spiked soda pop to a six-county area and alleges the oldest Dr Pepper bottler in the country is in violation of its licensing agreement with corporate. Steve Wolens, former state rep and Mr. Laura Miller, wrote a pretty lovely brief in defense of Dublin -- quite the history-of -- full of endorsements from none other than Dr Pepper honcos, chief among 'em chief executive officer Larry Young, who once told Lee Cullum on the teevee that "nothing tastes better than a Dublin Dr Pepper when it is ice cold," a sentiment with which I heartily agree.Anyway. A little while ago, Chris Barnes, the manager of corporate affairs up at Dr Pepper HQ on Legacy Drive, sent us corporate's response to Wolens's response to the lawsuit filed in June. The headline: "Dr Pepper Snapple Group to Dublin Bottler: Honor the Agreement You Signed." It's after the jump. So too is the release that was sent out this morning from the Dublin Dr Pepper legal team after we posted Wolens's response and the accompanying exhibits. Seriously, I need a Dublin Dr Pepper, stat. Anyone? No? Damn it.

It probably doesn't help Dr Pepper's case that CEO Larry Young went on KERA's CEO in '09 with a Dublin sixer and touted it as "the original Dr Pepper formula with the Imperial sugar in it" with an "unbelievable" following.​Back in June, you no doubt recall, Plano-based Dr Pepper/Seven Up Inc. decided, for whatever reason, to sue Dublin Dr Pepper, which makes the only soda worth drinking -- original-formula Imperial Pure Cane Sugar Dr Pepper. Corporate HQ claims in court docs that Dublin Dr Pepper, which ships all over the country and is widely available throughout Texas, is violating terms of a licensing agreement that confines its sale to just six counties: Comanche, Eastland, Erath, Hood, Hamilton and Bosque.This, despite the fact that Dr Pepper officials have for years acknowledged publicly their love for Dublin Dr Pepper and even promoted it to curious customers by providing them with its website. Corporate's also called it a "a good partner" whose very existence only "fuels the passion of Dr Pepper fans." Then there's this episode of KERA's CEO from November 2009, in which Dr Pepper Snapple Group President and CEO Larry Young tells Lee Cullum, "There's nothing tastes better than a Dublin Dr Pepper when it is ice cold." And, why, there just so happens to be a six-pack of it right there. ​All that and more is mentioned in Dublin Dr Pepper's response filed yesterday in federal court by none other than McKool Smith's Steve Wolens, the former state rep and quite the Dr Pepper historian, at least based upon the terrifically written and wonderfully illustrated filing that spills the history of Dublin Dr Pepper, from the time Charles Alderton invented the beverage in 1885 up till the moment Corporate HQ turned on the wellspring to the south.For years, the response says, theirs was a close, symbiotic relationship. Until it wasn't. Says the doc that follows, when corporate began selling its cane-sugar anniversary Pepper products last year, it began ripping off the Dublin's designs long used for its cans -- and, of course, began using something close to the original recipe. Writes Wolens, that's when things changed:In short, Corporate Dr Pepper has attempted to reap the benefit of Dublin Dr Pepper's hard work over the past several decades. More importantly, and given Corporate Dr Pepper's recent foray into making Dr Pepper with sugar (albeit a blended beet sugar), it is apparent that this suit was not brought to protect the public (who is not confused about anything Dublin Dr Pepper has done) or independent bottlers. Rather, it is likely that Corporate Dr Pepper simply wants to eliminate Dublin Dr Pepper from, or severally limit its ability to be in the market for Dr Pepper made with sugar, a market that Dublin Dr Pepper has created and maintained for the past several decades.Wolens says Dublin hasn't broken any licensing agreement -- far from it. All this suit's about, he insists, is trying to drive a Texas institution out of business, which "is not in the public interest." So jump -- there's a lot to read on the other side, including not only the history of Dr Pepper but myriad letters (including notes of congratulations and even one of condolences sent in '46) and magazine articles and bottle designs -- enough to make you want a Dublin Dr Pepper. Right now.

No pot references here, no sir.​"You're going to eat that now?" the guy at the head shop asked. He looked worried. "That's not a good idea. I don't take 'em in the daytime. It renders me non-functional."Well, shit. It was Friday afternoon, and I was about to drug my co-workers.A little background, though, before we get to the co-worker-drugging. Last week, the FDA warned HBB LLC, a Memphis company that makes a melatonin-laced brownie called "Lazy Larry," that the government may seize them from stores. Apparently Big Government is worried about those pesky "potential reproductive, cardiovascular, ocular and neurological side effects" that the FDA says medical research has linked to using melatonin as an ingredient in food.