REVIEW: Limited Edition Dr Pepper Vanilla Float

Limited Edition Dr Pepper Vanilla Float

Hello, everyone. I’m very sorry I was gone for so long, but it’s good to be back!

If summer could talk, that’s what I imagine it saying, anyway. It was a brutally cold winter that also lasted roughly 11 years for large portions of the U.S., so the warm weather we’ve all been experiencing these last few weeks is more than welcome for you and I, but even more so for marketers.

Every summer you know to expect the lawn care and iced beverage ads, and car dealerships start pointing out your inalienable right to independently choose whatever Nissan you’d like for no money down at signing your John Hancock, at prices that are practically free(dom).

Be that as it may, the colder it is, the less you feel like standing outside in your parka to grill up some elk and watch the kids break icicles off the sprinkler. So you can bet that like every food company but Swiss Miss, Dr Pepper was glad to see Frozen finally exit theaters and our lawns simultaneously. In fact, they’re SO excited they’ve released a limited edition variety of their famous product: Dr Pepper Vanilla Float.

Limited Edition Dr Pepper Vanilla Float Closeup

As is no doubt obvious from the pictures, the can basically IS summer. You got your sunglasses, flip-flops, grill tools, surfboard, fireworks, plus an Uncle Sam hat because this soda wants YOU to drink it. Don’t like it? Eff off, this is ‘Murica. There’s also some backstroke flags to remind you of when you forgot how many strokes it is to the wall and slammed into it headfirst. Or maybe that was just me, but luckily there were no long-term side elephants.

I actually haven’t had a Dr Pepper since about high school, either five years ago in my mind or sixteen by the calendar. Never drank it after that because it tasted too much like Cherry Coke, but I was eager to revisit it for this review. Popping open the tab wafts up a hint of vanilla and cherry — the smell isn’t overpowering or unpleasant, but it’s certainly noticeable… though, it must be said, far more cherry than vanilla.

And unfortunately, that carries over to the taste as well. Oh, it tastes like Dr Pepper — granting I haven’t sampled the good doctor since Bill Clinton’s first term, but this is exactly how I remember it tasting. And, well, that’s the problem, because I believe there was some mention of vanilla? You certainly wouldn’t know it from a casual swig. Or a concentrated one, for that matter. It tastes fine (assuming you like regular Dr Pepper), but that’s all you’re getting.

But hey, maybe I’m just an outlier. In the interest of journalistic integrity I drafted my wife to try a can. She reported thinking she smelled and tasted a liiiittle bit of vanilla, but very mild. Whether there’s a slight “Emperor’s New Clothes” syndrome going on there is for you to decide, but we both agreed that by no means is there enough vanilla taste in this soda to justify its name. “A batch of Dr Pepper we accidentally spilled a bottle of vanilla extract into,” maybe, but certainly not “Vanilla Float.”

Unfortunately there’s not much else to say: you should buy this soda if you like Dr Pepper, but don’t go in expecting any kind of radically different experience. Unlike Vanilla Coke, where there was no mistaking it for a can of the original, I could easily see someone being served this in a cup and not even realizing it isn’t the regular stuff. As is, the can is more interesting than its contents; and if you want a Dr Pepper Vanilla Float, be sure to have some ice cream on hand.

(Nutrition Facts – 12 ounces – 160 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 55 milligrams of sodium, 43 grams of total carbohydrates, 41 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.)

Item: Limited Edition Dr Pepper Vanilla Float
Purchased Price: $4.99
Size: 12-pack
Purchased at: Acme
Rating: 4 out of 10
Pros: It is a pretty fun can, as… soda cans go, I guess. Didn’t cost a ton. My wife has a new beverage to enjoy for the next couple weeks. If you like regular Dr Pepper (or Cherry Coke), you’re in luck!
Cons: Could’ve just said “We wanted an excuse to use these cool cans our design guys came up with, but all our batches were already made.” Vanilla really would’ve helped cut that strong fruit flavor. The idea that it’s called Dr Pepper because it was originally marketed as a laxative is, sadly, just an urban legend. Revisiting high school relationships is never very satisfying (er, so I’ve heard).

31 thoughts to “REVIEW: Limited Edition Dr Pepper Vanilla Float”

  1. Just picked some of this up yesterday. I was excited to try this but like you said it was kind of a bummer. It tastes like Dr. Pepper but I can tell the vanilla flavor is there. Just not a lot of it. Also, I’ll mention it sort of has a flat taste to it. I’ll drink what I have but I probably won’t go crazy and buy several 12 packs like I did the Baja MTN DEW.

  2. Giving a review of a Dr. Pepper product to someone that does not like Dr. Pepper? Why would you do that?

  3. To be fair, the low score had nothing to do with it tasting like Dr Pepper, and everything to do with it NOT tasting at all like vanilla. The exact same drink would’ve received a much higher score if the can said just regular ol’ Dr Pepper. I’d never give something a negative rating just because it tastes like exactly what it’s supposed to taste like. 😉

    Thanks for reading!

    1. Well I don’t know what you were drinking. It’s not a 10/10 but it’s more than just an excuse for a cool new can.

  4. I finally tried this, and I was let down. It basically tastes like regular Dr. Pepper. I was expecting a stronger vanilla flavor.

  5. It’s true the vanilla flavor doesn’t blow you away on the first taste, but I have to say that this flavor REALLY grew on me and I can really taste the difference from regular Dr Pepper. I’m at the end of a 12 pack I got while traveling and I’m scrambling to find more. I am a Dr Pepper addict and I’m ready to switch to Vanilla Float permanently!

    I even tried adding some Vanilla extract to normal Dr Pepper. Perhaps I used too much, but it didn’t work out at all.

  6. I just absolutely love it….Dr Pepper is truely one of a kind n has been my favorite for 35yrs since i was a kid….I went to walmart n bought the entire display to last yr 12 packs….i hate it when something new comes out, it tastes so good and then they get rid of it. I have always had vanilla Dr Pepper by using ice cream or having that Manila squirt in it cuz it just makes it that good. I think they just need a little bit more hint of vanilla in it and it would be perfect just like on vanilla coke needs just a little more shot of vanilla. I would give it a strong 4.5 out of 5 from a true Dr Pepper Fan and I even buys all the shirts I can of Dr Pepper and toured the factory in Waco Texas

  7. I give it a 9 cause if it was in a glass bottle it would get a 10. It has to be ice cold and it tastes like a Dr Pepper ice cream soda. Imagine vanilla ice cream floating in your Dr Pepper and you are slurping it down with a straw…delicious!

  8. Are you guys just stupid or do you not have taste buds cuz this is the best tasting soda out there. I just wish it was a year round thing. IDIOTS

  9. Any Dr. Pepper fan can tell the difference. It doesn’t have a strong vanilla flavor but I love it and wish they would make it year round. I really miss the Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper and wish they would bring that back also. It’s a shame that they put something out that we love and then snatch it away to never be tasted again!

  10. I called the 800 number on the can and requested they keep making it. They wrote my name and zip code down so perhaps it could have an effect if enough call. 🙂

        1. Thanks. I will call them tomorrow. I hate when they come out with a good drink and then not continue it. I had this great Napa Valley one time called vanilla cream soda and it was the best I had tasted and they stopped making it. I bought a hundred bottles before they were all gone

  11. Fuck dr. Pepper and this vanilla shit vanilla coke is the shit but its all about Pepsi anyone remember pepsi blue that was the shit

    1. F what ur talking about…Dr Pepper is the best hands down and with a touch of Vanilla just puts the icing on the flavor…get off the page talking like that punk

  12. When will you be bringing Dr. Pepper vanilla Float out again it was the best pop I have ever had. I miss it very much.

    1. Yes they have got to start producing this Vanilla Float Dr. Pepper…it is sooo good I cant believe they have not brought it back out yet! I bought 12 cases and still have a few left because I knew they wouldn’t bring it back out right away which has been a mistake on their part. I really hope they bring this back for good not just a fourth of July summertime thing like last year

  13. I got something close by mixing a little bit of Cream Soda with Dr Pepper, but it wasn’t quite the same. (Generic Cream Soda worked better than something like Steward’s because it had less bite.)

    I stockpiled a bit, but I’m down to 3 cans. Not sure what I’m gonna do if they don’t bring it back!!!

  14. I live in East Brunswick, New Jersey, 08816 and shop at the Spotswood ShopRite. I would like to know when you will being “Dr Pepper Vanilla Float” and Dr Pepper Cherry Vanilla” back to this store. I love both flavors.

      1. It’s TRUE!!!!! It’s back! My wife got me 8 cases at a Giant in Southampton, PA. Left 1 case. Summer is saved!

  15. I am the person you may be looking for! I don’t drink Dr. Pepper daily, but have been drinking it since 1960 when it was bottle and the slogan was drink it anytime of day, 10 2 or 4. So what did I think, well lets make sure you know how I prepared it for our family on Independence day. Like a float, I add homemade whipped cream, and it was awesome! Who drinks a float without ice cream or whipped cream? We don’t. So almost everyone loved it. Except of course the Pepsi or Coke lovers. We are a Texas family and have always supported anything made in our country (Texas that is). I am looking for it online to purchase more, we loved it that much. We have many family gatherings and everyone requested it be at all our family get together’s.

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