‘I’ll have a coke – no, not Coca-Cola, Sprite.’ Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesValerie M. Fridland, University of Nevada, Reno With burgers sizzling and classic rock thumping, many Americans revel in summer cookouts – at least until that wayward cousin asks for a “pop” in soda country, or even worse, a “coke” when they actually want a Sprite. Few American linguistic debates have bubbled quite as long and effervescently as the one over whether a generic soft drink should be called a soda, pop or coke. The word you use generally boils down to where you’re from: Midwesterners enjoy a good pop, while soda is tops in the North and far West. Southerners, long the cultural mavericks, don’t bat an eyelash asking for coke – lowercase – before homing in on exactly the type they want: Perhaps a root beer or a Coke, uppercase. As a linguist who studies American dialects, I’m less interested in this regional divide and far more fascinated by the unexpected history behind how a fizzy “health” drink from the early 1800s spawned the modern soft drink’s many names and iterations.
Bubbles, anyone?
Foods and drinks with wellness benefits might seem like a modern phenomenon, but the urge to create drinks with medicinal properties inspired what might be called a soda revolution in the 1800s.An 1878 engraving of a soda fountain.Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images The process of carbonating water was first discovered in the late 1700s. By the early 1800s, this carbonated water had become popular as a health drink and was often referred to as “soda water.” The word “soda” likely came from “sodium,” since these drinks often contained salts, which were then believed to have healing properties. Given its alleged curative effects for health issues such as indigestion, pharmacists sold soda water at soda fountains, innovative devices that created carbonated water to be sold by the glass. A chemistry professor, Benjamin Stillman, set up the first such device in a drugstore in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1806. Its eventual success inspired a boom of soda fountains in drugstores and health spas. By the mid-1800s, pharmacists were creating unique root-, fruit- and herb-infused concoctions, such as sassafras-based root beer, at their soda fountains, often marketing them as cures for everything from fatigue to foul moods. These flavored, sweetened versions gave rise to the linking of the word “soda” with a sweetened carbonated beverage, as opposed to simple, carbonated water. Seltzer – today’s popular term for such sparkling water – was around, too. But it was used only for the naturally carbonated mineral water from the German town Nieder-Selters. Unlike Perrier, sourced similarly from a specific spring in France, seltzer made the leap to becoming a generic term for fizzy water.Many late-19th-century and early 20th-century drugstores contained soda fountains – a nod to the original belief that the sugary, bubbly drink possessed medicinal qualities.Hall of Electrical History Foundation/Corbis via Getty Images
Regional naming patterns
So how did “soda” come to be called so many different things in different places? It all stems from a mix of economic enterprise and linguistic ingenuity. The popularity of “soda” in the Northeast likely reflects the soda fountain’s longer history in the region. Since a lot of Americans living in the Northeast migrated to California in the mid-to-late 1800s, the name likely traveled west with them. As for the Midwestern preference for “pop” – well, the earliest American use of the term to refer to a sparkling beverage appeared in the 1840s in the name of a flavored version called “ginger pop.” Such ginger-flavored pop, though, was around in Britain by 1816, since a Newcastle songbook is where you can first see it used in text. The “pop” seems to be onomatopoeic for the noise made when the cork was released from the bottle before drinking.A jingle for Faygo touts the company’s ‘red pop.’ Linguists don’t fully know why “pop” became so popular in the Midwest. But one theory links it to a Michigan bottling company, Feigenson Brothers Bottling Works – today known as Faygo Beverages – that used “pop” in the name of the sodas they marketed and sold. Another theory suggests that because bottles were more common in the region, soda drinkers were more likely to hear the “pop” sound than in the Northeast, where soda fountains reigned. As for using coke generically, the first Coca-Cola was served in 1886 by Dr. John Pemberton, a pharmacist at Jacobs’ Pharmacy in Atlanta and the founder of the company. In the 1900s, the Coca-Cola company tried to stamp out the use of “Coke” for “Coca-Cola.” But that ship had already sailed. Since Coca-Cola originated and was overwhelmingly popular in the South, its generic use grew out of the fact that people almost always asked for “Coke.”No alcohol means not ‘hard’ but ‘soft.’Nostalgic Collections/eBay As with Jell-O, Kleenex, Band-Aids and seltzer, it became a generic term.
What’s soft about it?
Speaking of soft drinks, what’s up with that term? It was originally used to distinguish all nonalcoholic drinks from “hard drinks,” or beverages containing spirits. Interestingly, the original Coca-Cola formula included wine – resembling a type of alcoholic “health” drink popular overseas, Vin Mariani. But Pemberton went on to develop a “soft” version a few years later to be sold as a medicinal drink. Due to the growing popularity of soda water concoctions, eventually “soft drink” came to mean only such sweetened carbonated beverages, a linguistic testament to America’s enduring love affair with sugar and bubbles. With the average American guzzling almost 40 gallons per year, you can call it whatever you what. Just don’t call it healthy.Valerie M. Fridland, Professor of Linguistics, University of Nevada, Reno This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Grazing and Gifting: Sweet Solutions for the Holiday Rush
Grazing and Gifting: hMake holiday entertaining and gifting easy with Florida Citrus. Discover delightful recipes—like Scallops with Grapefruit Butter and Citrus Salad with Burrata—and send sweet, healthy citrus gift baskets to loved ones for a memorable, stress-free season.
Grazing and Gifting: Sweet Solutions for the Holiday Rush
(Family Features) If you feel yourself slipping into the last-minute rush of the holiday season, still searching for dazzling recipes and abundant gifts, rest assured – you’re not alone. Light, refreshing ingredients for spectacular meals are just a click away, and they can make for the perfect presents, too. Abundantly sweet and simple, Florida Citrus Gifts are a simple way to share holiday cheer with family, friends and loved ones. From cheerful boxes to beautiful baskets and more, they offer options in all shapes and sizes, loaded with freshly picked tangerines, grapefruits, oranges and mandarins. They’re easy to send and even easier to enjoy, providing a one-of-a-kind (and healthy) way to share holiday cheer in memorable meals like Scallops with Florida Grapefruit Butter, sure to become a household favorite for years to come. Pair it with a light and refreshing Florida Citrus Salad with Burrata featuring fresh grapefruit and oranges mingling with peppery arugula and creamy burrata to bring a bit of balance to holiday dining. No festivity is complete without libations, and this Florida Grapefruit Brandy Sour can be a staple at your beverage station. Just mix freshly squeezed Florida Grapefruit juice with brandy, simple syrup, bitters and egg white (for froth) then finish with sparkling water. Find deliciously thoughtful ways to share the sweetness of the season with loved ones by visiting PickFLA.com, which features an interactive map to find a range of gift options that fit your holiday needs.
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional for searing, divided
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1/8 teaspoon, plus 1 pinch, salt, divided, to taste
1/8 teaspoon, plus 1 pinch, pepper, divided, to taste
1 small bunch fresh cilantro
12 scallops with empty shells
1 tablespoon butter
Peel and cut one Florida Grapefruit into segments. Squeeze remaining grapefruit and reserve juice.
Wash and finely chop fennel. In bowl, mix fennel with olive oil, sherry vinegar and 1 pinch salt and pepper.
Mix and add fresh cilantro. Keep a few leaves for garnish.
In hot frying pan, drizzle with olive oil then sear scallops 1 minute on each side.
Remove scallops from pan then deglaze with reserved Florida Grapefruit juice. Let it simmer slightly and add butter to make sauce. Add 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper.
Place 1 tablespoon fennel salad in washed shell, top with three scallops and coat with grapefruit butter.
Finish with reserved cilantro leaves and fresh grapefruit segments.
4 Florida Grapefruit, peeled and cut into segments
3 oranges, peeled and cut into segments
1 bunch radishes, sliced thin and cut into sticks
1/3 cup pistachios, grilled and coarsely chopped
1 cup arugula
2 tablespoons dill, chopped
sea salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
8 ounces burrata
To make vinaigrette: In small bowl, mix Florida Grapefruit Juice, Florida Orange Juice, orange zest, cider vinegar, honey, Dijon, olive oil and shallots until dressing is emulsified. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside. Vinaigrette will keep 7 days in refrigerator.
To make pickled onion: Place sliced onion in airtight canning jar.
In small saucepan, combine vinegar, water, sugar and salt. Bring to boil and pour over sliced onion in jar. Add small amount of water to completely cover onion.
Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Pickled onions will keep 15 days in refrigerator.
To make burrata salad: In bowl, combine Florida Grapefruit and Orange segments; add radish sticks, toasted pistachios, arugula and dill. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Place salad on large plate, top with coarsely chopped burrata and drizzle generously with citrus vinaigrette and pickled onion.
At our core, we at STM Daily News, strive to keep you informed and inspired with the freshest content on all things food and beverage. From mouthwatering recipes to intriguing articles, we’re here to satisfy your appetite for culinary knowledge.
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Winder Farms Brings Its Famous Eggnog to Costco: A Utah Tradition Expands
Winder Farms, Utah’s oldest dairy brand, launches its famous fresh eggnog at select Costco locations along the Wasatch Front. Discover why this local holiday favorite stands out and where you can find it this December.
Glasses of tasty eggnog cocktail, Christmas ball, cookie and spices
Winder Farms Brings Its Famous Eggnog to Costco: A Utah Tradition Expands
A Taste of Tradition Now at Costco Warehouses
Winder Farms, a name synonymous with Utah’s dairy heritage, is making headlines once again. As of December 5th, their beloved eggnog—long a holiday staple for many local families—will be available at select Costco locations along the Wasatch Front. This marks the first time Winder Farms’ iconic products have hit Costco shelves, a major milestone for the 145-year-old company.
Winder Farms’ Famous Eggnog
A Legacy Reclaimed and a New Chapter Begins
Recently reacquired by members of the Winder family, the company has been moving fast to reconnect with both loyal customers and new audiences. “We hope to reach more of our customer’s demand for our products by making them available in more places,” said James Winder, Chairman & CEO. “There is a lot of overlap between our target demographic and that of Costco’s, so it’s natural to be there.”
This launch is a test run, with Winder Farms’ eggnog debuting in limited quantities at three major Costco locations: Bountiful, Murray, and Salt Lake City—the latter being the largest Costco in the world. If the response is strong, there’s hope for a broader rollout, possibly including their award-winning chocolate milk at all 13 Wasatch Front Costcos next year.
Why Winder’s Eggnog Stands Out
Unlike many mass-market brands, Winder Farms’ eggnog is “fresh” pasteurized, not ultra-pasteurized, preserving that rich, creamy taste locals have loved for generations. It’s also one of the few local dairy brands to make it onto Costco’s shelves, aligning with the retailer’s commitment to supporting local producers.
A Commitment to Community—and Convenience
Winder Farms isn’t just looking to expand in big-box stores. The company continues to focus on regaining its home delivery roots and building new retail partnerships. “We have a very loyal customer base and we intend to make our products as available as possible,” Winder said. Whether you shop at Costco, Instacart, or your neighborhood Smith’s or Harmons, Winder’s products are now more accessible than ever.
Winder Farms team in the early 1940s including George, Ned, Rich, Jerse and Pete Winder.
A Utah Classic, Now for More to Enjoy
Founded in 1880, Winder Farms is Utah’s oldest continuously operating food and beverage brand. This latest move into Costco is more than just a business milestone—it’s a celebration of local tradition, quality, and community spirit.
If you’re in the Bountiful, Murray, or Salt Lake City area, keep an eye out for Winder Farms’ famous eggnog at your local Costco. And if the shelves are empty? That’s just proof that good things—especially during the holidays—don’t last long.
For more on Winder Farms’ products and availability, visit them online or check your local Utah grocery store.
At our core, we at STM Daily News, strive to keep you informed and inspired with the freshest content on all things food and beverage. From mouthwatering recipes to intriguing articles, we’re here to satisfy your appetite for culinary knowledge.
Visit our Food & Drink section to get the latest on Foodie News and recipes, offering a delightful blend of culinary inspiration and gastronomic trends to elevate your dining experience. https://stmdailynews.com/food-and-drink/
Three Legends Unite: HexClad and Still G.I.N. Drop Game-Changing Cocktail Shaker
Gordon Ramsay, Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg unite for the HexClad x Still G.I.N. Cocktail Shaker. Premium design meets cultural innovation in this $99 limited-edition collaboration available now.
Hexclad, Still G.I.N. Unveil First-Ever Collaboration, Bringing Gordon Ramsay, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg Together For A Next-Gen Cocktail Shaker
Three Legends Unite: HexClad and Still G.I.N. Drop Game-Changing Cocktail Shaker
When Gordon Ramsay Meets Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, Magic Happens
In a collaboration that nobody predicted but everyone’s talking about, HexClad and Still G.I.N. by Dre and Snoop just dropped something special: a cocktail shaker that’s equal parts precision engineering and cultural statement. This isn’t just another bar tool. It’s the first time Gordon Ramsay, Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg have joined forces, bringing together HexClad’s revolutionary cookware expertise with Still G.I.N.’s modern approach to premium spirits. The result? A next-gen cocktail shaker that’s as functional as it is iconic.
Design That Demands Attention
The HexClad x Still G.I.N. Cocktail Shaker was crafted by celebrated industrial designer Ini Archibong, who pulled inspiration from two distinct visual languages: the striking geometry of the Still G.I.N. bottle and HexClad’s signature hexagon pattern. The fusion creates something modern, sculptural, and unmistakably premium. But this isn’t just about looks. The shaker features:
Double-wall, vacuum-insulated stainless steel that keeps your cocktails ice-cold without dilution
Hex-textured exterior for a luxe grip and visual edge
Discreet measurement markers inside the cap for precision pours every time
It’s the kind of piece that elevates your home bar the moment it lands on the counter.
Where Innovation Meets Culture
“This collaboration bridges innovation, culture, and craftsmanship in a way that feels like a true expression of both brands,” said Danny Winer, HexClad CEO and Co-Founder. “Gordon, Dre, and Snoop each set their own bar for excellence, and bringing their worlds together through this product is something we’re incredibly proud of.” Patrick Halbert, CEO of By Dre and Snoop, echoed that sentiment: “What connects Still G.I.N. and HexClad is a commitment to design, innovation, and products that actually perform. We built our gin to be supremely mixable, whether you’re making classic gin cocktails or using it in something unexpected. This shaker captures that same versatility and attention to detail.”
The Campaign: Cooking Meets Beats
To launch the collaboration, Gordon Ramsay and Dr. Dre will star in a dynamic commercial spot created by KODE MEDIA and directed by Peter Franklyn Banks. The ad draws clever parallels between culinary craft and musical artistry, blending humor with the shared ethos of both brands: rebellion, innovation, and excellence.
Get Yours Before They’re Gone
Available exclusively at HexClad.com in both Gold and Chrome finishes for $99, the HexClad x Still G.I.N. Cocktail Shaker is now shipping to the US, Canada, UK, Germany, and Australia. Just in time for the holidays, this is the gift that’ll make any home bartender’s season. Whether you’re shaking up a classic gin martini or experimenting with modern cocktail creations, this shaker is engineered to perform while carrying the energy of three cultural icons who’ve never settled for ordinary.
Still G.I.N
About the Brands
HexClad has been redefining modern cooking since 2016 with its patented hybrid technology that combines stainless steel with nonstick performance. Named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies from 2023-2025, the LA-based brand has built a passionate global following by empowering cooks with products that break rules and challenge convention. By Dre and Snoop launched in 2024 with the innovative Gin & Juice canned cocktail line, followed by Still G.I.N., their first pure premium bottled spirit. Still G.I.N. took home Masters Medal honors at the 2025 Gin Masters Awards, proving that when legends collaborate, excellence follows. Distributed nationally by Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, both products pay homage to the duo’s cultural legacy while pushing spirits innovation forward.Ready to elevate your cocktail game? Head to HexClad.com and grab this limited-edition shaker before it’s gone. Because when three legends come together, you don’t wait—you shake things up. Visit: https://dreandsnoop.com/products/still-gin
At our core, we at STM Daily News, strive to keep you informed and inspired with the freshest content on all things food and beverage. From mouthwatering recipes to intriguing articles, we’re here to satisfy your appetite for culinary knowledge.
Visit our Food & Drink section to get the latest on Foodie News and recipes, offering a delightful blend of culinary inspiration and gastronomic trends to elevate your dining experience. https://stmdailynews.com/food-and-drink/
Valerie M. Fridland, Professor of Linguistics, University of Nevada, Reno This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. 
Abundantly sweet and simple, 
