As my progress through LIFE‘s digital archives encroaches upon the mid-1960s, the density of the nostalgic mindfield has grown exponentially thicker. Though I was born in 1972, so many commercial currents of the decade past lingered long enough to indelibly imprint themselves upon my psyche…
…and few as profoundly as the above beverage has.
It’s difficult to pin down a concise reason why Tahitian Treat looms so large over my formative years, above and beyond other defunct carbonated touchstones like Slice or Ramblin’ Root Beer. If I had to guess, I’d chalk it up to a concordance between the cycle of childhood junk food preferences and a growing awareness of popculture in general.
In other words, I just happened to fancy that oversweetened mix of ginger ale and fruit punch at the moment when my eyes were opened to this…
…and this…
…and this…
…and this…
…and, of course, this…
The drink is still available in some markets and making an adequate homebrew version isn’t that difficult, but it wouldn’t be the same without either the squat glass bottle (encased in peelable styrafoam) or looming dread of nuclear armageddon.
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December 27th, 2012 - 7:40 pm
I think you ran down my youth in a nutshell (despite being a few year older I think). Tahitian Treat was frobidden fruit only available weekends with my father after my parents divorced. Video games, cheesy sci-fi, comic book fridays, and MTV all were in the mix as well.
December 28th, 2012 - 10:29 pm
DEEDS NOT WORDS
December 31st, 2012 - 12:30 am
I would literally kill someone for a Ramblin’ root beer right now.