Dr Pepper New Flavor Unleashes The Beach

Dr Pepper just released a new flavor, Creamy Coconut. And it makes me feel like I’m on a beach in Hawaii. Or at least, I need to be basking in the sun somewhere while drinking it. Which I love, because I could use a cheap vacation. 

Seriously, the famous soda company has come up with a flavor that not only transports you to the sandy beaches of the tropics, but it could almost be sunscreen.  

Related: Unfrosted. The War That Built Breakfast

A couple of months ago a nasty rumor began to swirl around the internet. Dr Pepper, the oldest soda brand on the planet (yes older than Coke), was supposedly going to go bye-bye. Hasta La Vista. Peace out. 

People freaked out. Lost their minds. Mayhem ensued. OK, I'm over-exaggerating, but people did go a bit cuckoo over the news. According to thesun.com, one “Pepper” fan said “I love Dr Pepper more than my dad.” And another said, when thinking the rumor was true, “I would burn the planet down". Hey, people are passionate about their soda. So, the soda company themselves felt compelled to step into the conversation. They released this statement on their X account.

So, rest assured that the company, and it's soda, aren't going anywhere.  

To this day, we don't really know what's in this famous soda. The company has held onto that secret tighter than Travis Kelce holds onto Taylor Swift's fanbase. Although delish.com has speculated about what the recipe could include. And speculate is all anyone can do because, just like it's competitor, Coca Cola, the recipe is a safely guarded secret. According to mashed.com, only three people know the secret sauce, and the recipe is separated into two safety deposit boxes in a bank vault, in deep dark Texas, AKA Dallas.

However, with their new flavor, Creamy Coconut, the ingredient is obvious, coconut. And it took me to a beach of my choice. I just closed my eyes, took a drink and BOOM. Hawaii.

Pizza. The greatest invention ever (next to tacos of course). And the pizza in Las Vegas is so good that naming the top five places might be tough. But I'm going to give it a shot anyways.

Italy is such an important country. There are so many cool things about this little boot hanging off Europe.

According toTtrafalgar.com, Italy has the smallest country in the world: Vatican City. And even though Rome is over 2000 years old, it's also the youngest country in Europe. Plus, did you know Italy has a free wine fountain? Yep, it's in Caldari di Ortona, and the wine flows 24/7, for free.

And of course, without Italy, we probably wouldn't have Pizza. The greatest invention ever (okay, tacos, we'll call it a tie).

Related: The Best Tacos In Las Vegas

In 1860, in the Campania region of Naples, Pizza (almost as we know it), was born. The word "pizza" is thought to have come from the Latin word "pinsa", according to Pubblicoitalianeatery.com. Sure, it was around before that. According to history.com, flatbread with toppings on it was being consumed by ancient Egyptians, The Romans and The Greeks. But Naples is the birthplace of the pizza pie. It was cheap (the poor always create the best food it seems), could be eaten anywhere and it was easy to share with others.

And even though all those things were true, pizza wasn't super popular anywhere outside of Naples, until it took off in America.

Lombardi's, in New York, brought the Italian delicacy to the states in 1905, and is making pizza to this day, with the original oven. But, according to pizzafacts.net, it wasn't until after World War 2 that pizza really took off, especially after Hollywood started to get the original ‘influencers’, Joe Dimaggio, Frank Sinatra and Jimmy Durante, to endorse pizza.

Chefs come here to work at one of the Strip hotels, fall in love with the city and open their own places off strip. And that's why locals have so many killer choices around town. And pizzerias are no exception.

Here are my favorite places to grab a slice of pizza in Las Vegas.

Speaking of chefs from the Strip making their way into the real part of Las Vegas, Chef Roy Bass and Chris Builder did exactly that. And boy am I glad they did. Those Guys Pies have brought their Philly-style pies to The Lakes in Summerlin, North las Vegas and Henderson. They offer all kinds of killer options but, for me, the best pizza is the Maui Wowie. Bacon, jalapeno and pineapple (yes, I eat pineapple on pizza and I don't give a f---...hoot what you think).

Metro Pizza is one of the original pizzerias in Las Vegas. They opened their doors in 1980 and never looked back. They have all kinds of accolades, including being named Las Vegas' Greatest Pizzeria of All-Time in 2020. I'm a fan of the Modesto. It's loaded with sausages, tomatoes, garlic and basil. Side note: The meatball sliders are worth the calories.

They have 4 locations, so no matter what side of town you are in, Metro is close by. 

There’s so many good choices here. Mainly because you can customize your deep dish, stuffed or thin crust pizza. You can even customize your own personal size deep dish or stuffed pizza. That's cool.  You can't go wrong with whatever you choose at Amore's, but I will tell you they have a taco pizza that's heavenly. And one of my favorite things about Amore? They are right by the radio station.  

Although, being a Chiefs fan, I’m probably banned from this place (this is a diehard Buffalo Bills joint), but I don’t care. Besides, its not my fault the Bills keep trading with the Chiefs and losing out on players like Patrick Mahomes.

It's also not my fault that Naked City's pizza is incredible. They have a pizza called the Stinger and if you like Blue Cheese and Franks red hot sauce, this pizza is for you. I’m personally a huge fan of Buffalo 22. This bad boy has White Garlic Sauce, Pepperoni, Sausage. It also features a Roasted Garlic Crust with Crispy Garlic, and Hot Honey. Anything with hot Honey has my vote, every time.  Go Chiefs!

One of the best-tasting pizzas I have ever had in my life was at Pizza Rock. I was surprised it was so good. I mean, Pizza Rock seemed like a ‘corporate’ kind of joint, but I tell you what, their pizza is good. Corporate or not. They have all the styles too. Detroit, New York and  California (that's a style? I just thought it was something to get out of). Having said that, I’m all about Chicago Style with the cracker crust. My favorite being the Old Chicago. It has Sliced Meatballs, Italian Sausage, and little dollop of Ricotta. Plus it comes in square pieces, so it's super easy to share.  

Facebook – X1075LV

Instagram – X1075

X – X1075LV