Actually it’s not tea or radioactive gamer soda.
Mountain Dew originates as slang for alcohol. The earliest use I am aware of comes from 19th century Ireland and referred to highland whiskey.
The term was likely brought to the Americas through Irish immigrants or those who picked up the term from the Irish. In America it essentially became a synonym for “moonshine,” high proof liquor made at home through distillation, generally illegally.
The soda came much later- the Mountain Dew soda can be traced to around 1930-1940, it was developed as a mixer for… Whiskey of course.
The name “Mountain Dew” was trademarked around 1948. For some many years Mountain Dew the soda had a mascot on the bottle- a “hillbilly” that speaks to those origins. Of course it is most likely that the original term “Mountain Dew” was coined as a joke with this exactly in mind- that it was funny because it made home made whiskey sound poetic.
Somewhat humorously the joke seems to have gone over some heads.
Mountain Dew originates as slang for alcohol. The earliest use I am aware of comes from 19th century Ireland and referred to highland whiskey.
The term was likely brought to the Americas through Irish immigrants or those who picked up the term from the Irish. In America it essentially became a synonym for “moonshine,” high proof liquor made at home through distillation, generally illegally.
The soda came much later- the Mountain Dew soda can be traced to around 1930-1940, it was developed as a mixer for… Whiskey of course.
The name “Mountain Dew” was trademarked around 1948. For some many years Mountain Dew the soda had a mascot on the bottle- a “hillbilly” that speaks to those origins. Of course it is most likely that the original term “Mountain Dew” was coined as a joke with this exactly in mind- that it was funny because it made home made whiskey sound poetic.
Somewhat humorously the joke seems to have gone over some heads.