Oreo Firecracker Pop

 

Product circa: July 2026

While not specifically targeted as a semiquincentennial promotion, it is certainly a seasonal release for Independence Day 2026.

I respect the attempt here.  Three different flavors of creme in a vanilla cookie, and each creme flavor corresponds to the three flavors of a "firecracker pop", more likely known as a rocket pop.  Indeed, all three flavors of creme are completely discernible here, though I would say the lemon is least of all.  The problem is that while not unpleasant, this cookie is just way too busy, in terms of taste.  In addition, per my personal tastes, the 3 cremes make the balance more akin to a Double Stuf, which is not my preference.

Pop-Tarts Frosted Pink Lemonade

 

This is from years ago.  I remember these being very tasty, I would love to buy these occasionally.

Tic Tac Coca-Cola & Sprite

Products circa: 2019 & 2023, and intermittently after

For ages the only flavors of Tic Tac were various minty ones, and orange.  But over the last decade, they have started marketing more flavors, most of them fruity.  A few of them cross over into odd cross-branded promotions, like these. 

Coca-Cola - Using the same flavoring utilized by cola-flavored candy, this flavor goes quite well with the Tic Tac candy base.  After some moments, the candies take on a strange perfumey taste, which I don't hate, but is likely very polarizing.  Also the adorable Coca-cola logo on each candy is overkill, but an impressive attention to detail.

Sprite - These tastes immediately of a flavor recognizable as "lemon-lime", but in this case it reminds me more of Gatorade than Sprite.  However, quite quickly these become intensely bitter, almost as if the candy is trying to simulate citrus pith.  If so, that would be impressive, but in the end, these are very unpleasant. 

Mountain Dew Game Fuel 2014

 

Product circa: 2014

Commemorating the release of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.

This stuff is pretty simple, it's like a half-and-half mix of original Dew and lemonade... really low quality lemonade. 

Mountain Dew Ice Cherry

Product circa: 2017-2018

As mentioned in my review of the original Mountain Dew Ice, this product is a Mountain Dew-turned clear lemon-lime soda, alongside a dose of caffeine and a bit of 0-calorie sweetener to bring the calories down.  This version has the addition of cherry flavoring.

Overall, it’s really not bad.  The bitterness of the caffeine and the restrained use of 0-calorie sweetener keep it from being awful.  In the end, it tastes like a half-decent cherry lemon-lime soda.

Pop-Tarts Froot Loops

 

Product circa: 2021

A very fun cross-branding!  The filling of these pastries definitely has the signature bergamot flavor that would remind you of Froot Loops, but it tastes more of lemon than anything.  With that said, the citrus filling is absolutely delicious, and I don't think there's ever been lemon Pop-Tarts?  I'd love to see these on sale again someday.

Mountain Dew Ice

Note: This is a Presumptive Ephemeral Nom.

Product circa: 2017-2018 (and onward?)

Pepsico is at it again with a variation on Mountain Dew that sounds so generic that it makes one wonder if it's already been released in the past.

But nope, Mountain Dew Ice came about in 2017 and it seems to have been available continually since then until the writing of this post.

Its colorless appearance and boasts of "lemon lime" on the label adequately prepare you for the sip; it's just a lemon lime soda that fits well into the Sprite-7Up-Sierra Mist archetype.  It tastes fine, and is not noticeably better or worse than those ilk.

What separates here are two things: the oft-insisted combination of both sugar and 0-calorie sweeteners by Pepsico, and the addition of caffeine.  So if you've been looking for a caffeinated lemon lime soda that has less calories than its competitors, then this stuff is for you!  But not for me.


Mountain Dew Ice:- Good
Original Mountain Dew(for comparison): - Great

Mountain Dew Spiked Lemonades

Product circa: early 2017

Mountain Dew really can't seem to give up on its image that it's somehow related to alcohol.  These two "spiked" products now make up a trio of recent Dew products that specifically have to spell out on the packaging that they are non-alcoholic.

Otherwise, these look to be an honest effort on Pepsico's part.  Real sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup.  Real fruit juice added.  No artificial sweeteners.  Let's crack them open and get to sippin'!

Upon tasting, "sour" is the first term that might waft into your mind, or rather, smack you in the head.  The third ingredient in this product is citric acid, the fourth is a lemon juice concentrate, and the fifth is prickly pear juice.  The prickly pear is unnoticeable, but the raspberry pleasantly comes through in the Raspberry Lemonade.  Surprisingly, the regular Spiked Lemonade is better.

The balance is a little off, and the considerable tartness prevents you from tasting quite everything.  It's almost as if this stuff needs a bit more sugar... wait a minute... <looks harder at the ingredient list>

Sigh.  Let it be known that Mountain Dew Spiked is slightly bamboozling you here.  Because of the existence of Stevia, consumers need to be aware that "No Artificial Sweeteners" no longer means "No 0-calorie Sweeteners."  Spiked has both sugar and Stevia, and my taste buds suspected it from the first sip.

Maybe I'm biased, but it's my opinion that consumers can be divided into two groups on this subject: those who like 0-calorie sweeteners, and those who do not.  I don't think combining sugar and Stevia into one product magically bridges the gap between both market segments.

Everything from children's cereal, to baked goods, and now to soft drinks are using sugar-Stevia combinations to bring down calorie counts, and that's fine.  But what's not fine is not conspicuously labeling the addition of 0-calorie sweeteners.

Mountain Dew is choosing not to do that, and while it may increase the number of first time buyers, I bet it will decrease repeat buyers.  Buyers like this guy.


Mountain Dew Spiked Lemonade:- Good
Mountain Dew Spiked Raspberry Lemonade:- Passable

Lemon Twist Oreo

Oreo has been slinging an impressive amount of ephemeral cookies, so much so that I have a backlog.
Two summery limited edition flavors of Oreo were released last summer: Lemon Twist and Banana Split.

The Lemon Twist Oreos are simply a variety of Golden Oreo that has a lemony filling, vaguely reminiscent of the old Baskin Robbins Oreo Gold Rush ice cream.  The taste of these bear nothing more than their simple concept.  The vanilla cookie pairs well with the lemon filling, which is plenty lemony, but I wish it were more tangy.

Have you ever gotten a bag of mini lemon creme sandwich cookies from a vending machine?  These aren't as good as those.  It's tough to make that call without tasting them side by side, but I just said it.  It's a decent effort by Oreo, though.


Lemon Twist Oreo:- Good
Original Golden Oreo(for comparison):- Great

Gatorade Strawberry Lemonade

Gatorade has issued this flavor recently and has been advertising the hell out of it at 7-Eleven locations.

There's really not much to this.  They've taken two flavorings that they use for some of their normal drink varieties and have combined them for a limited edition one.

Admittedly, strawberry and lemonade are a good combination in general, and they're a good combination here.  The sweetness/tartness balance is good, just like in any Gatorade product, and the strawberry does not come across as candy-like and artificial, which is tough to do, in my opinion.


Gatorade Strawberry Lemonade:- Good
Original Gatorade(Orange, for comparison):- Good

acquired: 7-Eleven

Turkey Hill Southern Lemon Pie

 See those bottles in the background? This is my blog that describes what I do with them.

One of best things about ephemeral ice cream flavors is that they're often indicated loudly on the carton's lid!  Look for that next time you're in the freezer aisle.

Turkey Hill has been known to throw out a lot of exciting new flavors, and this one follows suit as a fresh summery offering: Southern Lemon Pie.

The color is a bright, festive, and disturbingly artificial yellow, but that's where the intimidation stops.  Stirred into the ice cream are bits of pie crust and marshmallow: the pie crust is just about perfect and manages to maintain some texture even though it's been soaking in cream; the marshmallow attempts to mimic meringue, I imagine, and while it's not perfect, its texture definitely invokes the traditional lemon pie's white topping.

But for me, the star of this show is the ice cream itself.  The lemon flavoring present almost identically imitates lemon curd/custard.  It's bright yet rich, and it makes me feel like a kid.  But on top of this, Turkey Hill have gone the extra mile with texture.  I'm not sure how much xantham gum and pectin normally play a role in ice cream products, but this one would indicate that it has more of the stuff than normal.  The result is a thick, gummy texture that accurately portrays the mouth feel of lemon pie's curd/meringue duo.  After my first bowl of this stuff, I swore that the formula included a bit of cream cheese to improve the richness and texture, but in reality it was the work of Turkey Hill's chemical magicians.

Bravo.  Let's home this becomes a yearly seasonal offering.


Turkey Hill Southern Lemon Pie:- Outstanding
Original Turkey Hill(Vanilla, for comparison):- Good