Good news for soda fans: this new soft drink has hit shelves for 2026 – “my dad always ordered it for me so I could feel fancy”

For many, there are few childhood luxuries more specific than the Shirley Temple. It wasn’t something you ordered at home. It appeared at restaurants, delivered with ceremony, ice clinking, cherries glowing at the bottom of the glass. It made you feel briefly important. Or, as one fan put it recently: “My dad always ordered it for me so I could feel fancy.” Even if that’s not how it happened for you, you at least imagined it was for others.

That exact energy is what Poppi is tapping into with its newest release, a Shirley Temple soda that arrived on shelves for 2026, on the back of others, including that of comedian Ben Stiller. The brand, backed by PepsiCo, isn’t trying to reinvent the drink. It’s trying to remember it.

This version focuses on the essentials: cherry sweetness, citrus brightness, and a clean fizz that feels more grown-up than syrupy. It’s lighter than the original, lower in sugar, and free of caffeine, but crucially, it still tastes like the thing you remember ordering while the adults debated the lunch menu.

Early reactions suggest Poppi may have found a rare crossover hit, appealing to soda fans, low-sugar drinkers, and anyone who once felt sophisticated holding a straw in a tall glass without the strong stuff added.

Poppi Shirley Temple has already started rolling out nationwide at major retailers including Walmart, Kroger, and Amazon, with wider availability expected through early 2026. Let us know what you think...

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