I remember Surge coming out in maybe 1998 or so, but to a limited number of markets, like maybe a dozen or two places in the US. Seattle was one of the places, so I tried it, and LOVED it. It’s marketed against Mountain Dew for the most part, but it’s much more carbonated, and more of a lime green color, rather than a yellow-orange. In some markets, Coke bottles Mello-Yellow to compete with Mountain Dew, and it’s a close clone, but Surge was different than both of them. To me, it tasted like that old Hi-C Ecto-cooler drink, but carbonated and with caffeine.

I moved from Seattle in 1999, and when I got to New York, Surge was nowhere to be found (despite the fact that it was regularly advertised on Coke’s giant jumbotron sign on the north side of Times Square.) I searched everywhere, and once or twice, I found the stuff way out on Long Island or upstate. I also saw it in 2000 in Las Vegas. But then it quickly vanished, and I was SOL. It was gone forever.

Lo and behold, Coke came out with Vault in 2005/6 and it’s now available everywhere, and it’s a worthy clone of the old Surge, but in new wrappings and with more annoying ads on TV. So go try it while you can, because I’m guessing it will also vanish for no reason someday.