Dr Pepper's New Spicy Flavor That's Just for a Lucky (or Unfortunate) Few

When Dr Pepper announced it would start releasing new flavors of its popular soda, people wondered what might be floating in the water at the bottling plant. Why would anyone alter a signature soda?

Other new flavors like creme soda and strawberries & cream recently found their way to the store shelves, and they actually tasted good, adding a new, alternate dimension of taste to the familiar formula. This new flavor, Hot Take, is a "fiery turn on the original 23 flavors harnessing the bold flavors of spicy peppers," say the makers.

Now we're back to our initial reaction: we're wondering what brain-eating amoebas are floating in the water supply of the Dr Pepper bottling plant.

But getting your hands on this spicy rendition of this Texas-born soda, which sounds like a corporate dare, isn't easy.

Hot Take is a limited edition flavor available only to Pepper Perks members who accumulate enough Pepper Perks points. Basically, you have to buy enough Dr Pepper products to accumulate 3,000 points. If you're a sadist, you can buy Dr Pepper gift cards to accumulate these points; 100 points per each $10 gift card. So, that's $300 in gift cards for 3,000 points.

Pepper Perks members can also try their luck on a daily virtual scratch-off ticket.

The new flavors are available only to residents of Texas and Oklahoma, according to the DP website and while supplies last.

If you're fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to get your hands on a can, be advised that you're in for more than a couple of cans of spicy soda. Apparently, Hot Take is so hot that it necessitates a whole new tasting kit. If you win or have enough points to buy one, you'll get two cans of Dr Pepper Hot Take along with a set of four tasting glasses and a limited edition box.

As for what it tastes like, Gael Fashingbauer of Taste of Home got a sample and wrote that it tastes like a jalapeno margarita, adding that "Dr Pepper is the perfect background for it – it’s already a bit spicy, a bit sweet and has a fascinating melange of flavors. Add in the peppery bite, and it’s a hot delight for those of us who love spice."

She goes on to warn, though, that it's a sipping soda. "I accidentally took too large a sip at one point and started coughing like I was Doc Holliday in Tombstone, fighting off tuberculosis."

It's not known how many cans or Hot Take kits Dr Pepper has or plans to produce. Hopefully, we'll be able to get our hands on some so our tongues can give their take on this strange-sounding Dr Pepper flavor.