Dust off your Doc Martens and dig your Tamagochi out of storage, my friends, because the '90s revival is in full effect. If Cory and Topanga returning to afternoon television wasn't enough to convince you, let this put your mind at ease — Surge soda is back! "But," you may be wondering, "where can I get Surge? Isn't it only available in limited quantities on Amazon?" It was... but not anymore! Exactly one year after making the cult classic available via Amazon as an "exclusive," Coca-Cola began stocking select stores nationwide yesterday with the lime-green soft drink. Pardon me while I rush out to relive my youth by, er, hoarding my go-to vending machine drink of choice from my high school years. If, like me, you can't wait to swig that sweet nectar of divinity, we've got all the deets you need to find the local brick-and-mortar that will serve as your Surge honeyhole. That, and a few impeccably nostalgic snack pairings.
But first, let's give credit where credit is due. As much as I like to imagine I willed Coca-Cola to bring Surge back through psychokinesis (the force is strong with this one), neither you, nor I, nor anyone else would be enjoying this throwback beverage without the tireless campaigning of a group of presumably '90s-era adults who banded together on Facebook to form the "SURGE Movement." Holding strong at more than 220,000 members, this group of Surge advocates was largely responsible for the return of our favorite soda — in an interview with BuzzFeed in 2014, Coca-Cola cited them directly as an influencing factor. We tip our hats to you, good people, and are forever indebted.
Of course, the fanaticism over Surge doesn't come completely out of left field. When the soft drink initially launched in 1996, reception was favorable, to say the least. When interest faded in the early 2000s, though, Coca-Cola decided to pull the plug in 2003. Last year, when news broke that the soda could be purchased on Amazon, fans flocked to the site and bought out the first batch in an hour. Forget the originally exorbitant price tag of $14 for a 12-pack! Surge-thirsty consumers resorted to paying several hundred dollars for the sweet stuff on the black market.
Fortunately, Coca-Cola took the fan fervor to heart and decided to add Surge back to its soda roster. The official Surge website has conveniently created a map detailing exactly where you can find it, although depending on where you live, that may or may not be a good thing. From the looks of it, the bulk of Surge purveyors are in the South, the Midwest and the Mid-Atlantic. Sorry 'bout your luck, West Coast natives — but surely someone in close proximity to a store will ship you some of the ambrosial soda. We Surge devotees are all about sharing the love, after all.
While you're picking up your 12-pack, think about grabbing one of these perfectly '90s snacks to wash down with the drink. Scroll down to check out the full map showing you exactly where you can get your hands on some Surge to call your very own!
1. Hershey's Cookies 'n' Creme Bar
Ah, yes. A single bit of this deliciously milky delight takes me straight back to study hall. Clearly, my mom did not sanction my routine lunch time menu of Surge and Hershey's.
2. Handi-Snacks
Who cares if the cheese is a weirdly unnatural color and consistency? There's nothing better than teeny tiny breadsticks you can dunk in faux-diary goodness.
3. Gushers
Why, yes, I have passed on my obsession with Gushers to my children. In my defense, though, they do have fruit juice in them.
4.Big League Chew
To this day, I have no idea what responsible adult thought, "Hmm, I think I'll package gum in a manner consistent with dipping tobacco and market it to small children." But, you know, clearly they were a genius, because we bought this stuff in spades.
5. AirHeads
We would hit the snack stand at every single home football game to get an assortment of AirHeads. Everyone called dibs on the mystery flavor which, let's be real, tasted exactly like everything else.
And now, without further adieu, get your Surge on!
Images: Surge; Zauzzie, promosibaranng_2, kah_gobetti, bigtopcandyshop, airheadscandy/Instagram (5)
