Texas’s Dublin Vanilla Cream Soda Gets the Cocktail Treatment

Until 2012, the residents of central Texas were the only people in the United States with access to a cult-favorite special version of Dr. Pepper made at Dublin Bottling Works with cane sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup. A legal dispute with trademark owner, the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, sadly ended its production, but Dublin Bottling Works still makes several special sodas using pure cane sugar only, including the Vanilla Cream Soda that’s the centerpiece of this drink. You’ll find it on the alcohol-free “restoratives” section of the menu at Cured at Pearl in San Antonio. “Especially at lunch, people don’t want to drink, but they want something more complex than sweet tea,” says chef/owner McHugh. “That’s why we always have a zero-proof section of our cocktail menu.” His Vanilla Mint Crush is a Mint Julep-style refresher that’s excellent on a hot day. (If you want to spike it with some hard stuff, McHugh recommends a shot of gin, especially the brand-new Texas-made Calamity.)