The Best American Sodas You Can Buy in the UK

Most American soft drinks are made with high-fructose corn syrup rather than the cane sugar used in UK versions. This gives American sodas a slightly different flavour profile — often perceived as sweeter and more intense. The other big difference is variety. The American market supports a far wider range of flavours than the UK. Dr Pepper Cherry, US Fanta flavours, Arizona Iced Tea varieties, Calypso lemonades, Peace Tea — these are simply unavailable in British supermarkets. That exclusivity is a large part of the appeal.

Sweet and Glory stocks one of the widest ranges of imported American drinks available in UK wholesale. Here are the best ones — and what makes each worth stocking.

Arizona Iced Tea

One of the most iconic American drinks brands and consistently one of the best-sellers in the UK import market. Arizona comes in a huge range of flavours: Green Tea with Ginseng and Honey, Watermelon, Mucho Mango, Fruit Punch, Kiwi Strawberry, Peach, Raspberry, Cranberry, Lemon and more — all in the distinctive 650ml can that has become one of the most recognisable formats in soft drinks. The can design alone drives impulse purchases. For the full flavour range, see our Arizona Iced Tea guide.

Calypso Lemonade

Calypso is a Caribbean-inspired lemonade brand made with real fruit pieces. The flavours — Ocean Blue, Original, Paradise Punch, Triple Melon, Island Wave, Southern Peach, Strawberry and more — are bright, fruity and distinctly different from anything in the UK lemonade category. The 473ml glass bottles look brilliant on a shelf and photograph well on social media. For the full flavour breakdown, see our Calypso complete guide.

Dr Pepper US Variants

The standard Dr Pepper is available in the UK, but the American import range goes far further. Sweet and Glory stocks eight Dr Pepper variants: Cherry, 23 US Version, Vanilla Float, Cream Soda, Strawberries and Cream, Real Sugar, Creamy Coconut and Blackberry — all in 355ml cans. Dr Pepper Cherry in particular has a strong following among American soda fans in the UK and is consistently one of the best-selling drinks lines. For the full story behind Dr Pepper's famous 23 flavours, see our Dr Pepper guide.

US Fanta Flavours

You might think you know Fanta, but the US range goes far beyond Orange. American Fanta flavours include Grape, Berry, Strawberry, Pineapple, Orange and Peach — all in 355ml cans — covering flavour profiles that are simply unavailable in UK supermarkets. The US recipe also uses a slightly different flavour profile from the European version, making even familiar flavours feel like a new experience. Fanta Grape in particular has become one of the most-requested American soft drinks in UK independent retail, and the Japanese, Chinese and Malaysian Fanta variants extend the range further for shops building a world-flavours section.

A&W Root Beer and Cream Soda

A&W Root Beer is one of America's oldest soft drink brands, founded in 1919, and one of the most-searched American drinks in the UK. Root beer is a uniquely American flavour — a sweet, slightly herbal, vanilla-tinged soda that has no mainstream UK equivalent. It is the kind of drink people have heard of for years and want to try at least once. Root beer even featured on McDonald's UK menus from the 1970s until the early 1990s, before being dropped for lack of popularity — which is part of why it endures today as a nostalgic curiosity for anyone who remembers it, and a novelty for everyone who has only heard of it. A&W also produce Cream Soda, which is another strong seller. Available in both 355ml can and 341ml glass bottle formats.

C&C Soda

C&C Soda is a classic American regional soda brand — and Sweet and Glory is the official UK distributor. The 710ml bottle range covers Root Beer, Vanilla Cream, Cotton Candy, Watermelon, Grape, Strawberry, Black Cherry and Blue Raspberry, plus a lemonade line in Original, Cherry Cherry, Sweet Peach and Blueberry. These are old-school American sodas with a retro feel and flavours that are genuinely hard to find anywhere else in the UK. Root Beer and Vanilla Cream are the strongest conversation-starters for customers new to American sodas. For the full story, see our C&C Soda guide.

Kool-Aid

Kool-Aid has been an American household staple since the 1920s, and comes two ways. The ready-to-drink Kool-Aid Soda in 355ml cans covers Blue Raspberry Lemonade, Black Cherry, Grape, Orange and Sharkleberry Fin. The powder sachets — added to water and sugar to make a brightly coloured fruit drink — are a low-price impulse buy, popular with younger customers and anyone curious about American food culture. The powder is also what sits behind the Kool-Aid pineapple trend that took over TikTok in summer 2026. Check the website for current flavour availability.

Peace Tea

Peace Tea is one of the most underrated American drinks in UK wholesale. The 695ml can format is generous, the branding is distinctive, and the flavour range covers Sno-Berry, Mango Mood, Caddy Shack, Razzleberry, Cheeky Cherry, Peach, Strawberry Lemon Love and Green Of All Teas. A Coca-Cola brand in North America but not distributed in the UK through mainstream channels — which gives it genuine import appeal and strong novelty purchase behaviour.

Monster Energy: Canadian and US Exclusives

Sweet and Glory stocks a range of Canadian and US Monster variants unavailable through UK mainstream distribution — spanning the Ultra range, the Java coffee range, the Rehab tea range and regional exclusives. These appeal strongly to the same customer base already buying American candy. Check the website for current variant availability.

Gatorade

Gatorade is the world's best-selling sports drink, widely known in the UK through sport, but the full US flavour range is not widely available here. Sweet and Glory carries nine Gatorade variants in the 591ml bottle — Fierce Grape, Cool Blue, Glacier Freeze, Fruit Punch, Lemon Lime, Orange, Riptide Rush and Glacier Cherry — plus a 343ml can. The Gatorade flavours available in UK supermarkets typically cover just Orange and Lemon Lime, leaving most of the range as an import-only proposition.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do American sodas taste different from UK ones? Most American sodas are sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, while UK versions use cane sugar and other sweeteners. American recipes are also often noticeably sweeter — US Fanta, for example, contains far more sugar than the UK version. The result is a sweeter, more intense flavour that many people find distinctive, alongside a much wider range of flavours than UK supermarkets carry.

What is root beer and why can't you get it in UK shops? Root beer is a sweet, vanilla-and-herbal flavoured soda that's an American classic — A&W is one of the oldest brands, founded in 1919. It has no mainstream UK equivalent today, though McDonald's UK sold it into the early 1990s before dropping it — which is exactly why it has such strong novelty and nostalgia appeal now: a drink people have heard of for years and want to try at least once.

Which American sodas sell best in UK shops? Arizona Iced Tea and Dr Pepper Cherry are consistently among the strongest sellers, along with Calypso lemonades and US Fanta flavours like Grape. Novelty-flavoured brands such as C&C Soda (Cotton Candy, Watermelon) also convert well because they offer something no UK brand does. Root beer sells on curiosity, and Kool-Aid has a strong younger following.

Where can I buy American sodas wholesale in the UK? Sweet and Glory stocks one of the widest ranges of imported American drinks in UK wholesale — Arizona, Calypso, Dr Pepper US variants, US Fanta, A&W, C&C Soda, Kool-Aid, Peace Tea and more — with no minimum order and fast UK delivery. Create a free account to browse and order.

Where to Buy American Sodas Wholesale in the UK

The full American drinks range — Arizona, Calypso, Dr Pepper, Fanta US, A&W, C&C Soda, Kool-Aid, Peace Tea, Monster and Gatorade — is available wholesale at Sweet and Glory. No minimum order, fast UK delivery, dispatched from Manchester.

For a full breakdown of the range by brand, see our American drinks wholesale buyer's guide. Or create a free account to browse and order.

No minimum order. Free first parcel on orders over £150 ex VAT (additional boxes £7.10 each). Free pallet delivery over £650 ex VAT. Dispatched from Manchester.

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