How about Some Soda with Your Cereal? Mountain Dew Rolls Out Juice-Like Breakfast Drink

It's all part of a balanced breakfast.

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PEPSICO

Toast, cereal and… Mountain Dew?

Yup, the soda — or at least, a drink that shares its name — could become part of your morning routine. PepsiCo wants to round out your breakfast with Kickstart, a new Mountain Dew-flavored drink packed with caffeine, 5% real fruit juice and Vitamins B and C.

Mountain Dew representative Elisa Baker told the Los Angeles Times that their customers were looking for an alternative to traditional morning beverages, such as coffee and tea. The company did extensive research into the possibilities, and apparently found that a lot of crazy people want to drink soda in the morning.

“Kickstart combines the best of all worlds — it tastes great, has just the right amount of real fruit juice and gives them a kick to help them start their day,” she said.

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The soda maker said it doesn’t think of Kickstart as an energy drink. At 92 milligrams of caffeine per 16 oz. can, Kickstart has 20 more milligrams than a comparable amount of Mountain Dew and about the same amount as a cup of coffee. Rockstar, a popular energy drink brand, boasts a whopping 276 milligrams of caffeine in each of its 24-ounce cans.

Proving their dedication to a healthy, balanced breakfast, PepsiCo made sure to cut Kickstart’s sugar content by using artificial sweeteners. Each can has 80 calories, about half the amount in a regular soda.

Though PepsiCo calls Kickstart juice, flavors like “energizing orange citrus” and “energizing fruit punch” toe the energy drink line. With that distinct Mountain Dew taste, kids everywhere will see Kickstart for what it really is: Soda for breakfast. And we’re pretty sure they’ll be lining up for its Feb. 25 release.

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