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Crystal Pepsi is coming back to Miami.
PepsiCo confirmed its clear soft drink will return for the “last” time. The soda’s comeback coincides with the Crystal Pepsi Throwback Tour, a multicity tour of music artists who made it big in the 1990s.
The tour, which will visit three U.S. cities, will make its final stop in Miami August 13 at Marlins Park, where the rap trio Salt-N-Pepa will throw the ceremonial first pitch. The postgame concert, which will include a performance by Salt-N-Pepa, will occur in the ballpark’s West Plaza. For tickets, tune into Y-100 (WHYI-FM 100.7), 93.9 MIA (WMIA-FM), or 103.5 the Beat (WMIB-FM), or visit iheartradio.com.
Crystal Pepsi was introduced in 1992 and remained on store shelves until 1994, when supplies ran out. The drink’s genesis is often credited to Yum! Brands Executive Chairman David Novak, who called it the “best idea” he ever had, but the “worst executed.”
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“It would have been nice if I’d made sure the product tasted good,” Novak said in a 2007 interview with Fast Company. “Once you have a great idea and you blow it, you don’t get a chance to resurrect it.”
That wasn’t exactly the case. Crystal Pepsi was revived for a limited time in 2016 after more than a year of campaigning by fans. Then, in November, PepsiCo announced the clear cola would return for the third, and final, time in 2017.
The release spurred imitations. Coca-Cola introduced a short-lived Tab Clear sugar-free soda in late 1992. Crystal Pepsi even prompted Saturday Night Live to spoof the drink in a satirical commercial for the fictitious product Crystal Gravy.
When Crystal Pepsi comes back for the “last” time, it will be sold in 20-ounce bottles for the suggested retail price of $1.79.
Crystal Pepsi Throwback Tour. With Salt-N-Pepa. Sunday, August 13, at Marlins Park, 501 Marlins Way, Miami; 305-480-1300; miami.marlins.mlb.com/mia/ballpark.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly described how to enter and who was entertaining.
