Cheerwine Zero exists. It is a black cherry flavored soda. Idk if it is available outside of the SE USA, where I live. Wikipedia says “It has been produced since 1917, claiming to be ‘the oldest continuing soft drink company still operated by the same family.’” So, maybe less evil? I do know it tastes quite good.

Fritz Kola super zero

Make the spice syrup at home and mix that directly into your bourbon then carbonate the results and add water as needed.

It will be a million times better and you’ll only need to make new syrup a few times a year.

An example recipe is here https://www.flavorlab.xyz/recipes/cola

Kombucha can scratch that soda itch for me. Humm makes some good ones and is not on the boycott list.

There are also Italian sodas you can make with syrup and sparkling water, let’s you choose the strength of the sweetness too

Find some local alternatives. There’s so many craft sodas out there these days.

My favorites around here are Northern Sodas, Lift Bridge, and 1919 Root Beer. Holy shit, pony kegs of 1919 are the best thing ever.

Edit: I forgot about Sprecher Soda somehow. Their Green River is. The. Best. Soft. Drink.

Tap water.

I used to drink a lot of carbonated drinks but after I gave them up, I don’t miss them.

Almost all soda is produced by a corporation run by psychopaths. Your best bet is to stop drinking soda.

don’t go for similar - nothing will taste close to your favorite.

find something new that you love.

asparthame is the zero-cal sweetener that tastes the best to us, so try Clear American flavored waters at Walmart

Does your local grocery store have store brand softdrinks? They can taste similar. Our local store has good quality store brand products that are sometimes better than their name brand counterparts. Obviously if you only have Walmart, then that’s not a model corporation and you’re out of luck.

If you cant find anything i would like to point out that to contribute doesnt have to be an all or nothing affair. It’s basically impossible to exist in the imperial cores economy without your money going to something horrific. What you can do though is reduce your impact. Buy things when theyre on sale only, and try not to use them as often for example. In general just reducing the amount of money you spend reduces how much you contribute to bad things. Reduce consumption overall. Learn to make things yourself, grow a garden, herbs, etc. Repair old clothes instead of replacing them. There are hand sewing tutorials on youtube, and i find it relaxing personally.

When you do shop maybe try going to local places, if theres a farmers market near you check them out this spring, and avoid big name stores. Its not just the products that support bad things, but the stores too. I don’t drink soft drinks so i can’t tell you an alternative tho. But don’t want you to fail to find one, and just give up on the idea. Even reducing helps.

Try a Old Fashioned.

non-sweetened grapefruit sparking water is a good mixer for ryes and bourbons imo

would doctor pepper work. not sure about near you but they are constantly on loss leader here. it was sorta funny. they were cheap then they got second place in colas and the sales went away. I bet their sales dropped because after a few months they came roaring back. It has a nice taste like a cherry cola but lighter.

Lime and Soda, raspberry lemonade

I wonder how similar opencola is