Texas Monthly; Getty
The Texan identity has been all wrapped up in Topo Chico for a while now. This is sort of weird. Unlike H-E-B and Whataburger, Topo Chico has never been a Texas company; it’s sourced and bottled in Monterrey, Mexico, and since 2017 it’s been owned by Coca-Cola, the sworn enemy of every die-hard Dr Pepper fan. But Texans are a famously thirsty people—how could you not be in this heat?—and Topo Chico was a reliable quencher. And when we become passionate about a beverage, we demand the world take note. Thus Topo Chico became “Texan.”