Dear Mousie,

I gave Mountain Dew Code Red to a regular
Mountain Dew enthusiast friend of mine a few
weeks ago. He had never tasted it before.
Upon drinking it, he exclaimed "They STOLE
my RECIPE!"

Apparently he and his family had been mixing
regular Mountain Dew with cherry-flavored
Kool-Aid for years with similar results. Indeed,
I do recall drinking the stuff at gatherings at
his home in the past. The taste is similar, if
not exactly the same.

Now, to address a point you made in your
letter: my wife loves Shirley Temples and
orders them frequently in restaurants where
they are made. She tasted my Mountain Dew
Code Red once and didn't like it. How do you
explain this discrepancy?

Sincerely,

Grishny