I Try Cherry Pepper Schweppes

If you've visited the blog at any point within the past year, I'm sure you would have came across a post or two about cherry-flavoured Colas. I published a post about Coca-Cola's new Cherry Float flavour in March. It was just a few days ago when I wrote about Pepsi's Cherry and Vanilla offering.

It's from searching for those cherry drinks which led me to come across a Schweppes flavour which intrigued me.

Cherry Pepper!? It had to be done.

Buying Cherry Pepper Schweppes

I bought my Cherry Pepper Schweppes from Asda. As of August 4th 2026, the supermarket is selling a case of twelve 150ml cans. These cases are also available on Amazon through Morrisons.

Another option is to look for Schweppes in 200ml glass bottles. There are crates of twenty-four out there in the wild.

Sampling Cherry Pepper Schweppes

After popping open the can, the first thing which struck me was the drink's strong cherry aroma. It was reminiscent of Haribo Cherries. I'm sure I've compared other cherry drinks with those jelly sweets in the past. Apologies for recycling an old take, but that is exactly what initially struck me once the flavour was released.

With that said - after taking the first sip, I was no longer reminded of the Haribo sweets. I thought 'Cherry 7-Up'. That was followed by.... a sneeze! I doubt it had anything to do with the 'pepper', however. 

After following sip one with a couple more mini swigs, something dawned on me: I didn't sense much pepper. Cherry overpowered it.

It was only after finishing off the entire can when I noticed a mild peppery taste in my mouth. Seeing as I signed up for a mix of cherry and pepper,  but feel like the cherry's domination negated the peppery aspect of the drink.

I highly doubt I'd go out of my way to buy this flavour again. But, that's okay. Even though it can be served as a refreshing non-alcoholic pop, I believe Cherry Pepper Schweppes is best served as a mixer to alcohol or as a mocktail.

To close, I'll share a couple of cocktail ideas I have for this mixer flavour.

Cocktails for Cherry Pepper Schweppes

The Dark Pepper Stepper

Ingredients: 50ml dark rum, mint leaves, 150ml can of Cherry Pepper Schweppes

Method: Clap the mint leaves over the glass to release the oils and drop them into the glass, add ice, pour in the rum and top up with the Schweppes

Garnish: Top with a sprig of the fresh mint

Cherry & Black Pepper Spice

Ingredients: 50ml Bourbon or rye whiskey, 150ml can of Schweppes Cherry Pepper flavour, fresh lime juice

Method: Fill a highball with ice, pour in the alcohol and lime juice, top with the Schweppes and stir

Garnish: Use a lime slice or cherries (not Haribo Cherries!)

Wales Takes A Stand Against Infantino

The Football Association of Wales is apparently the first to officially withdraw its support for FIFA President - Gianni Infantino. 

The move takes away one vote of confidence for the head's hopes of re-election.

More FAs are sure to follow suit. I'm actually both surprised and happy it's my own country's FA that did it first.

What Wales Has Stated About Gianni Infantino

The recent failures in good governance, processes, leadership, values, stakeholder management, communications and sound judgement have led us to a position where Mr Infantino has lost the confidence of the FAW to remain at the helm of world football

Failing to put the best interests of football first is a failure we cannot accept

Taysom Hill And The Broncos

In a short follow up to Thursday's post, it looks like Taysom Hill could be on his way to play for the Denver Broncos.

Upon reading that news last night, I immediately thought 'OF COURSE!' to myself.

Hill played under the Broncos' head coach - Sean Payton - for many years. It was so obvious that would be one of his potential next destination. If an agreement can be reached, of course.

I love the prospect of Taysom Hill coming in for plays on that offence. Definitely something to look forward to.

Speaking of 'looking forward' - it's now six weeks until the start of the 2026 regular season. From next Sunday we can start using one hand to countdown.

Buy Taylor's Pro Football Gambling Annual 2026

I Try Cherry & Vanilla Pepsi

The trilogy is complete!

In early July, I mentioned that Pepsi had released a trio of new sugar free drinks. The three flavours all have an ice cream theme. The first one I tried was Rasperry Ripple. That was followed by the surprisingly nice Salted Caramel. Cherry & Vanilla eluded me because it was unavailable on the two attempts.

Well, third time lucky. And all that.

As I've written in the past, I enjoy cherry colas. I also have a fondness for vanilla-flavoured Coca-Cola and even enjoyed Cherry Float Coke earlier this year. I felt that there was a good chance I'd enjoy Pepsi's take on a fruit and vanilla collision.

Unfortunately, even though I found the drink to be refreshing, it didn't live up to my hopes. 

The flavours didn't seem to complement each other in Pepsi's version as they do with the Coca-Cola variety. However, with all that said, there is something that might explain it.

After trying regular Cherry Float Coca-Cola earlier this year, I tried the zero sugar version a little over a week later.  I didn't find it to be as enjoyable as the fuller flavoured one. It's worth pointing out that these Pepsis are all sugar free as well, so maybe there's something to conclude from the two experiences.

It's possible I would have enjoyed a full fat Cherry and Vanilla Pepsi.

Now that I've tried all three, it's time to rank all three flavours. From worst to first. To be fair, if you've read all three posts, I'm sure you'd have worked it out already. 

Ranking the three new Pepsi flavours for Summer 2026

3. Cherry and Vanilla

2. Raspberry Ripple

1. Salted Caramel

The Stand

How Can Gianni Infantino and FIFA Get Out Of This One?

UEFA showed a lot of balls yesterday, when the football governing body stood up against FIFA's plans to offer up the World Cup to private investors. 

Such a proposal could bring around $20 Billion more to FIFA. 

The idea appears to have caught all of the football bodies off by guard. Many are evidently against the proposal but some might be tempted by the monetary reward FIFA's president - Gianni Infantino - has waved towards those whose okay he is looking to secure.

A lot of balls

UEFA has made it clear. No European team will be involved in anything relating to FIFA until such an enterprise is nixed.

Could you imagine a World Cup tournament without any European representation? To put it in current context: the 2026 World Cup had three of the four semi-finalists came from teams under the UEFA umbrella.

So far joining UEFA, in this stand against FIFA, are CONCACAF (The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football) and the Asian Football Confederation.

As well as that - in the midst of writing this post, news that someone high up at FIFA has resigned in protest at the move has filtered in.

Carlos Cordeiro - senior advisor to Infantino at FIFA - has left his post. In his resignation letter, he wrote 'As a senior advisor to the FIFA President, a former banker and lifelong football fan, I cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup.'

The figurative rats are jumping ship. Let's hope the captain does the right thing. 

Taysom Hill Leaving The Saints

Versatile.

Whenever I see that word, I remind myself of a conversation I had with a classmate, in our final year at high school.

We were talking about the Championship Manager PC game. My friend mentioned a player (I cannot recall who!) he always tried to bring to whichever club he managed. I surmise he was in charge of. 

'He's versatile,' my friend stated. He then stopped. 'Do you know what versatile means?' he asked.

'Of course I do,' I uttered with astonishment. Seeing as I remember that conversation all those years later, you can obviously tell how I insulted I was at the question.

I came across my own versatile player as an adult. Not for football. Obviously not for Championship Manager, either.

Taysom Hill is a versatile player in American football. His 'Swiss Army Knife' style has performed well for me whenever I've picked him on my fantasy football teams whether they were regular or DFS.

Whenever he's in the fantasy draft, Hill is assigned as a tight end. That's pretty decent for someone who can feature in quarterback and running back plays. 

If that fantasy football league I play in returns for 2026 (it's not looking good), there's a good chance I'll look out for Hill again. However, it won't be as a member of the New Orleans Saints.

Hill, and the Saints, announced yesterday that he will not return to the team. The player wrote a really nice letter to the city of New Orleans. The Saints, on the other hand, sent Hill off with a touching video tribute.

Selfishly, I hope this isn't it. I'd like Taysom Hill on my next fantasy team. Because he's versatile.

SummerSlam Intros Take Me Back

There's a video, recently uploaded to the WWE Vault channel on YouTube, which took me for a ride down Memory Lane.

It consists of a load of intro videos to WWE SummerSlams from years gone by. They start with 1990 and work up.

Seeing those videos, to begin some of the biggest PPVs in WWF/E history, took me back to some good times.

And bad ones!

There were at least a couple which reminded me of watching SummerSlam on a Monday night with the first day back at school, following the summer holidays, looming.

Not that I completely hated school. I'd have rather stayed home and watched my SummerSlam tapes, though.