Food of the Eighties, Rondo Citrus Soda
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Description
Kind of like carbonated Lemonade
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User Stories and Comments

The following are comments left about Rondo Citrus Soda from site visitors such as yourself. They are not spell checked or reviewed for accuracy.

kelleyp - October 09, 2007 - Report this comment
FINALLY!!!! someone remembers this old soda!! I loved Rondo, kind of corny commercial for it but the taste was kind of a light version of Mt Dew.
Leonard - December 23, 2007 - Report this comment
I remember Rondo too! i remember being a kid and my dad would take me to the store to buy it. No one i talk to can remember it though, finally someone that knows what the heck i'm talking about
chelle_e - March 22, 2008 - Report this comment
I loved Rondo!! I wore my tshirt out. They gave those out in promotion for it and frisbees. I have trouble finding anything related to it. Thank God my Dad worked for Coke and knows I am not crazy.
dave mcgraw - June 07, 2008 - Report this comment
i lived in charleston,sc when i was a kid and my father would have to travel to spartanburg for work occasionally for work and we would buy it at the gas station near the motel, its probably my favorite soda of all time...maybe someone will bring it back one day...its a shame if they dont
michelle - July 19, 2008 - Report this comment
Weird!!! This lemon squash is called 'Solo' here in australia. Exactly the same design diff name. still sold everywhere!!!
ert - July 28, 2008 - Report this comment
yum
Carmen - August 12, 2008 - Report this comment
My brother used to drink this when we were kids. My husband and I occassionaly talk about the treats or snacks we had as kids that they no longer make or sell. I have been trying to recall this soda's name brand and tell my husband the story about how my brother always got to have it and my other brother and I were not allowed to drink "his soda"! Every now and then I'd get to have one can and when I did I thought I was so special...or sneaky. Who knows! Neat to see this after 20some years!!
Marty - August 15, 2008 - Report this comment
I loved it with gin. Better than a gin and tonic!!! Can we find it here in the US?
ROB - October 10, 2008 - Report this comment
I too remember Rondo 'RONDO THE THIRST CRUSHER' You all are right it is extremely hard to find anyone who remembers Rondo. I'm glad I found a few people who do remember it. I am going to contact coke and find out if it has been renamed.
Scott - October 12, 2008 - Report this comment
Aw, yeah! I, too, have received funny looks when I tell my younger friends about this stuff because I'm barely old enough to remember it myself. My grandma used to keep a case of the stuff in green glass bottles, and if I behaved myself I'd get one. Ah, nostalgia!
Dan - November 24, 2008 - Report this comment
When I was a kid, we LOVED Rondo! I grew up in Omaha, and my parents did not keep soda in the house for my brothers and sister and I, so we used to sneak to the corner gas station with our saved up coins - the soda machine there was a Rondo machine! I remember once the machine was broken, and if you put in the coins and kept the button pushed in, the cans would keep flowing out of the machine - that was the best summer ever! To this day, I refuse any kind of citrus soda - mt dew, squirt, etc. - "everyone thinks I am crazy when I talk about this mysterious Rondo soda"!
Johnny La Rue - November 26, 2008 - Report this comment
You can still get Wink in a lot of places - that was my favorite citrus type soda. You can get it online as well. Google it.
Sarah - January 28, 2009 - Report this comment
I lived in the suburbs of Minneapolis and I always drank Rondo with Tombstone pepperoni pizzas. Just thinking about that takes me back to 8th grade!
Wooly - February 02, 2009 - Report this comment
In 1979-80, living in New Mexico, I used to buy Rondo by the case at the distributor. The best was Rondo floats with vanilla ice cream on hot summer days. I sure would love to have one of those again...
Hack - February 18, 2009 - Report this comment
I lived in southern MN, when my brother and I would play golf as kids our treat after the round was a Marathon and a Rondo. Two of the great treats I will never forget.
Jim - March 04, 2009 - Report this comment
I grew up in Minneapolis and used to sneak bottles of Rondo from my older brother's supply. Nobody I know (outside my family) has ever heard of it, but I do still have a bottle cap...
Rob - March 24, 2009 - Report this comment
We did not have Rondo in Waterloo Iowa, but I could go an hour towards Cedar Rapids and get it. I miss the 16 oz bottles. Second best pop behind Mt Dew in a glass bottle. I took a can of Rondo to my grade school and almost got kicked out. The principal thought it was beer.
Heath - May 19, 2009 - Report this comment
My brother and his friends were so into "Rondo: The Thirst Crusher!" that they named thier clique of guys I.R.D.-"International Rondo Dudes". A few have passed awy but the remaining tem is now around 45 years old an still are legendary as I.R.D. in our hometown in Minnesota.
Brian - June 06, 2009 - Report this comment
about 10 minutes I told my wife a Rondo sounded good, she didn't know what I was talking about! I had to show her. I wish they still made it. It really used to help me with cottonmouth:)
HelloDanny - June 10, 2009 - Report this comment
I grew up in Minneapolis and Rondo was the best after cutting the grass on those hot humid summer days. I moved away and forgot all about it until recently I mentioned it to a friend from TX and she had never heard of it.
jake - July 17, 2009 - Report this comment
I'm from Texas and we had it here. I loved it when I was a kid. Why do I keep thinking it became mountain dew? Maybe Mountain Dew was the death of it, I wish someone with some real history would respond.
TheSkiBoy - August 07, 2009 - Report this comment
Rondo! Should be a pro team it was so good. Will it ever make a comeback, I mean come on if Poison can surly something that is really trully god, can. Is there nothing real and good left in america, Bring Rondo Back!!!
Swanee - August 08, 2009 - Report this comment
Growing up in the suburbs of Minneapolis I used to race BMX and and this was the perfect drink after a hard day at the track. If memory serves me correctly they had one of the first aluminum cans. The aluminum that they used seemed very unique also, because it was thinner than others. Ahh, I can still bring back that citrus flavor to my tastebuds. I think I'll call Coke and beg!!
Dereck G - August 11, 2009 - Report this comment
I grew up in Two Harbors Minnesota and I remember getting a few cans of ROndo early in the morning when my dad and I would head up to do some fishing. Those were the days. If anyone finds out where to get some, please let me know.
Jotange - August 26, 2009 - Report this comment
Rondo was a true treat my cousin and I shared. We recently laughed about it and how great the taste was. Why did it go away? Another one we remember was White lightning. Rondo was light and White Lightning had a carbonated kick.
rickyrotten - August 29, 2009 - Report this comment
tagline was: "it's lightly carbonated so you can slam it down"
Steven - September 05, 2009 - Report this comment
Finally!!! No one but myself can remember Rondo,everyone thinks i'm mental...but it was the best soft drink out there,my favorite for many years till it just went missing.BRING RONDO BACK!!!
Tanya - September 29, 2009 - Report this comment
Rondo wasn't made by Coke or Pepsi- it was put out by the 3rd of the "big 3" soda companies: Cadbury-Schweppes. God, Rondo was an excellent pop, and absolutely fantastic with a Marathon bar.
Andy - October 23, 2009 - Report this comment
Rondo and a Marathon bar.... Right on
Dave - November 11, 2009 - Report this comment
I'm in northern Minnesota and everyone used to drink it around here in the early 80's especially at hockey camp in the summer. The uniqueness of it was that you could slam it down fast. I have 1 can of it that I found a few years ago that fell behind a shelf in my parents beverage closet way back then. A 25 year old can of it probably wouldn't taste very good though.
Coke Brat - November 19, 2009 - Report this comment
My Dad worked for Coca Cola in New Orleans in the early eighties. One day, he brought home two coolers that were yellow on the outside and white on the inside. They were cyllindrical in shape and were emblazoned with the "Rondo" namesake. I wish I could find those plastic coolers now. They had black straps to carry them, and I'm sure they would be worth a fortune if I could find them. My Grampa took Rondo when we went out sailing. As kids, we thought it was a "grown-up" drink.
Doug - December 10, 2009 - Report this comment
Sippin' a RONDO, is like driftin' with the tide...laid back and easy! That was part of one of the commercials ( think). I used to drink Rondo like it was good for me. This sure takes me back to a happier time in life!
dman - December 21, 2009 - Report this comment
I have an unopened bottle of Rondo.This was a great soda from my youth
Mongo - January 06, 2010 - Report this comment
I live in Texas and growing up as a kid nothing was better than a cold Rondo. But no one else remembers it but me. Dr. Pepper makes a drink called Squirt and its the closest thing that comes to a Rondo.
Doug - February 04, 2010 - Report this comment
Rondo was owned by Cadbury Schweppes, but many Coca-Cola Bottlers made it and distributed it. It is called Solo in Australia and still made there.
Marty - March 06, 2010 - Report this comment
I used to put gin in my Rondo. Better than a Gin and Tonic!!! I'd sure like to get a case of Rondo today.
Doug - March 17, 2010 - Report this comment
Talk about nostalgia...we used to drink Rondo all the time in Little League. I can picture it clearly...our BMX bikes, sweet bowl cuts, slamming Rondo, playing baseball all summer. Good times. Maybe I'll buy some "Solo" from the internet.
Domingo - April 16, 2010 - Report this comment
I grew up Bakersfield, Ca. I worked in a grocery store as bagger.Every time I took a break I would buy a can of Rondo to drink. Man did it go down smooth. It tasted even better during the summer. I sure wish they still sold it today. Everyone I have asked could not remember the drink. Bring Rondo back...
70s LatchKey Kid - May 09, 2010 - Report this comment
Man... I remember waaaaayyy back when, in mid-70s Austin TX after school on the way home... drinking a Rondo "The Thirst Crusher" while chowing down on a mini-bag of "Prontos" chips. Whatever happened to them? Every time I eat some "Sun Chips", the sorta remind me of the flavor/smell/etc of Prontos?!
ron jeremy - June 23, 2010 - Report this comment
yea baby how about some pop rocks and rondo while smoking a fat one listening to led zeppelin
Cliff - October 23, 2010 - Report this comment
Yep, I remember this drink but that White Lightning had a nice "kick" to it. This was back in the day when you could buy a Rondo, a bag of Nacho Cheese Cheetos, and a chocolate Suzy Q for around a 90 cents!!! A canned soda costs dam near a dollar nowadays!
jackson - November 25, 2010 - Report this comment
Ronda was the best! Does anyone remember Aspen Soda. It was Apple flavored.
Sue - January 16, 2011 - Report this comment
My dad used to work for Cadbury-Schweppes back in the 80's. We have a VERY RARE collection of Rondo items that includes: A pair of Rondo boots A Rondo vest A Rondo belt buckle A Bulova Accutron Rondo watch (It's still in the original box) Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing any of these items. My email is: snowsue1973@yahoo.com. Thanks!
Supertone F - February 17, 2011 - Report this comment
Saw this drink only once, was able to have it only once. In San Fran in 1982. It was love at first taste! Wish it could be found again.
Kimberly W. - February 23, 2011 - Report this comment
I remember back in the mid 70's when I was 3'ish...I would go to the golf course club house at Whiteman AFB with my dad & he would get me a Rondo. =)
cheffdp - March 25, 2011 - Report this comment
Coke cola F up when they quit making it in 1982
Elias A. - April 12, 2011 - Report this comment
i've never had a Rondo though born in 73' but from the sounds of you all, i wish i had. my mom and dad didn't allow us kids to drink soda back then, hmmm... anyhow i work for the city of phoenix water department, and was recently replacing a fire hydrant. while digging i dug up a can of Rondo, almost in perfect shape. i'd never heard of it so i had to look it up. the hydrant i replaced was a 78' mueller, so i imagine the man who installed that hydrant in 78' took a break and had himself a nice cold Rondo. sounds beautiful considering this is phoenix arizona, 120 degree temperatures in the summer time. i think it's pretty cool that so many people loved this drink. BRING BACK RONDO!!!! i want to try a can...
Dirk - May 16, 2011 - Report this comment
Still have a can with the t-shirt in it. Slightly opened pull tab.
Art - June 08, 2011 - Report this comment
I have a can in perfect condition with a T-Shirt in it. Does anyone know how much it's worth.
Lisa Lloyd Johnson - August 21, 2011 - Report this comment
I loved Rondo! We drank it back in the 70's, in Denver CO, where we lived with our mother. We also watched Love Boat & Fantasy Island and McDonalds was a treat. RONDO was good!
Von Stauf - October 31, 2011 - Report this comment
Yes!! Finally some people that understand when I say, "remember Rondo?" The can you can crush!!
David - January 24, 2012 - Report this comment
I drank many a Rondo in the late 70's growing up in Dallas. I still remember the line "lightly carbonated, so you can slam it down fast". I also remember the commercial with the guy barreling down the mountain on grass skis. He looked really thirsty.
vanette - January 24, 2012 - Report this comment
i loved rondo. used to drink it all the time after playing tennis. you could slam those things and not ever feel full. it just was sooooo refreshing. miss it. wish they would bring it back.
Ammo - March 29, 2012 - Report this comment
I used to pound that Rondo stuff. I remember being at the Milwaukee Zoo mid summer probably 1980. In the bird area a parrot crapped on me and my can of Rondo. Im still pissed at that parrot. My parents bought me a new can of Rondo. Bring it back and I'll bring my kids to that wierd zoo.
Shawn - April 15, 2012 - Report this comment
My Dad would take cases of this to Utah in the summer for my Grandfather when I was a kid. Noone remembered the name. Whoda thunk it would pop up on my first attempt with google? Now I can put this mystery to rest.
ChrisD - April 20, 2012 - Report this comment
It was pretty big here in NW ohio and SE michigan.
Jim - July 31, 2012 - Report this comment
Rondo...the pop you can slam!!
Dave - August 12, 2012 - Report this comment
I loved Rondo as a teenager in the late '70's in Minneapolis. I remember me & my friend saying "I'm gonna go home & slam a Rondo" after playing baseball. It was great!!!!
Mike - September 11, 2012 - Report this comment
I usEd to love drinking Rondo pop! to this day I remember the great taste of a marathon bar washed down with a Rondo! you can find a duplicate of marathon bar now called the curly wurly bar. please Coca Cola I beg of you bring Rondo back!
Dave - September 19, 2012 - Report this comment
LOVED IT. My friends and I would drink it with Jack Daniels. We called it Jondo! Of course we were only 16.
bob sharp - September 25, 2012 - Report this comment
Ronda also came in a chewing gum. Anybody remember that?
bob sharp - September 25, 2012 - Report this comment
I meant Rondo came in a chewing gum. Damn spell check!
Tom Huffman - October 09, 2012 - Report this comment
I recently obtained a full unopened bottle of this drink from an ebay auction...ahh...the memories...
Joe Scioscia - October 14, 2012 - Report this comment
Loved the stuff. From what I remember, it tasted like C.C.Lemon, which is currently available in Japan and perhaps elsewhere.
Rondo - November 01, 2012 - Report this comment
Yes...Rondo is my real name and I was born in 1973. What a coincidence!! LOL I bought the entire Rondo Collection from Sue, who listed above. Best money I have ever spent. Sue and her Dad are incredible people and it so happens, her Dad was the same build I am right now so every thing fit like it was made just for me. I had a custom leather belt and cuff made for the Brass belt buckle and wear it daily. I also ordered a 6 pack of Solo from Australia. It is the same as Rondo and tastes the same. It is actually the #1 soft drink in Australia. Not cheap a $5 a can but I was feeling nostalgic after getting my collection. My warmest, most sincere Thanks to Sue and her Father. My Daughter wears her Rondo shirt constantly.
Bronwyn - November 24, 2012 - Report this comment
We still have this in Australia but is is called SOLO. The can and packaging look just the same. The slogan was also the thirst crusher. It is the best citrus drink out there
kenny-bud - December 07, 2012 - Report this comment
My friend made a big thing out of drinking Rondo in Colorado when we were in college in the Early 80's. "You don't want a drink you have to sip, you want something you can slam down fast!" I was so surprised at the end of its run, they changed the ads 180 degrees to, " Sippin' a Rondo!"
Alisha - December 16, 2012 - Report this comment
My older sister and I this was are drink, our bonding time. I so miss Rondo!
Chuck Rondeau - January 20, 2013 - Report this comment
This is so funny. My last name is pronounced just like the soda, so I remember when this drink was on the market in Michigan. In fact, I saved an empty can for years, thinking my future kids might find it funny. Recently I mentioned the soda and the slogan to some people at work, but not one of them remembered it. I think they thought I was nuts. Well, now I have proof for all the non-believers! Thanks!
DavidM - March 26, 2013 - Report this comment
Never was a 'pop' drinker but when the subject comes up, it is 'Rondo' that I always highlight in conversation. It was the best soda in the US market. I think it had very little sweeter (if any), all natural citrus (no coloring) and lightly carb'ed. It was the only 'soda-pop' drink I purchased all the days it was available and was upsetting when it disappeared. This happens too often to great things in the US when big business is involved. Now we are faced with a diabetic, obese threatened society, shameful. "A salute to RONDO"
randy - April 02, 2013 - Report this comment
i rememeber when i was ;iveing in fallon nv.and me and my perant had a dairy in fallon and we use to but rondo soda all the time it is the best drink i had and i miss it why did the compant stop making it,it is the best soda drink.
randy - April 02, 2013 - Report this comment
i rememeber when i use to live in fallon nv and me and my parent use to buy rondo all the time,why did they stop makeing rondo it is the best soda drink i had.i miss it. i hope it come back.
Robert C - August 09, 2013 - Report this comment
I remember Rondo and it was my favorite soda when I was living in Missouri when I was a teenager back in the 1970's and wondered what ever happened to it.
Discomurf - September 18, 2013 - Report this comment
Just recently found out that Rondo was just a re-branded version of 'Solo' which is still available in Australia. And guess what, you can actually buy it in online in the US from this import shop! :D https://www.simplyoz.com/products/australian_foods/vegemite__groceries__beverages/cold_beverages/schweppes_solo
DANNO - September 23, 2013 - Report this comment
Had it for the first time when spending the summer with my grandparents in Minnesota in 1980.It never made its way up to where I lived in Michigan..man that was great stuff!
DON - October 03, 2013 - Report this comment
RONDO WAS AWESOME AS WERE THE MARATHON BARS--WHICH BTW YOU CAN STILL BUY--CADBURY MAKES THEM UNDER A DIFFERENT NAME THAN MARATHON NOW==TASTES THE SAME
Tim - January 28, 2014 - Report this comment
Grew up in SF and no one remembers this stuff! It was my favorite. Does anyone remember the commercials where the guys wore tank tread skis and went down a grassy hill with ski poles? My wife does not believe me.
Kevin - May 26, 2014 - Report this comment
My father strangely purchased 6 cases of Rondo and I drank happily every day at the impressionable age of 13. They need to bring it back. Cannot believe we still cannot this outstanding soda and first tag line.
John - June 22, 2014 - Report this comment
Grew up in bakersfield, ca and loved the stuff. I was only 8 when they stopped making it. Was great in the 107 degree heat. Fond memories of walking to the Disco food store and buying a few cans
shawn - July 09, 2014 - Report this comment
Ask others my age (45) about remembering rondo and they think I'm making this up...grew up in Arkansas remember buying a glass bottle for $.25 every day at school for lunch. It was smoother than mountain dew, still would rather have a rondo than a dew.
J.T. - August 26, 2014 - Report this comment
So cool finding people who miss Rondo. With the mention of Marathon bars,does anyone remember Marathon John? Great commercials.
Barefoot - September 03, 2014 - Report this comment
For my two years in New Orleans enduring the grad student life (late 70s), Rondo remains etched as the refreshing, lightly-effervescent twice-a-day citrus respite midst the heat, humidity and toil of 18-hour days. Good in a can; better in a bottle.
Roger - October 03, 2014 - Report this comment
Tim, I definitely remember the Rondo commercial with the guys grass skiing. I check for it on YouTube every once in a while but haven't found it.
phil - January 19, 2015 - Report this comment
It's funny that so many people remember rondo from such a young age, as I do...: around 3rd grade or so for me, so about 1979, one of the rondo commercials that most impressed us involved japanese martial arts with a weapon. Like kendo (but another comment suggested that it was sparring with a staff). My best friend from two houses around the corner and I took our almost-weightless plastic baseball bats on the front lawn and beat them together--and a passing car yelled the rondo reference out the window. I can't remember if at the time that was embarrassing or not.
Joel - April 30, 2015 - Report this comment
I remember this growing up in Duluth, MN! It was very tasty, sort of a Mt. Dew/ Mello Yello mix. Delicious! And the guy in the commercial crushing the can against his head...Epic!
Glen - May 08, 2015 - Report this comment
A popular soft drink while I attended Ole Miss in the early 80's. Like Mt. Dew but with lighter carbonation. A great Sunday morning drink clear the pipes after a night out in Oxford!
Becky - May 21, 2015 - Report this comment
I loved RONDO, I have a 12 oz yellow can with the label printed up-side down, Someone told me the Company had a contest and if you found one of these cans you were to win something, don't know if that's true. But I have had this can for at least 40 years, I could drive so I was at least 16, and I would drive by a cretin gas station that had a pop machine that carried RONDO..It was a sad day when I went to get my Rondo and they said they couldn't get it any more :( always wondered why they stopped distribution, cause I liked it, and if this can was worth any thing, being printed up-side down and discontinued in my area any way..Mo.
Larenzo C. - May 27, 2015 - Report this comment
I remember buying cans upon cans of Rondo and Country Time Lemonade. Like you all I surely miss good ole Ronda. I thought it was the best soda ever made.
Stuart - May 29, 2015 - Report this comment
Rondo tasted very similar to Simba (to me, anyway) which came out about 10 years earlier. I remember Simba as being more heavily carbonated, though. I loved them both. Both were bottled by Coca-Cola. Does anyone else remember both of these?
BLMike - June 25, 2015 - Report this comment
Does the taste of the Mt Dew DEWSHINE have a taste similar to Rondo? I'm thinking it might but I was pretty damn young when I had it last.
Matt - August 16, 2015 - Report this comment
Squirt soda reminds me a lot of Rondo. Squirt contains grapefruit juice. Most people I have asked doesn't remember Rondo either. I remember my mom trying to run over a snake in the road while I was trying to drink one. It was a rubber some kids had tied a rope to. LOL! I think most of it went up my nose.
Randall - September 15, 2015 - Report this comment
When I was working for a local Pepsi distributor in the '80s, Rondo became my favorite drink. I became known as "POP" Rondo. (pop is an acronym for Point Of Purchase) I was obsessed with putting up P.O.P. (advertising - promotional material) in my customers' stores AND Rondo. Acquired Rondo tees, caps and belt buckles. I am delighted to see how much online info about Rondo. Thought it was a lost memory.
Matt - September 19, 2015 - Report this comment
Just to be clear, Mountain Dew sucks compared to Rondo.
John - December 07, 2015 - Report this comment
I loved Rondo and yes, Simba was very similar. "Rum and Rondo" was a favorite drink of mine. The closest on the market to it these days is probably Squirt, but I think both Rondo and Simba combined grapefruit flavor with some orange flavor, too, so it wasn't quite as harsh. Wish they still made it!
Jody - December 08, 2015 - Report this comment
This was one of my favorite drinks as a kid (never liked Colas, and now all the artificial sweeteners make all of the citrus-y drinks suck. I wish this would come back in it's original recipe. Wasn't it Schweppes who made it? They could go big on a retro movement! :)
Julie - December 14, 2015 - Report this comment
I lived in MN and Rondo was my favorite. I wish they would bring it back.
Ronda - March 13, 2016 - Report this comment
The commercials said, "Rondo! You can slam it down fast!" The guys in my geometry class had a great time calling me Rondo instead of Ronda and using that tagline. I found it really embarrassing! (And the link to the tagline was undeserved!)
Jay - April 10, 2016 - Report this comment
I still have it in my head that Rondo was the best tasting soda EVER!!! And too...it was one of the first on the market that i remember being available in aluminum cans and why they made such a big deal of that being THE THIRST CRUSHER!!! so you could crush the can after quenching your thirst! :) Good times!
James - May 16, 2016 - Report this comment
Im from west central minnesota and grew up in a small town, with one general store. But in front of that store was a Rhondo pop machine. Loved it!
Micky - July 16, 2016 - Report this comment
I bought Ronda at my camp canteen. My cousin and I drank one every single day.
Tony - December 05, 2016 - Report this comment
Wasn't one of the last commercials for Rondo(after the Sippin' a Rondo commercials) a father trying to make sense of his son's slang speech? He was alone on a plain set talking to the camera and at one point describes how his son says that Rondo "is pretty bad, but I'd say it was pretty good." He stresses the words pretty bad and pretty good like he is Bill Murray saying them. He also gives several other examples of how his son's slang has the opposite meaning from his own literal interpretations. Of course, I'm going off of a third-of-a-century old memory, but I think I've got it right. Anyone else remember this? We can only hope someone will find more commercials on ancient VHS tapes. Sippin' a Rondo is like watchin the clouds go by...
Stevo - April 04, 2017 - Report this comment
I grew up in Minneapolis in the 70s and early 80s. Oddly enough there seem to be many other Minnesotans commenting on this message board. The summers were hot an very humid. In other words, perfect conditions for consuming Rondo. Sometimes we would be bmx biking or having karate fights in the woods and notice that we were "working up a Rondo thirst." Basically, we knew that when we were finished we weren't going to want a soda that we had to sip. We were going to want to be able to slam it down fast. This is where the Rondo came into play. Our thirsts would literally be crushed by the Rondo and we'd often remark about how aptly they'd named it "the thirst crusher." I'm glad they've never brought it back because it's a part of our little time capsule of the past and anyway these days it would be loaded with high fructose corn syrup which is literally poison to your body.
Johnboy - April 26, 2017 - Report this comment
I remember a bit of a risqué slogan they used for a short while. "Rhondo (Ronda) goes down fast." We teenagers appreciated the thought.
MarkB - May 23, 2017 - Report this comment
I was just watching old MST3K and Joel made a Rondo reference. I've always remembered drinking Rondo growing up in Minnesota, but no one else out of state ever does, and since MST3K was made in Minnesota by Minnesota natives, it made me wonder if it was just a Minnesota thing. I guess it wasn't but glad to see so many Minnesotans commenting about loving Rondo here!
Charles Mote - November 30, 2018 - Report this comment
I grew up in the Sonora Desert, west of Tucson, AZ. Our high school football and other outdoor sports practices routinely took place in temps exceeding 110-115F. We’d get so thirsty that when the Coach wasn’t looking, we’d drop prone and try to suck a few drops of hot water out of a sprinkler head. They gave us bright orange salt pills, and rarely let us visit the water jug (ostensibly to make us even tougher). In retrospect, it’s astonishing that no one croaked from heatstroke. But, after running my @$$ off and slamming into teammates for several hours in that insane heat, I’d hit the showers, then stroll to the soda vending machine on-campus, toss in a quarter and dime (as I recall), and tap that beckoning Rondo button. I couldn’t help but grin as that ice-cold, bright yellow can clanked its way down, and I would eagerly snatch it up, pop the tab, and inhale it in one glorious gulp. It was a slice of heaven that I will always treasure.
BuzzBusby - February 14, 2019 - Report this comment
It's probably unlikely that historians of the future will ever recognize the importance of Rondo to our generation. It was literally a defining component of our summers as kids growing up (especially in Minneapolis and Arizona as evidenced by this message board). Those were the days when you could work up a powerful thirst through engaging in such activities as kung-fu battles and then fully crush that thirst with the clean citrus taste of a Rondo which was never sticky. Whoever was the genius who decided on the precise percentage of carbonation it contained should have received a Nobel Prize, because you could truly slam it down exceptionally fast. And indeed, back in the day, we rapidly slammed down quite a few. There's almost no way to describe to someone outside of this group of 'Rondo-heads' the palpable ecstasy of seeing one of those cold bright yellow cans at the end of a hard, sweaty afternoon of BMX biking in heat of a Minneapolis summer in 1970s. Am I right? I now wear a large brass belt buckle (vintage Rondo swag purchased on eBay) that commands anyone who looks down there to "SLAM IT DOWN FAST". It was pointed out to me that this could be misconstrued as an innuendo. Although that was not my original intention, it has be recognized as such more than once, and that is all I will say about that! Peace and love, follow Rondo-heads. Here's to us!
peetie - March 26, 2019 - Report this comment
It was a wonderful thing. I used to buy the bottles, have a few in the fridge and when I got home from work I couldn't wait to slam it down. You really could slam it down fast........the thirst crusher. I would love to see it again.
Vermin Jordan - May 19, 2019 - Report this comment
RONDO TRIVIA CORNER!!! //// Which member of the 70s rock band, KISS, was often seen backstage mixing a dash of Rondo brand soda on the rocks with cold gin before going onstage to thunderous applause? (a) Gene Simmonds (b) Mr Paul Stanley (c) Space Ace Freely (d) The Catman.
Clay streed - October 13, 2019 - Report this comment
I never heard of Rondo but I always thought the name would be good for a drink name.I made a video commercial clip last night as a joke just for the fun of it not knowing this stuff ever existed. Then my daughter googled it and found this page. Lol. I would add the short clip on here if there was a way to attach it. HAha
Clay streed - October 13, 2019 - Report this comment
My email is clayclayst@aol.com if u know of a way to add this clip. It’s hilarious.
Callie - January 03, 2020 - Report this comment
I've never had a Rondo that I can remember, I was born in '78. What I do remember is my Dad telling Mom to "Slam it down like a Rondo!" when she was drinking a cup of coffee fast, or saying that we kids had "thrown it down like a Rondo" when we drank something really fast, haha!
Johann - February 11, 2020 - Report this comment
We have something identical Downunder called Solo, might be made by the same company. Yummy as ice cold in Summer. malwhitehot@hotmail.com
Bodyman 2000 - September 19, 2020 - Report this comment
I recently purchased a vintage case of Rondo that had been in a cellar for the past 40 years. A buddy and I dusted it off and waited for a day when the outdoor temperatures were soaring above 90F. When that day arrived we put some in a cooler and headed to the woods. After an intense 10-15 kung fu battle we knew were ready and we cracked a couple open. It was an awesome moment in 21st century Rondo history. Waves of nostalgia flooded due not only to the taste and smell of the beverage but due to the speed with which it went down. This was due to the fact that it was only lightly carbonated. Most recently there has been some speculation that Rondo may also offer some health benefits but I doubt this very much. Nevertheless, it is a wonderful drink and it's encouraging to see that there is a growing movement to bring it back as a part of making the USA great again.
Bodyman 2000 - September 19, 2020 - Report this comment
In my previous comment, just to be perfectly clear, it was supposed to say "10-15 MINUTE kung fu battle". Maybe more like 5 min. It was really hot. Also "waves of nostalgia flooded IN"... so many typos, so little rondo.
DEVO-Chinaman - August 30, 2021 - Report this comment
I did not like Rondo. It tasted so flat. What is wrong with you people. It is time to grow up and admit Shasta was more refreshing.

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