If you are a fan of the long-running television comedy — dramady? — series, M*A*S*H, which aired from 1972-’83, then you are well aware that Radar O’Reilly’s favorite drink was Nehi grape soda.
Radar’s love of grape Nehi was a running theme across many seasons of the show. According to this History Oasis article, Nehi was mentioned in 47 episodes, with Radar once trading a month’s worth of coffee ration for a single case of his favorite soft drink.
I always perked up when grape Nehi was mentioned in a M*A*S*H episode, because it was the absolute favorite soft drink of my late grandmother, Vida Stafford. In fact, I’m pretty sure it was the only soft drink she would consume. There were always grape Nehi’s in her refrigerator.
As a kid, I helped myself to a grape Nehi whenever I visited my grandparents home in Booneville, Ark. I became a big fan of it myself.
Then over the years, I lost track of grape Nehi and assumed it was no longer being produced because I never saw the brand in stores. I haven’t even seen it at Pop’s in Arcadia, which is the mother-of-all-soda retailers, although maybe I just overlooked it.
So that brings me to August 2025. I discovered Cracker Barrel sells grape Nehi among the many nostalgic candy and soda brands it offers.
My wife and I were recently on a scouting mission to Cracker Barrel to gauge the pulse of its angry MAGA patrons during the brief period in which it changed its logo. (OK, we actually were there to enjoy some comfort food).
When we arrived at the store along I-35 in far north OKC, it was filled with customers, and we had about a 35-minute wait for a table. I didn’t hear any chatter about the logo or ‘going woke,’ but as I sauntered through the store during our wait, I stumbled upon a soda display that had a grape Nehi right in the middle.
It made my night. Grape Nehi lives!
A wave of nostalgia actually washed over me at the sight of the grape Nehi because of the memories made 60 years ago or more. I found myself right back in my grandmother’s kitchen rummaging through her refrigerator in search of a grape Nehi.
Did I load up on grape Nehi that night? I did not, but I do plan to try a bottle soon to see if it lives up to what I remember.
There are decades of wonderful memories wrapped up in that single bottle of grape Nehi. I hope it doesn’t let me down.
BONUS CONTENT: I ran across this article about a company in Cleveland, Miss., that has bottled Nehi sodas for almost 100 years. It was published in the Bolivar Bullet, a newspaper based in Cleveland.
Jim Stafford's BlogOKC 