Cherikee Red is a brand of cherry-flavored soft drink. Its name is a play on the name of the Cherokee Indian Tribe.
The Cherikee Red brand debuted in 1969 as a product of Cotton Club Bottling and Canning Company in Cleveland, Ohio. The product was initially bottled by Cotton Club, the A.J. Canfield Company in Chicago, the Crystal Soda Water Company of Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Will G Keck Corporation's Laurel Springs Beverage division in Kecksburg, Pennsylvania. In the late 1980s- earlier 1990's Cherikee Red brand was distributed by D & M Management, Inc. (Davidsville, PA), an independent beverage distribution firm, in the West Central Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington, DC, and the Northern Virginia areas. As of 2010, the brand is owned by the American Bottling Company of Plano, Texas, a subsidiary of Dr Pepper Snapple Group.
Most commonly found in Ohio and Pennsylvania, the soda is rarely found outside of these two states. Despite not being as commercially successful as other popular cherry sodas, it has a popular nostalgic value within the distribution region of Cotton Club Bottling.
The beverage is bottled in 2 liter plastic bottles, 20oz bottles, and 12oz. cans. Each label features the head of an Indian chief. One can contains 190 calories entirely from 47 grams of sugar.
In 2010, Cherikee Red, in conjunction with R.C. Cola, had brand exclusivity in Pittsburgh's Consol Energy Center home of the Pittsburgh Penguins.