Why SKI Soda Is So Popular in Evansville, Indiana

I Never Understood Hoosiers' Obsession With This Soda Until I Moved Here

I have a confession to make: I've never really been a big soda drinker.

I'll have one every once in a while, but I'm definitely not someone who needs a can of pop with lunch every day. So when I moved to the Evansville area, I wasn't exactly paying attention to what everyone was drinking.

Then I started noticing something.

There is one soda around here that people don't just drink. People are loyal to it.

I'm talking about SKI.

And after learning that August 10 is National SKI Citrus Soda Day, I realized I may have underestimated just how serious the Tri-State is about this stuff.

SKI Is Basically Part of Evansville Culture

If you've spent any amount of time around Evansville, especially on the West Side, you've probably heard someone refer to SKI as "Westside Water."

That's not an official slogan. That's just how deeply rooted this soda has become around here.

Even the Double Cola Company acknowledges SKI's special connection to Evansville. When the company announced a local distribution partnership in 2020, it described SKI as a community staple and specifically noted its "Westside Water" nickname.

For someone who didn't grow up here, I find this fascinating.

Other places have hometown restaurants or foods they're fiercely protective of. Evansville apparently decided, "Yeah, ours is going to be a citrus soda."

And I kind of love that.

But Here's the Funny Part: SKI Isn't Actually From Indiana

This was the part I didn't expect.

For how much Evansville claims SKI as its own, the soda was actually created in Chattanooga, Tennessee, by the Double Cola Company in 1956.

Even the name has a pretty great origin story.

According to Double Cola, employees were asked to help name the company's new citrus drink. Employee Dot Myers submitted "SKI" after being inspired by a water-skiing trip on Chickamauga Lake.

The name stuck, and SKI was born.

So no, despite the name, it has nothing to do with flying down a snowy mountain.

What Makes SKI Different?

SKI isn't just another lemon-lime soda. It's a citrus soda made with real orange and lemon juice, which gives it that distinctive flavor its fans immediately recognize.

And apparently once people around here become SKI drinkers, they become SKI drinkers.

It's the kind of regional product that people miss when they move away and immediately stock up on when they're back home.

The drink's connection to Evansville runs deep enough that SKI has continued to be produced locally, and Double Cola has described the Evansville market as one where the brand has developed a particularly passionate following.

August 10 Is Actually SKI's Holiday

And yes, National SKI Citrus Soda Day is a real thing.

It's celebrated every year on August 10, the anniversary of SKI's debut in 1956. The Double Cola Company created the national day in 2020 as a way for fans to celebrate the drink and its history.

That means SKI officially turned 70 years old in 2026.

Seventy years!

I'm Starting to Understand the SKI Loyalty

Moving somewhere new means learning all of those little things locals know without ever having to explain them.

And apparently one of the unofficial rules of living in the Evansville area is that you need to understand the importance of SKI.

I may never become the person who has a refrigerator permanently stocked with it, but after living here, I definitely understand why Hoosiers especially Evansville's West Siders are so attached to it.

And if someone hands me an ice-cold SKI?

I'm certainly not turning it down.

After all, you've got to stay hydrated with some Westside Water.