soda

When the soft drink 7-Up first came out it was 'lithiated'. The soda used to include lithium citrate, which is now better known as a mood-stabilizing drug. Similar to how Coca-Cola famously used to contain cocaine, the makers of 7-Up were capitalizing on the popularity of "medicated" soft drinks at the time.

That's what inspired this experiment. The original 7-Up did not contain a chunk of metal lithium but the end result is entertaining. The solution even ends up working as an indicator, changing from colorful to clear and back again depending on the acidity of the solution.

They grow 'em big out in Missoula, Montana--literally. The smalltime organic local grocer, Orange Street Food Farm is displaying a bewitching, window-length installation of Toadstool, Luigi, and Mario that consists of 12-pack soda bottles. 

The store's weekend manager disclosed to the press that the whole operation's the ingenious brainchild of a Coca Cola Sales rep (a raise probably fast approaches on the horizon). Here's a closer look at the 12-foot high display: