Off-Brand Drinks That Taste Better Than The Real Thing (Slideshow)

Though we whined and complained that we could taste the difference, our mothers stood firm that the too-sugary-not-sugary-enough-just-tastes-wrong feeling we were experiencing was all in our heads.

While participants in a Huffington Post taste test didn't love 7-Eleven's orange flavored beverage more than Sunkist, they did prefer it to much pricier sodas like San Pellegrino and Izze (which came in last). 

In another Huffington Post blind taste test, users preferred the Walgreen's brand cola to Coca-Cola, preferring its "subtle, smooth" taste. 

Patrick O'Keefe, host of the web series Soda Tasting, knows his soda, and even he mistook the Food Lion brand soda for the real thing. At just a fraction of the cost, switching could be worth it.

Rachael Ray raves about the taste of Shasta's cream soda over bigger names. Her panel of taste testers said the vanilla seemed "less fake" than other brands.

Bubble Up isn't actually generic, as it's been around since the 1920s, but people forget it in favor of 7 Up. Rachel Ray's soda tasting panel preferred Bubble Up's "limey and dry" elements.

Again, Ray's panel liked the off brand over the bigger brands like Barq's. It wasn't too sweet and had just the right amount of carbonation.

Known as the "nectar of North Carolina," locals can't get enough of this super carbonated, cherry flavored soda. 

Participants in The Huffington Post's blind taste test loved the sugary taste of Whole Foods brand soda even more than Coca-Cola classic.

Like Cheerwine, Nehi is more forgotten than generic, but fans really love its over-the-top-sugary artificial fruit flavor, much more so than they like the more mainstream Fanta.

Though most have forgotten about RC Cola, first produced in 1905, in favor of Coke and Pepsi, the brand has over 80,000 followers on Facebook who enjoy its mega sweetness and lower carbonation.