Seven Up / Like


Company Names, addresses, dates1:
  Seven-up Washington Inc, 1129 M Street SE, Washington DC (1938-1940)
  Seven-up Washington Inc, 1325 Kenilworth Ave NE, Washington DC (1943-1970)
  Seven-up Alexandria Bottlers, 704 S. Patrick St, Alexandria VA (1947) 2
  Seven-up Bottling Co of Alexandria, 807 N. Royal St, Alexandria VA (1950-1959+) 2

Notes:
Seven-up was invented by Charles Leiper Grigg in 19293. The company appears in Washington DC directories starting in 1938.
The 1966-1970 directory entries for Seven-up in Washington DC say that they were "bottlers of Tru-Ade". In 1971 the Seven-up bottling plant moved from Washington DC to Forestville MD. Seven-up merged with Dr Pepper in 19863.
Seven-up bottled "Like" diet soda, as there's a Like bottle (and bottle-cap) below that indicate they were bottled by seven-up.

Seven-up also bottled Brownie orange soda, as there's a bottle-cap below that indicates it was bottled by seven-up.


Bottles:

sevenup_11 book # 636
This is an 8" green machine-made crown top bottle with red & white Applied Color Label (ACL):
shoulders: 7up
front: (picture of woman with bubbles) / 7up / REG. U.S. PAT. OFF.
back: A FRESH UP DRINK / FOR THE STOMACH'S SAKE / DON'T STIR OR SHAKE / YOU LIKE 7up / IT LIKES YOU / CONTENTS 7 FL. OZS. / CARRYING THE 7-UP TRADE MARK / THIS BOTTLE MUST NOT BE / USED FOR ANY OTHER DRINK / WASHINGTON, D.C.
sevenup_08 book # 637
This is an 8" green machine-made crown top bottle with red & white Applied Color Label (ACL):
shoulders: 7up
front: (picture of woman with bubbles) / 7up / REG. U.S. PAT. OFF.
back: SEVEN-UP / THE "Fresh Up" DRINK / CONTAINS / CARBONATED WATER, SUGAR, / CITRIC ACID, SODIUM CITRATE, / FLAVOR DERIVED FROM LEMON / AND LIME OILS. / YOU LIKE IT / IT LIKES YOU / CONTENTS 7 FL. OZS. / SEVEN-UP WASHINGTON, INC. / WASHINGTON, D.C.
sevenup_09 book # 637
This is the same as the bottle above, but it's from Alexandria VA. It is an 8" green machine-made crown top bottle with red & white Applied Color Label (ACL):
shoulders: 7up
front: (picture of woman with bubbles) / 7up / REG. U.S. PAT. OFF.
back: THE "Fresh Up" DRINK / CONTAINS CARBONATED WATER, / SUGAR, CITRIC ACID, LITHIA AND / SODA CITRATES, FLAVOR DERIVED / FROM LEMON AND LIME OILS. / YOU LIKE IT / IT LIKES YOU / CONTENTS 7 FL. OZS. / THIS TRADEMARKED BOTTLE MUST NOT / BE USED FOR ANY OTHER DRINK / SEVEN-UP ALEXANDRIA BOTTLERS / ALEXANDRIA, VA.
sevenup_10 book # 638
The main difference between this bottle and the ones above is that this one does not have the square red background around the large "7up". Apparently the red pigment was conserved during World War II4. It is an 8" green machine-made crown top bottle with white Applied Color Label (ACL):
shoulders: 7up
front: (picture of woman with bubbles) / 7up / REG. U.S. PAT. OFF.
back: THE "Fresh Up" DRINK / CONTAINS CARBONATED WATER, / SUGAR, CITRIC ACID, LITHIA AND / SODA CITRATES, FLAVOR DERIVED / FROM LEMON AND LIME OILS. / YOU LIKE IT / IT LIKES YOU / CONTENTS 7 FL. OZS. / THIS TRADEMARKED BOTTLE MUST NOT / BE USED FOR ANY OTHER DRINK / WASHINGTON, D.C.
sevenup_15 book # 638
This is similar to above, but it appears to be newer, so I'm wondering if it is really missing the red pigment because of WWII as described above, or if the red pigment simply wore off? In any case, it's an 8" green machine-made crown top bottle with white Applied Color Label (ACL):
shoulders: 7up
front: (picture of woman with bubbles) / 7up / REG. U.S. PAT. OFF.
back: A FRESH UP DRINK / FOR THE STOMACH'S SAKE / DON'T STIR OR SHAKE / YOU LIKE 7up / IT LIKES YOU / CONTENTS 7 FL. OZS. / CARRYING THE 7-UP TRADE MARK / THIS BOTTLE MUST NOT BE / USED FOR ANY OTHER DRINK / WASHINGTON, D.C.
embossed on the crown-top - front: 13
embossed on the crown-top - rear: L
sevenup_06 book # 639
This is an 8" green machine-made crown top bottle with red & white Applied Color Label (ACL):
shoulders: 7up
front: 7up / YOU LIKE IT     IT LIKES YOU
back: SEVEN-UP / YOU LIKE IT     IT LIKES YOU / CONTAINS / CARBONATED WATER, SUGAR, / CITRIC ACID, SODIUM CITRATE, / FLAVOR DERIVED FROM LEMON / AND LIME OILS. / "Fresh Up" WITH 7up / CONTENTS 7 FL. OZS. / WASHINGTON SEVEN-UP BOTTLING CO. / WASHINGTON, D.C.
sevenup_07 book # 639
This bottle is the same as the one above, except the shoulder has some red coloring and it says "7 FLUID OUNCES" in 2 extra places. It is an 8" green machine-made crown top bottle with red & white Applied Color Label (ACL):
shoulders: 7up / 7 FLUID OUNCES
front: 7up / YOU LIKE IT     IT LIKES YOU
back: SEVEN-UP / YOU LIKE IT     IT LIKES YOU / CONTAINS / CARBONATED WATER, SUGAR, / CITRIC ACID, SODIUM CITRATE, / FLAVOR DERIVED FROM LEMON / AND LIME OILS. / "Fresh Up" WITH 7up / WASHINGTON SEVEN-UP BOTTLING CO. / WASHINGTON, D.C.
sevenup_17 book # 639
This bottle is similar to the one above, except it's 12 ounces & has some minor differences inthe markings. It is a 9.5" green machine-made crown top bottle with red & white Applied Color Label (ACL):
shoulders: "Fresh Up" / with / 7up / 12 FLUID OUNCES
front: 7up / YOU LIKE IT     IT LIKES YOU
back: SEVEN-UP / YOU LIKE IT     IT LIKES YOU / CONTAINS / CARBONATED WATER, SUGAR, / CITRIC ACID, SODIUM CITRATE, / FLAVOR DERIVED FROM LEMON / AND LIME OILS. / "Fresh Up" WITH 7up / WASHINGTON SEVEN-UP BOTTLING CO. / WASHINGTON, D.C.
sevenup_05 book # 640
This is a 10.75" green machine-made crown top bottle with red & white Applied Color Label (ACL):
shoulders: 7up 16 / OZS.
front: 7up / YOU LIKE IT     IT LIKES YOU
back: SEVEN-UP / YOU LIKE IT     IT LIKES YOU / CONTAINS / CARBONATED WATER, SUGAR, / CITRIC ACID, SODIUM CITRATE, / FLAVOR DERIVED FROM LEMON / AND LIME OILS. / "Fresh Up" WITH 7up / CONTENTS ONE PINT / WASHINGTON SEVEN-UP BOTTLING CO. / WASHINGTON, D.C.
sevenup_13 book # 641
This is an 8" green machine-made crown top bottle. It has a barely legible Applied Color Label (ACL), but unlike the other bottles below, it also has some embossing:
embossed on shoulders: 7up
ACL on front: (picture of woman with bubbles) / 7up / REG. U.S. PAT. OFF.
ACL on back: A COOLER OFF / A FRESHER UP / FOR THE STOMACH'S SAKE / DON'T SHAKE OR STIR / YOU LIKE 7up / IT LIKES YOU / CONTENTS 7 FL. OZS. / CARRYING THE 7-UP TRADE MARK / THIS BOTTLE MUST NOT BE / USED FOR ANY OTHER DRINK
embossed on base: WASHINGTON / [G] / D.C.
like_01 book # 642
This is a 9.5" green machine-made crown top bottle with red & white Applied Color Label (ACL):
shoulders: DIETS LIKE / Like
front: DIETS LIKE / Like / ARTIFICIALLY SWEETENED / SPECIAL DIETARY / CARBONATED BEVERAGE / The Diet Drink of Seven-Up Quality
back: 1 CALORIE / PER 6 FLUID OUNCES / CONTAINS / CARBONATED WATER, CITRIC ACID, CALCIUM / CYCLAMATE*, SODIUM CITRATE / SACCHARIN*, FLAVOR / DERIVED FROM LEMON AND LIME OILS. / * CONTAINS 1/10 of 1% CALCIUM CYCLAMTE... / SEVEN UP BOTTLING CO., / WASHINGTON, D.C. / CONTENTS 10 FL. OZS. / A Product of The Seven-Up Company
According to Wikipedia, this was 7-up's diet drink from 1963 until 1969, when it was discontinued due to the government's ban on cyclamates.



Bubble Variations:
sevenup_bubbles Most 7-up bottles have exactly 7 bubbles in the square on the shoulder, 7 bubbles in the large square on the front, and 7 bubbles above the arms of the woman. Some bottles will have an extra bubble though.
The bottle on the right has the normal 7 bubbles. The bottle in the middle has an 8th bubble to the left of the woman's right arm. The bottle on the left has an 8th bubble above the womans head. All 3 of these bottles are marked with 'WASHINGTON DC'.



Other items:
sevenup_18 This is a 7" diameter thermometer. It's made of metal with a glass face, and it seems to be shaped like a boat's steering wheel. The face is painted with:
    (degrees from -20 to +120 FAHRENHEIT) / DRINK / (picture of 7up bottle) / YOU LIKE 7-UP     7-UP LIKES YOU / COMPLEMENTS OF / SEVEN-UP WASHINGTON, INC. / WASHINGTON, D.C.
crate_01 This is a wooden crate that held 7up bottles. It's marked in red with:
sides: "Fresh Up" WITH 7up
ends: WASHINGTON, D.C. / 7up     7up
sevenup_12 This is a black & white bottle cap. It is marked:
front: 7up WASHINGTON INC. / 7up / REG U S PAT OFF / WASHINGTON, D.C.
edge: AJAX
sevenup_14 This is a silver, black & red bottle cap. It is marked:
front: 7up / REG U S / PAT OFF
edge: WASHINGTON SEVEN-UP BOTTLING CO WASHINGTON, D.C.
sevenup_16 This is a silver, black & red bottle cap. It is marked:
front: 7up / REG U S / PAT OFF / KING SIZE
edge: WASHINGTON SEVEN-UP BOTTLING CO WASHINGTON, D.C.
sevenup_19 This is a white & red bottle cap. It is marked:
front: TWIST OFF / 7up / The Uncola / ...
edge: BOTTLED BY WASHINGTON SEVEN-UP BOTTLING CO INC WASHINGTON DC 20019
cap_02 This is a white & green bottle cap that says:
front: DIETS LIKE / Like / TRADE MARK
edges: WASHINGTON SEVEN-UP BOTTLING CO. WASHINGTON, D.C.
cap_01 This is a purple & white bottle cap that says:
front: Grape / TruAde / not carbonated
edges: WASHINGTON SEVEN-UP BOTTLING CO. WASHINGTON, D.C. LESS THAN 1/10 of 1% SODUM BENZOATE & POTASIUM SORBATE
Some city directories for Seven-up say that they were "bottlers of Tru-Ade since 1966", so I presume this cap is from 1966 or later.
brownie_02 This is an orange & black bottle cap that says:
front: BROWNIE / (picture of a "brownie") / ORANGE SODA
edges: SEVEN-UP BOTTLING COMPANY, WASHINGTON, D.C. / ART. COLOR CONTAINS CARB. WATER, SUGAR, ORANGE JUICE, OIL OF ORANGE AND PULP, CITRIC ACID, LESS THAN 1/10 of 1% BENZ OF SODA


1 Boyd's Directory for the District of Columbia (various years)
2 From Alexandria city directories between 1940-1959 (however not every year had a directory)
3 History of 7-up Info from this web site
4 Info about 7-up bottle markings from this web site


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This page last updated on April 14, 2024.