The folks at Pepsi sure are shrewd. They introduced Mountain Dew variants Code Red and Live Wire amid multimedia advertising blitzes, and then almost immediately yanked the products from store shelves to increase demand — only to return them to the market permanently a few months later. Now they’re pulling the same stunt with yet another "limited edition" Dew (in stores through Halloween) called Pitch Black, replete with all the marketing accoutrements you’d expect for such a hip, in-your-face product.

Without question, Pitch Black is the most extreme interpretation of artificial grape flavoring since the TV spokeswoman for Bonkers candy was crushed under a bunch of grapes the size of boulders. Pitch Black’s primary flavor is still that of the original Mountain Dew — only after swallowing it is your tongue hit with the promised blast of black-grape flavor, which acts as a sweet accent to Mountain Dew’s ordinarily bitter aftertaste. The sticky-grape sensation can get a bit cloying after you consume an entire 20-ounce bottle, but it dispels nicely if you add a splash of vodka. Just don’t tell the Pepsi company we said that.

Available in a 20-ounce bottle for around $1.19, a two-liter bottle for around $1.59, and 12-pack of 12-ounce cans for around $4.79 at area grocery and convenience stores.