Rating the 10 best diet drinks

Diet drinks are big business. And I assume they've come a long way. I don't actually have a top ten list, or maybe I will by the time I finish with this message, but here are the categories of diet drinks, IMO. You, as always, are invited to chime in.

Great, maybe better than the real thing - more flavor with less calories, the best of both worlds.

Coke Zero - doesn't leave your mouth feeling sticky nor make you thirstier after drinking. The perfect blend of fizz, sweetness, and color. Once it loses its carbonation, it's worthless, however.

Diet Barq's - very similar to Coke Zero's attributes, though it's okay without the fizz.

Sprite Zero - by itself, it's about even with Sprite. Sprite Zero rises above with the addition of orange or lemon juice. Mix them and you have one of the best drinks ever made.

Diet Crystal Lite Lemonade - darn good, darn good.

Good, but on par with the original

Diet Coke with lemon - just enough citric flavor hides that disgusting Diet Coke flavor

Diet Dr. Pepper - like Diet Barq's, it really loses little flavor or bite, but the original edges it out ever so slightly.

Diet Mountain Dew - the original is so bad, if we followed the letter of the law, this might be in the first category. But it doesn't deserve its place among the Coke Zeroes of the world. It is better than the original, but the flavor isn't good either.

Bad

Diet Coke - I don't think I can come up with many non-alcoholic drinks more repulsive than this drink.

Diet Coke with Vanilla - I remember them marketing this hard. I fell for it and nearly threw up as a result.

Diet Pepsi - Pepsi is not as good as Coke, but Diet Pepsi isn't as bad as Diet Coke

Well, there's ten. Kind of hard to think of ten off the top of my head, so I 'll stop. Diet drinks, let's hear it.