Seriously? "Jack and Diet Dr Pepper." Is that even a thing?
 

The guy sitting near me on the train just ordered a "Jack and Diet Dr. Pepper". Is that even a thing? We just left too. Damn. Traveling is getting tougher and tougher.

Why not? I enjoy cognac with Dr. Pepper...preferably Remy XO with real sugar glass bottle DP. :)

They don't have real sugar in Diet Dr. Pepper. I don't think. But if they do, I'm guessing not on Amtrak. ;)

approx age?

From my anecdotal evidence when I used to tend bar, younger (mostly men) would order Jack & some sort of soda, friends of mine included. As they got older, most dropped the soda and simply asked for the booze:D

Bingo. Early 20s.

I must confess I've been tempted to dump some Johnny Walker Blue into orange juice while in the BA First Lounge at LHR just to see the reaction of the people around.

Jack and Coke is pretty popular. I had a boss that would drink them nonstop. I've seen Diet Coke substituted into this drink as well. I must admit to never having seen Diet Dr Pepper.

Sounds like me to a T. In my early 20s I was a Jack and Diet Coke person (until I stopped drinking soda and then I switched to ginger).

Now in my late 20s I've dropped the soda in most instances though if it's a low quality whiskey/bourbon I still ask them to throw in a dash of ginger on the plane (on the ground I either wouldn't buy that bourbon/whiskey or would make it into a full cocktail).

I don't find this particularly strange. As noted Jack and Coke, Jack and Diet Coke, Jack and Ginger are all quite popular. Haven't seen Diet Dr. Pepper but I don't drink soda and never liked Dr. Pepper when I did but can see the appeal if a DDP fan.

I don't think I've seen anybody order that particular combination before but I'm not terribly surprised. People mix whiskey and rum with all kinds of sodas-- including diet sodas, if they're trying to limit sugars while still enjoying sweet drinks.

I don't think it's odd at all, other than that it's probably sickeningly sweet-tasting.

Just because people do it doesn't make it right. I mean when I was younger we tried mixing Koolaid powder in 190 proof Everclear but it was wrong.

1) People still travel by train? :D
2) You can order drinks on a train? :D
3) As a youth I traveled to Japan with friends and we bought Suntory and mixed it whatever was available from the vending machines. Many mixes were actually quite good. (*Insert Bill Murray's "SUNTORY TIME")

NY to DC, absolutely. I was riding the train with several people who had to bail on their canceled flights (really bad thunderstorms over most of the east coast) and ride the train instead. I almost always ride the Acela between NY and DC. And they serve drinks in first. And a sit down meal.

In our late teens (maybe 20) a bunch of us went to Montreal for a weekend. We had started drinking g&t recently - it was the hot thing on campus. A friend who wanted to impress the attractive bartender proudly walked up and ordered a "tanqueray and sapphire." She gave him a strange look and confirmed, I started laughing, but he stuck with it. Now that was vile.

How do the drink prices compare on Amtrak vs up in the air? It is $7 for a beer/liquor on AA if memory serves.

Free in first on both :)