Sunset Sarsaparilla Company The Sunset Sarsaparilla Company was a pre - War softdrink manufacturer , well known around Las Vegas for its eponymous Sunset Sarsaparilla drink . Background . Pre - War . Around or before 1918 , a local saloon owner living in a small town decided to produce a new brand of soft drink . This action was in response to the limited choices the American people had regarding carbonated beverages at the time . He asked his usual patrons what flavor he should make his new beverage , but to no avail . Luckily , a stranger down at the end of the bar suggested the bartender make a sarsaparilla - flavored drink . He agreed to share his family ' s recipe for their signature beverage with the barkeep , in return for permission to sample a bottle at the latter ' s own discretion , in order to ensure the recipe was being followed exactly to the letter . Seeking a potential for wealth and success , the saloon owner agreed , arranging a meeting with the stranger the next evening . However , the sheriff paid a visit to him the next morning , delivering the bad news that the stranger had unfortunately been ambushed and murdered by bandits on the road . Cursing his luck , the barkeep shut down his saloon early that day , just when the sun began to set . To his surprise however , he found a bottle and a letter sealed with blue wax in the shape of a star right on the surface of the bar , just as he had finished locking down the establishment . It turns out the sealed envelope contained the recipe for a sarsaparilla - flavored drink , the same one the now - deceased stranger had promised him earlier . The bartender sampled the contents of the bottle , finding it " singularly delicious . " He used the recipe to brew his now - signature beverage - Sunset Sarsaparilla . It eventually went to become a great success , churning in tons of profit for the former saloon owner . Being an honorable man , the barkeep payed for his mysterious benefactor ' s funeral , feeling it was the least he could do to repay him . Eventually , he moved to the big city and founded the Sunset Sarsaparilla Company , soon opening a bottling plant in the west side of Las Vegas . Before the Great War , a competitor attempted to negotiate a deal to buy out the Sunset Sarsaparilla Company , but the offer was declined . On the other end of the deal was no more than John - Caleb Bradberton , founder , CEO and president of the rival Nuka - Cola Corporation . In response to this failed deal , he commissioned the development and release of a root - beer flavored variant of his signature drink . A regional exclusive to the area surrounding the famed Nuka - World theme park , the end result was Nuka - Cola Wild , an attempt by Bradberton to capitalize on the success of the Sunset Sarsaparilla brand . Post - War . The history of the star cap is largely a promotional story with may have only a hint of truth . False rumors about a ' contest ' involving specific Sunset Sarsaparilla bottle caps began to circulate around the bottling headquarters in Las Vegas , which in turn led to the announcement of the running " Legend of the Star " collection campaign . Stories of the contest became very distorted following the Great War , and the actual simple prize ( which consisted of a retelling of the fictitious story by the company spokes bot and a small metal Sunset Sarsaparilla deputy badge ) became a bloated tale of pre - War technology , weapons caches , and all sorts of other amazing loot . Known facilities . Sunset Sarsaparilla headquarters in New Vegas Known products . Sunset Sarsaparilla . Sunset Sarsaparilla , although not very popular anywhere else , found a niche market in and around Las Vegas , but before the Great War , a rumor was sprouted up stating that if a person collected 50 special blue starred caps they would be rewarded with a prize . This shot up sales in every commonwealth in the United States and Canada , except for the Columbia Commonwealth and Eastern Commonwealth . After the war , Sunset Sarsaparilla was the most popular in the Southwest Commonwealth , and can be easily found anywhere in New Vegas . Some specially marked bottles of Sunset Sarsaparilla have a ' special blue starred cap ' . Appearances . The products of the Sunset Sarsaparilla Company appear in " " and are mentioned in Fallout 4 ' s add - on " Nuka - World " .