Dirty soda started as a nickname a handful of regulars gave their favorite order at a small Utah drive-thru. Now, soda makers are racing to bottle their own versions of a drink that grew out of Utah’s specialty soda shops. That drive-thru order has gone from a regional inside joke to something major brands now want their name on.
Swig’s founder opened a drive-thru soda shop in St. George, Utah, in 2010, and one of its early drinks combined coconut syrup with Dr Pepper. A regular customer’s coworkers began calling the order a “dirty Dr Pepper,” and the nickname stuck.
Several other Utah soda shops have competing claims to popularizing the trend, but Swig has long claimed credit for the name. The company later held trademark protection for “dirty soda” but lost it after failing to renew due to a clerical error, just as the term was about to take off nationally.
In December 2021, a photo of pop star Olivia Rodrigo holding a Swig cup circulated on Instagram. TikTok helped push the drink beyond Utah after that, with #dirtysoda eventually reaching millions of views. The customer-coined nickname has traveled fast, with awareness of dirty soda among U.S. adults climbing from 56% to 75% over the past year and the share of people who have actually tried one nearly doubling from 21% to 42%. Big beverage brands have taken notice.
Soda giants chase the same nickname
PepsiCo brought Mountain Dew into the trend this spring, introducing Dirty Mountain Dew nationwide in April with a blend of the citrus soda’s classic flavor and a smooth, creamy finish inspired directly by the trend. PepsiCo has also been pushing customization through its DRIPS by Pepsi platform, which now shows up at venues including Vail Resorts, Hershey Park and Formula 1 Las Vegas.
The coconut Dr Pepper pairing that helped popularize this trend eventually caught the company’s own attention. Dr Pepper brought back its Creamy Coconut flavor nationwide this spring, describing it as a “dirty” fan favorite inspired by the culture around customized soda. The company’s own announcement credited the comeback to direct fan demand on social media. The launch ties a national product directly to a nickname the company didn’t create.
Retailers and drive-thrus caught up fast
Chick-fil-A took a different approach entirely, folding its own version into a bigger 80th-anniversary campaign. In January, the chain added Frosted Sodas and Floats to its permanent menu nationwide, blending its Icedream soft serve into fountain drinks like Dr Pepper, Coca-Cola and Sprite. Chick-fil-A doesn’t market the drinks as dirty soda but as a nod to old-fashioned soda fountains. However, the combination, soda plus a creamy add-in, lands in the same territory, and it’s been described as the chain’s own take on the trend.
Target has leaned into the trend too, sharing a secret menu of dirty soda recipes built around its Good & Gather soda line. Slice launched Dirty Orange and Dirty Strawberry as Target-exclusive ready-to-drink flavors in May, using coconut-derived MCT oil in place of cream for the format’s texture. Company representatives point to a 265% jump in social conversation and a 300% increase in on-site searches for dirty soda over the past year. A retailer is now selling a drink that started as a nickname among regulars at a Utah drive-thru.
The same research suggests dirty soda has moved well past restaurant menus. About 62% of dirty soda drinkers now make their own versions at home, and 64% of them keep two to three flavored syrups on hand at any given time. Nearly 89% of those drinkers say they love or like the finished product. That coconut Dr Pepper order, once just a nickname among regulars, now describes a drink-making habit shared in kitchens across the country.
Dirty soda’s rise from a handful of Utah soda shops to a category chased by national soda and restaurant brands shows how far a customer favorite can travel. Whatever its exact origin, dirty soda has become something the country’s biggest beverage companies now want their name on.
Mandy writes about food, home and the kind of everyday life that feels anything but ordinary. She has traveled extensively, and those experiences have shaped everything, from comforting meals to small lifestyle upgrades that make a big difference. You’ll find all her favorite recipes over at Hungry Cooks Kitchen.