A few office workers who kept ordering the same drink from a Utah drive-thru started calling it a dirty Dr Pepper. The name stuck long after they left the counter, and it stayed inside Utah’s specialty soda shops for years. Now that inside joke has drawn in PepsiCo, Dr Pepper, Chick-fil-A and Target, all racing to put their own name on it.
Swig‘s founder opened her drive-thru soda shop in St. George, Utah, in 2010, mixing coconut syrup into Dr Pepper as one of the shop’s early creations. That combination is the one regulars nicknamed, and Swig has claimed credit for the name ever since, even though a few other Utah soda shops say they helped popularize the trend too. Swig actually held a trademark on dirty soda for years, then lost it after a clerical error kept it from being renewed, right as the term was about to take off nationally.
A Nickname That Started Spreading Online
A photo of pop star Olivia Rodrigo holding a Swig cup started circulating on Instagram in December 2021, and TikTok picked up the trend from there. Awareness of dirty soda among U.S. adults has climbed from 56% to 75% over the past year, and the number of people who have actually tried one has nearly doubled, from 21% to 42%.
PepsiCo and Dr Pepper Are Chasing It Too
Mountain Dew jumped in first, launching Dirty Mountain Dew nationwide in April with a creamy twist on its usual citrus flavor. PepsiCo has also been rolling out DRIPS by Pepsi, a customizable drink platform now showing up at Vail Resorts, Hershey Park and Formula 1 Las Vegas.
Dr Pepper went back to the source, bringing its Creamy Coconut flavor back nationwide this spring, the same combo that started the trend, and crediting the comeback to fan demand on social media.
Retailers and Drive-Thrus Have Also Jumped In
Chick-fil-A took its own approach, adding Frosted Sodas and Floats to its permanent menu in January as part of its 80th anniversary celebration. The chain blends its Icedream soft serve into drinks like Dr Pepper, Coca-Cola and Sprite. Chick-fil-A frames the drinks as a throwback to old-fashioned soda fountains, not as dirty soda, but the combination has 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 flavors in May, using coconut-derived MCT oil instead of cream. Company representatives point to a 265% jump in social conversation about dirty soda and a 300% increase in on-site searches over the past year.
That customer-invented nickname has traveled a long way from one napkin at a Utah drive-thru. About 62% of dirty soda drinkers now make their own versions at home.
If you want to see what the fuss is about, grab your favorite soda, a splash of coconut syrup and a little cream, and make yourself a dirty soda tonight. It is exactly how Swig’s regulars started the whole thing.