23 Apr 2025 The sweet, creamy drinks phenomenon sweeping America
Nearly two-thirds of Americans aged 18 to 34 say alcohol consumption negatively affects their health. The hottest new trend amongst younger generations is dirty sodas….
Coke with a slice of lime? Even better, what about a Diet Coke with lime juice, coconut syrup and coconut cream?
Dubbed dirty sodas, they’ve been popping up on social media and TV for years, but are now very on trend, according to this report.
A dirty soda is a soda with add-ins. Just about anything is fair game, but the most popular additions are flavoured syrups, half-and-half cream and fruit purees. Think of dirty sodas as cocktails without any of the alcohol or hangovers.
There are dirty soda shops nationwide, but that wasn’t always the case. Before all the hype, these soft drink creations were quietly sipped by residents in one small city – Utah.
Utah is famous for many things, but perhaps it’s best known as being the home of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For the faithful, being Mormon comes with a few restrictions on their diets, mainly the requirement to abstain from coffee, tea and alcohol. Soda, however, is allowed.
Although many non-Mormons think the Church bans caffeinated sodas, that’s not the case. In fact, soda, even caffeinated soda, is a popular beverage among churchgoers. It’s their afternoon pick-me-ups and the drink of choice for social events. But drinking the same soda day after day is boring.
Nicole Tanner, a Mormon mother of five, had a plan to make soda more exciting. Drawing on her passion for Diet Coke with lime and her frustration with the poor service at her local fast food drive-thru, she decided to open Swig in 2010 in St. George, Utah.
Tanner told Nation’s Restaurant News that she wanted to “create an amazing experience with a superior product and make people feel special in that drive-thru line.” She wound up doing that and so much more.
The rise of country-wide popularity
According to a report by The Food Institute, searches for dirty sodas on Yelp were up over 600% from 2023. That’s a lot of momentum, and social media was one of the major driving forces behind the increased interest.
Celebrities like Olivia Rodrigo aren’t afraid to share their love for the drink online. The singer and star of “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” posted a photo of herself holding a Swig cup back in 2021. TikTok creators still post thousands of dirty soda recipes and reviews in 2025.
Dirty sodas became so mainstream through social media that a major soft drink company attempted to capitalise on the trend. In 2022, Pepsi aired a Pilk and Cookies ad featuring a Santa outfit-clad Lindsay Lohan making a dirty soda. Dirty sodas have also been featured on the popular TV show “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.”
Why dirty soda shops are popping up everywhere
The concept may have begun in the mountain states, but soda shops with similar menus have spread nationwide. Some are franchises of Utah chains, and many are independent startups.
The concept’s low-overhead and high-profit-margin business model makes dirty soda shops inexpensive to open, with a ready customer base thanks to social media and changes in drinking habits. With fewer young people choosing to drink alcohol, according to Gallup, the market for exciting and customisable drinks is expanding.
While coffee shops can satisfy this craving for personalised beverages, dirty soda shops offer customers many more options….
TheSeattleTimes.com: Read the full story here