You’d be forgiven for saying “ew” at upon hearing the words dirty soda. But along with funeral potatoes, Jell-O, and tradwife Instagram videos, it’s another trend with Mormon roots that’s started to saturate the mainstream.
Since Mormons were on the non-alcoholic drink train long before the word mocktail ever existed, a dirty soda is one way to indulge in a sugary beverage without the alcohol. It’s soda, a latte syrup, and half-and-half. That’s it. So, let’s be honest, dirty sodas really aren’t any less weird than some non-alcoholic spirits or syrup-heavy lattes like pumpkin spice. They just happen to use easily available ingredients. Utah-based soft drink company Swig copyrighted the term “dirty soda” in 2010, and since then, dirty sodas have spread through social media and across the world.
At this point, coastal elites are weighing in. You can now go to a dirty-soda themed café in New York: Cool Sips. The New Yorker published “The Unexpected Pleasures of a Dirty Soda,” in which they sent James Beard Award winner Hannah Goldfield to Utah to investigate this soft drink’s origins. We made a few dirty soda recipes of our own, just in case you’re dirty-soda-curious. All you need is soda and creamer. Was alcohol-free living a little too clean for you? Now you can sip dirty.
We Made 7 Dirty Sodas To Try The Trend
Grape Dirty Soda
Grape soda may not be made from actual grapes, but come on, now, you’re drinking soda. Were you really expecting organic? Head to a vineyard if you want actual grapes! We are here for sugary, fizzy goodness mixed with cream. This is also one of the most beautiful of the dirty sodas we made, with its deep magenta color and cream fizz.
Coconut Cold Brew Dirty Soda
This one would not be cool with the Mormon church because of the coffee in it, so maybe consider your guests before serving this up. Trader Joe’s Coconut Cold Brew is what we had, so it’s what made its way into this little treat. And it mixes nicely with the club soda, cream, and the coconut syrup we added for extra flavor.
Root Beer Dirty Soda
Root beer is one of the longest-standing sodas out there. Our Root Beer Dirty Soda uses hazelnut syrup, while most baristas use Torani or Monin to get a hazelnut flavor in coffee. The nuttiness of the hazelnut syrup pairs well with the root beer for a slightly more elevated soda drink.
Dr Pepper Dirty Soda
The Dr Pepper Dirty Soda is one of the OG’s of the dirty soda movement. It became so popular that you can now get it on the menu at Sonic drive-thrus around Utah and beyond. We put a dash of cherry syrup in it to balance out the Dr. Pepper. You can also get “The Montauk” at New York’s Cool Sips, which is Dr Pepper, mint, and vanilla cream).
Cherry Coke Dirty Soda
Coke-based dirty sodas were some of the first that Swig founder Nicole Tanner came up with, since she often drank Coke to keep up with her busy day-to-day schedule as a mom. And Cherry Coke is delicious, with a hint of fruit beyond the occasionally assertive sugariness of regular old US Coca Cola.
Orange Dirty Soda
This dirty soda is giving major orange creamsicle vibes. With Orange Crush, half-and-half, and vanilla syrup, the citrus and the cream create a creamsicle in a glass. Of the drinks we made, this is probably the best candidate for a little splash of vodka in it to turn it into a cocktail. Just make sure with any of these that you’re using fresh cream and drinking it fast.
Story by Emma Riva
Recipes by Star Laliberte and Kylie Thomas
Photography by Dave Bryce
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