For those who may be unfamiliar with the show or the trending TikToks, "Dirty Soda," as it's commonly referred to, is your favorite soda and then some. According to Swig — which calls itself the "home of the original dirty soda" — this trend started "simply as a splash of coconut in your favorite drink." From there, the world of soda drink offerings has expanded, and now customers have their choice of pre-fixed menu items and syrup and creamer offerings depending on the shop's location.
But generally speaking, a "dirty soda" is a soda that's mixed with flavored syrups and creams. How many flavored syrups and creams one chooses to add is in the customer's hands. So recently, when I visited family in the Holy Land of Soda Shops—aka Salt Lake City, Utah—I knew I would sacrifice my stomach lining to see what this dirty soda craze was all about.
And for the record, I don't care that this is unhealthy or that some doctors would tell me not to drink excessive amounts of soda and cream like this. I! Don't! Want! To! Hear! It! I'm not here to talk about health and wellness today but to have FUN. And my idea of fun is, unfortunately, developing parasocial relationships with reality TV stars who live in Utah.
So, there you have it! My official review of Dirty Soda is that I understand why people love these drinks and I wholeheartedly support them. I love them too, but my stomach doesn't exactly agree. I can't imagine drinking one of these babies six days a week, but no one is as.
