What is dirty soda, and how did a bunch of Mormons on TikTok suddenly become drink influencers?

If you aren’t chronically online, let us bring you up to speed. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is the reality TV series that’s taken binge-watching to biblical new heights. The show follows the trials and tribulations of a group of women in Utah, the home of Mormonism. There’s drama, there’s scandal, there’s swinging and there’s… dirty soda.

The drink has blown up on the internet because the show’s cast is often seen chugging giant cups of dirty soda from local chains like Swig or FiiZ. And Utah and the surrounding ‘Mountain States’ can’t get enough of it. And now dirty soda stores have started opening in Australia, so you can get in on the trend. 

Related story: This obscure ingredient has sold out everywhere, and yes, of course TikTok is to blame

What is dirty soda?

Dirty soda is like a ramped-up variation on a spider -– or as our friends in the US of A like to call it, a float. Rather than mixing a scoop of ice cream into a soft drink, the mid-westerners take it a step further. Dirty soda, in its basic form, is a soft drink poured over ice and then mixed with flavoured syrups – strawberry, raspberry, pineapple, peach, etc – and a splash of cream or coffee creamer. 

What is coffee creamer?

Because we had to google it too, coffee creamer is a blend of vegetable oil, sugar and water, which is usually added to coffee or tea as a substitute for milk. 

 

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A post shared by QLD OG DIRTY SODA SHOP (@whatspoppin_co)

Where to find dirty soda in Australia

You’ll need to head to Queensland for your dirty soda fix. What’s Poppin is Australia’s first dirty soda business, operating a special mobile soda trailer that pops up at markets and events around the state, but the business also sells ‘Poppin Pouches’ on its website, so you can make your own dirty soda at home. Launched by

Fizz has also recently opened in Queensland, and also mostly operates at markets. At the recent Caboolture Street Fest, they made one dirty soda a minute for almost eight hours.

Credit: Getty images / Rimma_Bondarenko

Why is everyone drinking dirty soda?

It’s all thanks to The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. One cast member, Jessi Ngatikaura, said, “Utah is, like, land of the Mormon bar, which are all the soda shops that we have. There’s one on every corner.”

Another cast member has admitted to ordering a 44-ounce (roughly 1.3 litres) dirty soda “six or seven days a week” which she downs in “around an hour.” 

@secretlivesonhulu Taking notes. ✍️ #TheSecretLivesOfMormonWives ♬ original sound – secretlivesonhulu

So what’s the deal with the sodas? As Ngatikaura explains, “We don’t drink alcohol or do drugs, so it’s kind of our vice.”

The Mormon doctrine is quite specific about what its followers can and cannot consume. For instance, fruit should be eaten seasonally, wheat is encouraged as a staple of the diet and alcohol and tobacco are prohibited. The scripture is also quite specific about the temperature of drinks.

“And again, hot drinks are not for the body or belly.” (Doctrine and Covenants, 89:9). Hence the litres of soft drink instead of a cuppa.

How to make a dirty soda

Sorry. You asked.

Ingredients

• 1 can of soft drink
• 30ml syrup of choice
• 30ml coffee creamer or heavy cream
• Ice

Method

1. Pour your (cold) soft drink into a large glass and top with ice
2. Add syrup and creamer or cream and stir thoroughly

Where to watch ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ in Australia?

The scandalous series is now streaming on Disney+ in Australia.

Related story: Schweppes has launched Gelato Messina-inspired soft drinks, here’s the scoop