I Tried Jessi Draper's Viral Dirty Soda
by Adriana ChavezBuzzFeedBuzzFeed ContributorI'm Adriana, an NYC-based freelance writer for Tasty and BuzzFeed Shopping.
Forget Don Draper, you know the Draper I care about? Jessi Draper from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Recently, the reality star and business-owner shared her favorite dirty soda with Tasty.
@buzzfeedtasty / Via instagram.com
But back up, what is dirty soda?
Dirty soda was invented in Utah around 2010, and is made by mixing fountain sodas with flavored syrups, coffee creamer, and other fun ingredients.
@buzzfeedtasty / Via instagram.com
The drink was invented because of the state's large population of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, more commonly known as Mormons. While LDS members abstain from drinking alcohol, coffee, and tea, soft drinks are fair game. And so, dirty soda was born.
Dirty soda has only gained national attention in the last few years, though, as a combination of viral TikToks and from TSLOMW itself, which frequently includes scenes of the cast visiting the popular Utah dirty soda chain, Swig.
@swigdrinks / Via instagram.com
Last year, I reviewed New York's first dedicated dirty soda shop, Cool Sips, which launched in 2024. Since then, brands like Pepsi, Mountain Dew, and Mug have all released dirty soda-inspired drinks. Twizzlers even recently released dirty soda-inspired "straws." Meanwhile, fast food spots like McDonald's and Taco Bell have been experimenting with adding dirty soda to their menus.
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But back to Jessi. Her dirty soda includes Dr. Pepper, coffee creamer, and two eclectic syrup flavors. I had to try it out for myself.
@buzzfeedtasty / Via instagram.com
Ingredients
Here's what you need to make Jessi's dirty soda:
Adriana Chavez
- Dr. Pepper
- Vanilla creamer
- English toffee syrup
- Strawberry syrup
- Crushed ice (not pictured)
STEP 1: Add crushed ice to a glass.
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STEP 2: Add Dr. Pepper
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STEP 3: Add the toffee syrup (I used a capful).
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STEP 4: Add strawberry syrup (once again, I used a capful).
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STEP 5: Add vanilla creamer.
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STEP 6: Mix away, sip, and adjust for taste.
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I added another capful of strawberry syrup and eyeballed more creamer until it matched the color of Jessi's drink.
So, how did it taste?
Here's my review: I liked this a lot more than I thought — while the ingredient combination might be a head-scratcher to those unfamiliar with dirty soda, nothing felt out of place once I was drinking it. The flavors all blended together nicely, but it was hard to pick up on individual flavors. While I added more strawberry syrup (enough so I could actually taste it), the syrup and all the other ingredients were secondary to the taste of vanilla creamer. However, adding additional syrup would've made the drink too sweet. When I concentrated more on the taste, I'd describe it as similar to a Good Humor Strawberry Shortcake Bar. You could also compare it to a root beer float.
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As is, the drink had an optimal level of sweetness and was refreshing with the heap of crushed ice. With the heavy pour of cream, though, it was too rich to finish. I would recommend making a smaller glass than I did.
And yes, the cream in dirty soda can separate slightly. But give it a quick stir, and it'll recombine.
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It's hard to beat a regular soda when I'm having a drink at home. However, I'd order this the next time I'm at Cool Sips or if Jessi were ever to invite me to go to Swig with her (I won't even ask for free services at JZ Styles).
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Have you ever tried dirty soda? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
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