In a pickle about dirty soda

Quirky soda cocktails are having a moment, with pickle juice and Oreo flavor just two of the possibilities jazzing up Coca-Cola

- Yamini Chinnuswamy

My first birthday party was well-supplied with cartons of Coca-Cola. Despite being only 12 months old, I apparently had an affinity for the soft drink and guzzled multiple cans throughout the night, my mother recently reminisced.

I gave up cola for many years between my toddler and young-adult years. But I now find myself returning to it and other sodas—specifically, their zero-sugar versions—as a way to slowly wean myself off sugary snacks and alcoholic beverages.

It helps that reinventing soft drinks with new and unexpected flavors and mixers has become de rigueur, with a new viral recipe emerging every year: from fake cola (sparkling water and balsamic vinegar) in 2022 to tea-infused Sprite (tea bags cold-brewed in lemon-lime soda) in 2023.

And now, pickle cola is having its day.

Credit English-Albanian singer Dua Lipa for this soda cocktail. In early October, the 29-year-old pop sensation—who will perform at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Nov 5 and 6—posted a TikTok video that shows her pouring pickle brine and jalapeño juice into a cup full of Diet Coke and ice.

She then garnishes the drink with pickles and jalapeños, jostles the plastic cup for a cursory stir and takes a sip.

She does not explain why she enjoys the drink or how she came up with it, but it was apparently important enough to be among the pinned videos on her TikTok profile.

The unexpected combination got netizens, and other celebrities, buzzing.

British chef Gordon Ramsay posted his own TikTok video in which he sampled the unusual cocktail. He was not a fan, immediately spitting out his first swig with a shocked exclamation: "Dua Lipa, for God's sake, girl!"