Could Pickle Dr Pepper Become The Drink Of The Summer?
From water and iced tea to a tall glass of classic lemonade, there are plenty of refreshing drinks out there that can quench your thirst on a hot day. If you happen to care about what's trendy, however, there's a new beverage you might consider filling your cup with this summer: Pickle Dr Pepper.
No, this isn't a new addition to the doctorate-holding soda's product line (although we do wonder where it would fall in our ranking of Dr Pepper flavors). Rather, the concoction is one you either have to mix up yourself or specifically request at the drive-thru. TikTok user @mississippimemaw did the latter when they introduced the unique beverage to the world in a video posted on May 1. "It's Dr Pepper with dill pickle slices in it," the TikToker explained after ordering the beverage from their local Sonic Drive-In, adding, "And don't knock it 'til you try it."
The combo has since become a bit of a phenomenon, with one Sonic representative telling Today that they've noticed an uptick in orders for the beverage they've since dubbed the "Dr Pepper Pucker." The rep also noted that the concoction could even become an official menu item if it gets popular enough — though the jury is still out on whether Pickle Dr Pepper is a hit or a miss.
The internet is divided on Pickle Dr Pepper
The combination of pickles and refreshing drinks is nothing new. In the American South, a delicacy known as the Koolickle — aka a pickle marinated in Kool-Aid — is a common find at gas stations, and who could forget the sold-out pickle-flavored wine cocktails that started as an April Fool's Day joke in 2023? Still, it doesn't necessarily look like TikTok user @mississippimemaw's Pickle Dr Pepper is a shoo-in for soft drink stardom this summer.
@mississippimemaw Pickle Dr Pepper #pickle #sonic #sonicdrivein #pickles #fyp #fastfood #mississippi
Reactions to the viral refreshment have been all over the place. Some, such as The Dallas Observer's Jordan Maddox, find it thoroughly unenjoyable. Others seem to appreciate the sweet, salty, tangy flavor that the combo creates. "It reminded me of the salt on a chocolate chip cookie," one TikTok user wrote in the caption of a video posted by NBC 5.
Some soda fans, like the TikTok account @preston2016, have had trouble understanding the hype surrounding Pickle Dr Pepper, because they couldn't taste the drink's pickle flavor when sipping on the beverage. This could be because they received the pickles in a separate cup, not mixed directly into the drink, which would ultimately take any additional pickle juice — and, therefore, extra pickle flavor — out of the equation. So, if you want to try this TikTok-famous beverage, you might want to mix it up at home where it may have a better chance of becoming your drink of the summer.