All 6 Drinks In The New Sonic Flavorista Favorites Lineup, Ranked
As the temperatures outside soar, Sonic is gearing up to help you beat the sweltering heat. The iconic American drive-in is celebrating the start of summer with six new drinks available exclusively through the Sonic app. These drinks –- dubbed the Flavorista Favorites –- range from classic cola-inspired concoctions to sugar-packed summer slushies. The lineup debuted at the X Games Ventura 2024, presented by Sonic in late June, and became available nationwide on July 1.
We sent our reviewer to try all six drinks to help you decide which Flavorista Favorite to include in your next order. The drinks were ranked based on flavor, color, trueness to their menu description, and how much they screamed summertime fun. While nutritional information was not factored into the rankings, we've included the calorie and sugar contents of each to help you make the most informed decision possible, though we highly recommend ordering with your heart when it comes to fun treats like these.
6. Twisted Flamingo
The Twisted Flamingo is a drink that's confused as to what exactly it's meant to be. The milky, bubble-gum pink color would seem to indicate a fruit-forward experience, but in the end, it just tastes like a creamy mystery-flavored soda. The official Sonic menu description lists the Twisted Flamingo as, "A refreshing twist of lemon-lime, cherry vanilla and sweet cream," which at least helps to sort out the drink's identity. The cherry is present but could just as easily be confused for another artificial fruit flavor, while the lemon-lime is nowhere to be found. The vanilla and sweet cream are unmistakable and tasty in their own right, but if this was advertised as a "fruit-flavored cream soda," no one would argue.
With 310 calories and 75 grams of sugar in a medium, the Twisted Flamingo is far from the least healthy of the Flavorista Favorites but it's also the least fun. There are far better options further down the list worthy of a spot next to your burger and fries.
5. Grape Escape
Few things in the culinary world are as consistent as artificial grape flavor. No matter where you get it, what it's in, or how many years it's been since you last savored the almost-fruity-flavor, it's always the same. Sonic's Grape Escape soda is no different. The deep purple drink conjures memories of similarly-colored popsicles, Pedialyte, and childhood fluoride treatments, but that doesn't mean it's bad. In fact, compared to other grape sodas, the Sonic Grape Escape is lighter and doesn't leave behind a saccharine film inside your mouth. Still, it's not the most innovative flavor on the list which is why it lands at number five.
Nutritionally, the Grape Escape is the lightest option on the Flavoista Favorites menu, with 200 calories and 53 grams of sugar in a 20-ounce medium. For the sake of comparison, the small 14-ounce size contains 120 calories and 31 grams of sugar, 40 calories and 13 grams of sugar less than a smaller, 12-ounce Grape Crush soda. Grape lovers, get in on the Grape Escape as soon as possible. Everyone else, keep reading.
4. Rainbow Slush
It's not very often a drink looks and tastes like a firework display, but that's exactly what Sonic has achieved with their Rainbow Slush. A combination of three slushie flavors come together in a single glass to create a sugar bomb that screams summer like only a few frozen drinks can. I'll be honest, it's hard not to think about the contents of this drink when sampling it. The kid in me wants to guzzle every drop until the inevitable brain freeze hits, while the adult in me can't help but think of the copious amounts of sugar and artificial colors streaming up my straw. The good news is that at 310 calories and 81 grams of sugar, the Rainbow Slush is only slightly sweeter than the Twisted Flamingo and a whole lot more fun.
I tried my best to identify the three distinct slushie flavors and managed to nail the blue raspberry and the clear color that acts as the conduit for the strawberry purée, but the green had me stumped. My taste buds said it was sour apple, while Sonic labeled it lemonade, with green coming from a melding of blue and yellow dyes. Either way, this drink is everything a slushie should be: sweet, colorful, ice cold, and capable of turning your tongue a delightful shade of blue.
3. Classic Cruiser
Staying power is a key factor in considering anything a classic. The vintage cars that carry the title still turn heads on the roads today, and even the music from composers like Beethoven and Bach can be heard the world over centuries after their debuts. When it comes to classic sodas, both vanilla and cherry cola probably rank as high on your list as on those of your grandparents. Sonic brought the pair together in their Classic Cruiser, and the name is well-earned. The cherry and vanilla flavors meld perfectly while the cola base bubbles and pops delightfully over Sonic's crushed ice. This drink could just as easily spring from one of today's touch-screen soda machines as from a soda fountain in a 1950s diner, making it the perfect summertime beverage.
Of course, if you're looking for fun, you shouldn't look at the sugar content. A medium Classic Cruiser will run you 270 calories and 71 grams of sugar. It's hardly a health food, but it's a small price to pay for a nostalgic summer sip.
2. Paradise Sunset
Whether it's by the lake, over the ocean, or looking across a city skyline, few things encapsulate summer like a dazzling sunset. Somehow, Sonic managed to take that feeling and turn it into a drink with their Paradise Sunset. Billed as, "A bubbly drink with a citrusy burst of blood orange and real strawberries that whisks you away to paradise" on the Sonic website, this beverage delivers on its promise. While the blood orange flavor isn't the most distinct, there's no denying the strawberry influence. From the brilliant dark pink color to the texture provided by the strawberry pure, the Paradise Sunset hits in all ways the Twisted Flamingo misses. This is a drink that knows what it is: a sweet, strawberry-forward soda that is refreshing from the first sip to the last.
While it's no Grape Escape, the Paradise Sunset contains only 240 calories and 62 grams of sugar in a medium. Considering there's at least the presence of real strawberries in this drink, we give you permission to treat this as a fruit salad and enjoy it guilt-free.
1. Lemonade Cream Cooler
When does a drink fall out of the beverage category and into the dessert classification? Is a milkshake a drink or a dessert? If you're saying the presence of some additional milk is enough to push several scoops of ice cream to the beverage menu, I applaud your creativity. (Though the first milkshakes were more than just milk and ice cream.) It's likely the same thinking that allowed Sonic to place the Lemonade Cream Cooler on their Flavorista Favorites drink menu. A combination of tangy lemonade and creamy soft serve allow this drink to expertly straddle the line between beverage and dessert. The pale yellow color is the one thing that keeps lemon in the forefront because the taste screams of frozen key lime pie, and it is fantastic.
Naturally, anything that can be described as "pie in a glass" isn't going to be something you can fit into your everyday diet. A medium contains a whopping 570 calories and 110 grams of sugar, but can you really put a number on happiness? At Mashed, we don't think so, which is why the Lemonade Cream Cooler is hands down the number one must-try item on Sonic's new Flavorista Favorites menu.
Methodology
Our reviewer visited his local Sonic and ordered all six drinks in person. He sampled them shortly after and took the pictures that appear in this article. Every drink was ranked based on its flavor, how true it was to its menu description, color and appearance, and general summer feel. While "summer feel" is hardly a scientific criteria, this is a summer drink menu, and if images of time by the pool, firework displays, and sunshine weren't conjured by a few sips, the drink fell down the rankings. Sonic did not pay Mashed or the author for this review nor was Sonic aware of the review when the drinks were prepared.