Review: Sonic's Tajín Strawberry Mangonada Slush Misses The Mark

Sonic is bringing a little kick to its latest Flavorista Favorites drink menu. The drive-in's latest creation, the Tajín Strawberry Mangonada Slush, is a collaboration that brings a tangy heat to a cool Mexican classic. A slush featuring strawberries and mangonada syrup gets topped with Tajín seasoning to add a zesty lime punch.

If you've never had a mangonada, it needs to be at the top of your new drinks list. It is a Mexican staple that has risen in popularity across the U.S. in recent years thanks to a bold combination of flavors. The base is a frozen mango pureé that's then infused with other fruit flavors and often topped with a salty, citrusy spice mix.

I visited my local Sonic location to try out the new drink for myself. Read on to find out if the Tajín Strawberry Mangonada Slush deserves its spot among Sonic's Flavorista Favorites or if this slush is a taste bud overload.

The Sonic app is an absolute must-have for anyone who's a fan of the chain. As with most new items, the Tajín Strawberry Mangonada Slush hit the app early — February 24 — and will be available exclusively through the app until March 3. From there, this is a limited release, so while there's no official end date, you definitely don't want to wait if you're interested in this slush. The drink comes in a standard medium size and costs just $2.99.

This is a sweet treat, and the nutritional facts back that up. A medium contains 24 grams of sugar and, thanks to the Tajín spices, 290 milligrams of sodium. While adding salt to cocktails is hardly a new trend, it's not quite as common in a non-alcoholic beverage, making this slush somewhat unique.

If there was ever a drink perfectly suited to sum up the Sonic experience, this might be it. The Tajín Strawberry Mangonada Slush is super sweet but a bit disappointingly one-note. For a drink where the base is supposed to be frozen mangos, strawberries steal the show on this one. It's not the first time I've seen Sonic get lost in the strawberry sauce. The Paradise Sunset, a feature on the Sonic Summer Menu, was supposed to be a blood orange drink with a strawberry purée, but as is the case here, the strawberry is the dominant flavor.

Of course, the headline on this beverage is not the mango or the strawberry; it's the Tajín seasoning. A little spicy with a citrus punch, the salty little flakes do help elevate this take on the Strawberry Mangonada above your run-of-the-mill slush, but as with the mango, I want more. A dusting on top is hardly enough to infuse each sip with the flavors the spice provides. The result is that the top half of the drink — where the Tajín is present — offers a nice salty-spicy-sweet kick, while the bottom half is a sugary but indistinct slush.

This is a good drink that falls short of being great. If mango is what you're looking for, keep looking. If strawberry is the draw, then you're in the right place. And if Tajín is what you're really interested in? Well, then bring some of your own to add to the party. The Tajín Strawberry Mangonada Slush is fun, fruity, extremely sweet, and worth a try. Just try not to set your hopes too high.

I visited my local Sonic and ordered a medium Tajín Strawberry Mangonada Slush through the app. After snapping a few pictures at the drive-in, I packed the drink into a cooler and took it home for additional photos and the taste test. My evaluation was based on taste and how well the drink lived up to its billing. Sonic did provide the sample drink at no charge, though Mashed was not compensated in any way for this review.