People Across Utah Are Obsessed With "Dirty" Sodas. Here's Everything You Need To Know.

Salt Lake City, Utah, is known for its beautiful scenery, the 2002 Olympic Games, The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, and its location as the worldwide headquarters for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, otherwise known as the Mormon Church. It also happens to be the location of a soda shop chain that has taken over my For You Page in the last few months.

And if you, like me, binged all of Hulu's recent reality series, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, then you definitely know what I'm talking about.

In the show's first season, which premiered on Hulu on September 6, 2024, viewers got an inside look into just how prevalent these soda shops are in some Utah-ers lives. “Six out of the seven days of the week, I’m having at least one 44-ounce soda,” said one of the cast members, Layla Taylor, in episode 5. “I’m probably only going to live to like 50, but it makes me happy.” Another cast member, Demi Engemann, agreed, “We don't drink alcohol or do drugs, so [soda] is kind of our vice.”

Pamela Littky / Disney

I've tried to understand how dirty sodas became so popular in Utah, and the best I can garner is that coffee and tea are not consumed by many in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints faith. Depending on how devout your Mormonism is, you may or may not choose to consume coffee or tea because of a Revelation related to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints received in 1833 which says, and I quote, “Hot drinks are not for the body." In 1833, it was thought that the most common “hot drinks” were coffee and tea.

For those who may be unfamiliar with the show or the trending TikToks, "Dirty Soda," as it's commonly referred to, is your favorite soda and then some. According to Swig — which calls itself the "home of the original dirty soda" — this trend started "simply as a splash of coconut in your favorite drink." From there, the world of soda drink offerings has expanded, and now customers have their choice of pre-fixed menu items and syrup and creamer offerings depending on the shop's location. But generally speaking, a "dirty soda" is a soda that's mixed with flavored syrups and creams. How many flavored syrups and creams one chooses to add is in the customer's hands.

So recently, when I visited family in the Holy Land of Soda Shops—aka Salt Lake City, Utah—I knew I would sacrifice my stomach lining to see what this dirty soda craze was all about. And for the record, I don't care that this is unhealthy or that some doctors would tell me not to drink excessive amounts of soda and cream like this. I! Don't! Want! To! Hear! It! I'm not here to talk about health and wellness today but to have FUN. And my idea of fun is, unfortunately, developing parasocial relationships with reality TV stars who live in Utah.

I did my research! I wanted to know what these Utah Mormon Wives were drinking six days a week. I added the recipes I could find that appeared on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, and then I also added a recipe that Nara Smith said she ordered for good measure. It felt relevant!

Lara Parker, Nara Smith / Via tiktok.com

I even double-checked the official TikTok account for Swig and cross-checked recipes before going.

Swig TikTok / Via tiktok.com, Swig TikTok / Via tiktok.com

And Jessi Ngatikaura, a cast member of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, seemed to confirm that these recipes were indeed correct in the comments.

Once armed with the exact orders in my Notes App on my phone, I looked around to see where the closest Swig was to where I was located, only to discover that I had no less than 15 options to choose from.

I chose one in the suburbs of Sandy, Utah at random and made my way on a Friday night.

They had a drive-thru, but I needed to sort through my notes and experience the store's inside. I was the only person inside on a Friday night around 6 p.m., but the drive-thru line was kind of popping.

Here's the full Dirty Soda menu at Swig. I would have tried them all if I had a stronger stomach and an unlimited budget. Alas. Next time.

Outside of "Dirty Sodas," they also offer a limited food menu, a kids menu, and Refreshers (non-soda) and Revivers (more caffeine? IDK!). For the purpose of this experiment, I focused solely on their Dirty Sodas, but I have heard that their pretzel bites are good. Again, next time...

Lara Parker

I decided to order five drinks in total in varying sizes and flavors.

I was kind of shocked to discover that all of these drinks cost $21.97 in total. Living in Los Angeles has ruined me.

As soon as I got the drinks in the car to take home and try I noticed what the coconut cream looked like on the top of the drink and immediately felt nauseous.

But nevertheless, I persisted and got all the drinks home without spilling a single drop. I lined the drinks up on the kitchen counter from the biggest size (44 oz) to the smallest size (16 oz) so that you can get an idea of sizes here. One thing was for sure: there was no way in hell I was finishing these drinks.

Let's start with Layla. Below is a close-up view of Layla's order. WARNING: Proceed with caution because I'll say it: This looked genuinely repulsive! The Mountain Dew mixed with mango, strawberry, and coconut cream made me want to throw up on the spot. As a rule, I am not a fan of Mountain Dew. It's the most overrated soda, IMHO (fight me!) But dare I say...this drink was actually so good! It didn't taste like the Mountain Dew of my memories. It tasted like a creamy, fruity mixed drink that I would consume on a beach somewhere far away from Utah. Would I want to drink more than 5 oz of this at a time? No, I would not. Did my stomach hurt after drinking it? Yes, it did. But does my stomach always kind of hurt? Mmm, again, yes. So I guess Mountain Dew won this round.

Demi's order was the drink I expected to like the most. Flavored sparkling water—what could go wrong? But surprisingly, this was one of my lower-ranked drinks of the ones I tried. It was nice that it felt less heavy and stomach-ache-inducing than the others, but the aftertaste from the various syrups was A LOT. When I awoke at 4 a.m. in the middle of the night after drinking these drinks, sure that I would throw up all over my brother's guest room carpet, it was this drink I thought of first.

Next, we have Jessi's drink. I expected to like this one the most because Dr. Pepper is the most underrated soda on earth. Why is Dr. Pepper so good? IDK! But it deserves its flowers. And I was correct in thinking I would like this, btw. It was Dr. Pepper...but better? I will say that it's hard for me to imagine a world in which regular old Dr. Pepper needs improving, but this combination did add some flair. I remain a fan for life.

Next up, we have Nara Smith's order. Now, obviously, Nara Smith is not on the cast of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, and, quite frankly, as far as I know, she has no affiliation outside of being Mormon. But in my head, she does. Therefore, I felt like I had to try her drink of choice, which, by the way, is also a very popular pre-made menu item that Swig offers! I thought I would like this one second best after Jessi's Dr. Pepper combo, but I actually preferred Layla's drink (the Mountain Dew one) over this combo! Have I lost my mind? Has the coconut cream and five different types of drinks gone straight to my brain?? One can only hope.

And finally, a drink that no one from any reality TV series has claimed yet (that I know of!) but just something that sounded good because I am obsessed with Sprite. (Dr. Pepper and Sprite are tied for me as the Best Sodas Ever, followed closely by Diet Coke but NOT Sierra Mist.) This one was called "The Missionary" and before I remembered where I was, I thought it was referencing a sex position. (It most definitely is not.) Unfortunately for me and my gag reflex, this one came in a see-through cup, so I could very clearly see the coconut cream curds floating on top, which was an immediate turn-off. But, overall, this drink did kind of slap...and I would order it again.

So, there you have it! My official review of Dirty Soda is that I understand why people love these drinks and I wholeheartedly support them. I love them too, but my stomach doesn't exactly agree. I can't imagine drinking one of these babies six days a week, but no one is asking me to do that anyway. Next time I am in the Salt Lake City area I likely will go to Swig again. It's an experience, and one that I enjoyed being able to have. Now, let me go tell my doctor about this...

Until next time!

Have you tried Dirty Soda at a soda shop? Let me know your order below!