Dua Lipa’s got “New Rules” and one of them is that it’s perfectly acceptable to pair Diet Coke with pickle juice.
On Oct. 5, the pop star was in Austin, Texas ahead of her performance at the Austin City Limits Music Festival, and prior to taking the stage, she and her entourage enjoyed some local cuisine at La Barbecue. While enjoying her meal, Lipa made a unique drink to wash everything down, posting the impromptu recipe to TikTok.
“Step one, Diet Coke,” Lipa says at the start of the clip while she fills her cup with soda. “Then pickle juice … and a couple pickles from my hands,” she says as she dumps in some brine, and a couple slices fall out of the container onto her hand.
Lipa then adds some juice from a container of pickled jalapeños, calling it “sauce,” before noticing she’s attracted a little bit of attention.
“Everyone’s staring at me,” Lipa says as she adds some pickled jalapeños to her drink. “The lady in the back is like, ‘What the hell is she doing?’” (The lady might also be thinking, “What is this famous pop star doing here?”)
Lipa mixes her beverage up, takes a sip and asks her tablemates if they’d like to try her curious concoction. They oblige.
“Not bad,” one says, and a second taste tester remarks that the drink is “really pickly.” Another woman simply shivers from the sour hit after taking a taste. Lipa’s dad, Dukagjin, also tries it. He has no discernable reaction, in stark contrast to his superstar daughter.
“That is…,” Lipa says, while shrugging her shoulders with pleasure, as if the drink makes her want to “dance the night away.” “Mmm.”
Lipa’s video garnered more than 4.4 million views and thousands of comments — to no one’s surprise.
It may sound like an odd combo, but it’s very similar to the Dr Pepper with pickles from Sonic that went viral in May and has actually been around for some time.
“Ok I’m intrigued,” commented one TikTok user.
“Everyone’s staring because you are Dua Lipa 😭,” commented another, to whom someone else replied, “I would glance a several times if I saw Dua Lipa, I would STARE if I saw anyone doing this 😂 (and we love her for it but girlie what😭).”
“I want to make this, but I don’t know where to get pickles that have been on Dua Lipa’s hand,” joked another person.
Understandably interested in Lipa’s swicy soda were TODAY’s own Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager, who made it for themselves on the Oct. 7 show.
“Dua Lipa has got the TikTok all abuzz one more time,” Hoda said to Jenna. The pair watches the TikTok with trepidation as the three-time Grammy winner pickles up her drink. Back at the table, a tray of ingredients sits before them.
“We have a Diet Coke,” Jenna said to raucous laughter from those on set. The pair looked visibly worried ahead of their taste test but tried to look on the bright side. “Pickles are really good for you,” said Jenna.
“Are they?” Hoda asked.
“Somebody told me that,” Jenna said, potentially remembering a TODAY.com story on that very subject. (Pickle brine has health benefits, too!)
The co-hosts assembled their drinks: Jenna dumped in the pickle juice, while Hoda made sure not to add too much pickle brine or jalapeño juice.
“We’re not doing the jalapeño,” Hoda said, opting not to put a whole jalapeño slice in her drink. “We want to survive the show.”
Taking a taste, Hoda immediately had a negative reaction, cringing at the beverage. Jenna initially doesn’t get a read on it, so she goes in for another sip.
“I taste the jalapeño. Dang, the jalapeño is spicy,” Jenna said after taking a swig. “I like it.”
“You like it?” Hoda said incredulously, pointing at Jenna’s facial expression. “No, you don’t, you don’t, you don’t.”
“I kind of like it … I think it’s delish!” Jenna concludes with a shrug.
