The cast members of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” aren’t just sharing their husbands, apparently: They’re also sharing their obsession with a certain kind of soda — concoctions so sugary they call them “dirty.”
Episode 5 of the new Hulu series sees cast members Layla Taylor, Jessi Ngatikaura and Demi Engemann share a laugh about indulging in some afternoon depravity as they arrive at a soda fountain. There, behind the counter, rows of syrup pumps glow neon red, green, purple and more.
“I love that we’re all just going to Swig at 3 p.m. together,” Ngatikaura says.
“I just need my Mormon crack,” one of them replies.
Later, Engemann explains why the trio is out having sodas, as opposed to, say, a cocktail or wine.
“We don’t drink alcohol or do drugs, so it’s kind of our vice,” she explains.
Called “dirty soda,” the carbonated drinks have become an all-out craze on social media in the past couple of years.
Read on for more about the drink that has MomTok, TikTok and these “Mormon Wives” obsessed.
What makes it a soda “dirty”?
Dirty sodas are typically made up of a base soda and infused with various flavors from syrup and creams and poured over pebble ice. Imagine a cross between a Shirley Temple and an egg cream. A root beer float with melted ice cream. A cream soda made with actual cream. They’re concoctions made of a soda of your choosing, cream, sometimes fruit, and flavored syrups like vanilla or cranberry and, according to some, a believer’s godsend.
Is this a Mormon thing?
Dirty sodas satisfy a craving that Mormon communities can’t indulge in, serving as a tempting substitute for potential vices. Still, the drinks aren’t limited to the religion. In 2022, the fizzy drinks exploded with popularity on TikTok where users showed off the milky swirls of dirty soda rotating in giant plastic cups. Even celebrities like Olivia Rodrigo showed off their obsession with the drink.
Why dirty soda and not a cocktail or coffee?
Historically, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) have adhered to church doctrine, which requires them to abstain from “hot drinks“ like coffee and tea. In 2012, however, the church clarified that its health practices do not mention the use of caffeine. Enter: dirty soda. It’s no coincidence that the drink became a mainstay of the Utahan zeitgeist around the same time. With many members now quenching their thirst with cans of cola, the demand for bubbly beverages — like dirty soda — erupted.
Who made dirty soda?
Who gets credit for creating the beverage remains up for debate, but Swig, a pioneer in the dirty soda world, was founded by Nicole Tanner in 2010 in Saint George, Utah. According to The New York Times, after brainstorming possible business ideas, Tanner was inspired by a trip to the drive-in fast-food chain Sonic to develop a drive-by soda shop. Offshoots with names like Sodalicious, Twisted Sugar and Fiiz cropped up across Utah soon after and expanded across the country. Check out a location, and you’ll be met with tongue-in-cheek nods to LDS culture, which are unabashed, sometimes surprisingly sexually intimated.
At Swig, for example, there’s “The Founder,” a drink made of Diet Coke, sugar-free coconut, fresh lime and coconut cream. (Any time you add anything to soda, it’s considered “dirty,” Tanner told TODAY.) Head to Sodalicious for a taste of “2nd Wife” (Mountain Dew, fruit syrups, with a shot of half-and-half) or “Sugar Daddy” (another Mountain Dew drink mixed with raspberry, mango, pineapple, vanilla and half-and-half). And you’ll be hard-pressed to find a soda shop with a menu that doesn’t serve some variant of sugar cookies and pretzels.
It remains to be seen whether or not dirty soda’s fizz is strong enough to make it a mainstay beyond the Mountain West region. After all, TikTok trends stick around about as long as pebble ice on a hot day. But dirty soda shops are definitely rising in popularity acrosss the country.
As of 2024, Swig has 62 locations in seven states, and it is planning to double its store count and expand internationally this year. Sonic Drive-In now offers a “make it dirty” option, which adds coconut cream and lime, for any drink. Other dirty soda shops have popped up around the country, like Sip City in Texas, Sodabox in North Carolina and Cool Sips in New York City.
