Today’s post comes with a warning! I know that many of you come to my website looking for ideas that promote health and wellness, and that is something I usually try to accommodate because it is important to me. But if that’s why you came here today, you might want to turn around. 🙂 Today’s post is about one of my “dirty little secrets”….my passion for “dirty diet coke.” The last time I had the audacity to even mention diet coke in a post, the comments got a little out of control. The only thing I’ll say before my daughter-in-law tackles this “controversial” topic is that I’m a big believer in MODERATION IN ALL THINGS. I know diet coke is not the greatest choice in beverages…but sometimes I just want one…and so I have one. It’s that simple.
So you have been forewarned. If reading about drinking diet soda is going to make you see red, do yourself and everyone else a favor and come back tomorrow. 🙂
Kaitlyn writes…….. I feel that it is my duty to all you wonderful OGT readers to start this post off with my own warning as well….if you have an addictive personality you may just want to stop reading now. Don’t continue on to the recipe below and especially don’t make one of these drinks! Because I promise if you do you will want to drink a dirty Diet Coke every. single. day. Sometimes twice a day. So proceed with caution. Don’t say I didn’t warn you 😉
Dirty Diet Cokes are a phenomenon that seems to be sweeping across Utah. It all began at this cute little place in St. George, Utah called Swig. Their menu is super simple – just drinks and treats. They do smoothies, shave ice, bubble teas etc., but they’re best known for their huge variety of sodas and flavor shots. And sugar cookies! Oh the sugar cookies. Mandy at Vintage Revivals has a great copy cat recipe if you aren’t lucky enough to live near a Swig location.
Swig has become so popular that similar places are opening up all over Utah. And a lot of our gas stations have added bottles of flavor shots next to their fountain drinks to keep up with the trend. The most popular flavor combination seems to be the “Dirty Diet Coke” or “Dirty Dr. Pepper.” I’ve gotten totally hooked on the Diet Coke variety. And I may or may not have Jillee, and my husband, and a few friends hooked as well. 😉
So if you didn’t heed my earlier warning and are still reading this….here is how you can make your own Dirty Diet Coke at home:
Dirty Diet Coke
- Ice
- Diet Coke
- Coconut Syrup
- Limes or Lime Syrup
- Half and Half (optional)
Start with a nice big glass (this one is a quart-sized mason jar) and fill it with lots of ice. Pebble ice is ideal but I couldn’t find anywhere to buy it in my tiny town. If you have a Sonic nearby they sell their pebble ice by the bag full!
Next add your Diet Coke. I fit about a can and a third in my jar.
Add a couple of tablespoons of coconut syrup. The Torani brand syrup comes in regular and sugar free. I’ve tried both and can’t really tell a difference.
Now squeeze in a couple of lime wedges and throw them in the jar. Jill and I experimented today and tried it with both fresh lime juice and lime syrup. We both actually like the syrup better! But these are generally made with fresh limes.
If you’re feeling really adventurous add a splash of half and half at the end. So, so good!
Top it off with a cute straw and you’re ready to indulge!
I always stick with my Dirty Diet Coke when I go to one of these drink stands, but I’ve heard about lots of other delicious combos. So I stocked up on a variety of syrups and fruit purees and Jill and I went to town yesterday trying out lots of different flavor combinations!
We used either Diet Coke, Dr. Pepper, Sprite or Mountain Dew as our base sodas. We figured out that Diet Coke (or regular Coke) and Dr. Pepper are interchangeable just depending on your taste preference. Sprite and Mountain Dew can be swapped as well.
For syrups we went with coconut, lime, strawberry, raspberry, and cherry.
I whipped up some fresh strawberry, raspberry and mango purees. These are so easy to make! Just throw some fresh fruit, sugar and lemon juice in your blender and blend until smooth. And finally we had our half and half.
Here are the combos we liked the best:
Sprite with:
- Strawberry syrup (or puree) and half and half
- Strawberry or cherry syrup
- Mango puree and half and half
- Coconut syrup and half and half
Diet Coke with:
- Raspberry syrup (or puree) and lime syrup (or juice)
- Cherry syrup and lime syrup (or juice)
- Mango puree and coconut syrup
- Raspberry puree and half and half
Mountain Dew with:
- Mango puree
Dr. Pepper with:
- Coconut syrup and lime syrup (or juice)
- Raspberry syrup (or puree) and lime syrup (or juice)
It was a lot of fun making up new soda concoctions…although a tad messy. But that was part of the fun! I think having a “soda mixing station” at a party would be a great time. 🙂
Have you jumped on the “Dirty” drink bandwagon? Do you have any other favorite flavor combinations?
