One of my favorite beverages to order at Sonic Drive-In is their Dirty Dr. Pepper, which features their original Dr. Pepper with add-ins: sweet cream, coconut flavor and fresh lime juice. These three components give Sonic Drive-In’s classic drink a sweeter, more tropical twist. When I heard that Hofstra University’s very own late night dining hall Hofstra USA (HofUSA) added dirty sodas to the menu, I was excited to try them out.
For my second year at Hofstra, I was delighted to see that many new desserts were added to the menu, along with their brand-new dirty sodas selling for $3.50. HofUSA often adds seasonal menu items for a limited time, such as their pumpkin milkshake, but dirty sodas are here to stay. HofUSA offers four different flavors: Berry Pepper, Vanilla Cream, Dirty Sprite and Dirty Orange.
I went to HofUSA and randomly surveyed 40 students that were there. Of the 40 participants, only 12 people voiced that they had tried the dirty sodas – averaging about a third of the students. My friends and I sat down and ordered all of them and gave each of them our official review. We each rated the sodas one through 10, and ranked the flavors from best to worst.
The first flavor that we tried was Dirty Sprite, which consists of Sprite, grenadine, vanilla syrup and cream. The flavor was reminiscent of a Shirley Temple, having a similar taste to strawberries and cream. The added cream gives the drink a much softer and creamier feel, making the beverage more palatable for non-soda drinkers. Cassidy Isaacson, a sophomore drama major, commented on the mouthfeel of the drink.
“It’s smoother, the carbonation isn’t as much,” Isaacson said. “If I had to choose between this and a regular Shirley Temple, I’d choose this.”
Our ratings for this flavor averaged a solid seven out of 10.
The next flavor that we tried was Berry Pepper, which is made with Dr. Pepper, strawberry syrup and cream. This flavor was deemed to be the most controversial. While Isaacson thought it tasted like cough syrup, others had differing opinions on it. Steven Csak, an undeclared freshman, expressed that he didn’t necessarily hate the drink.
“It’s overwhelming a little bit,” Csak said. “There’s a lot of flavors happening at once.”
Wyatt Trzaskos, a sophomore majoring in fine arts with a concentration in design, shared his thoughts on the beverage as well.
“I’m biased. I love Dr. Pepper,” Trzaskos said. “I think the berry kind of ruins it … if it was just the Dr. Pepper, I’d enjoy it more.”
Our average score for this drink was an unfortunate five and a half out of 10.
The third flavor that we tried was Dirty Orange, which consists of Orange Fanta, vanilla syrup and cream. This soda resembles a liquefied creamsicle, with the added sensation of fizziness. I’d recommend this beverage to anyone trying dirty sodas for the first time. It’s an easy introduction to this kind of drink because of the familiar flavor combination of orange and cream. We decided to rate this flavor an eight overall.
The final flavor that we tried was Vanilla Cream, which is made with Coca-Cola, vanilla syrup and cream. I think a more suitable name for this drink would be “Dirty Coke.” Upon our final taste test, we were pleasantly surprised with how much we all enjoyed this one, rating it the highest with an eight and a half. Isaacson had previously tried this drink, and knew that this flavor would be her front runner with no competition.
“This one’s not as sweet,” Isaacson said. “And that’s why I like it the most.”
For those who are not a huge fan of soda or overly sugary beverages, Vanilla Cream would be the best dirty soda option. Csak, who is not much of a soda drinker himself, was still able to appreciate the beverage for what it was.
“I think that’s just a classic taste,” Csak said. “I like the uniqueness of it.”
After final review and discussion, our rankings were split into two different versions. Isaacson and I agreed that Vanilla Cream took the cake, followed by Dirty Sprite, Dirty Orange and Berry Pepper. Meanwhile, Csak and Trzaskos concurred that their winner was the Dirty Orange, with Vanilla Cream taking second place, followed by Dirty Sprite and Berry Pepper. We all agreed that Berry Pepper could be vastly improved by removing the strawberry syrup that comes in it, per Trzaskos’ recommendation.
The concept of dirty sodas can be a bit daunting to try, but trust your fellow peers when we, a friend group consisting of dirty soda connoisseurs and non-soda drinkers, say that they are well liked.