In June came the startling news that Dr Pepper had officially passed Pepsi to rank as America’s second best-selling soda brand, now controlling 8.34 percent of the U.S. market.
Articles online tried to assess the “how” and “why” of the situation — whether Pepsi sales are radically falling, Americans have indeed become more enamored with “swicy” foods, or maybe the mere fact that all soda sales are slumping, with some brands feeling the effects more than others.
Anyone who has spent time on social media over the last year probably isn’t surprised, though. Whether the trend is organic, astroturfed, or somewhere in between, Dr Pepper has become the preferred soft drink of TikTokers — especially when it comes to mixing offbeat cocktails.
TikTok Doc
In May of this year, TikToker Jenny Smith (@mississippimemaw) posted a video that showed her ordering the unusual combination of a large Dr Pepper with pickles at a Sonic Drive-In. Amazingly, the drive-thru cashier doesn’t even blanch at the order, quickly noting that she has to ring it up as “cherries on top” since Sonic’s computer system doesn’t allow for adding pickles to drinks. Upon receiving her order and showing it off, “Mississippi Memaw” explains that requesting dill pickle slices in the fountain drink is actually a common order down south where she lives.
Commenters weren’t so sure. “I got to try this at home bc the way my sonic would call the police on me (sic),” wrote one user. Others tried it, though, and reported back positively: “Just stopped at the local sonic here in Rockwall, Texas and tried it and I definitely give it two thumbs up thanks memaw!! (sic)”
The virality of the TikTok led to other creators attempting their own pickled Dr Peppers, with many surprised at the quality of the concoction. Eventually, even Sonic’s own account got in on the action, posting a humorous TikTok about how to add pickles to your Dr Pepper, and even making a special set of tongs to add the gherkins. It currently has over 1.3 million views.
Dr Pepper Marg
Astonishingly, the pickled fountain soda wasn’t even the most viral Dr Pepper drink to take flight in the first eight months of 2024.
“Apparently if you mix a Dr Pepper with a Margarita it tastes amazing,” claimed TikToker @timthetankofficial in early July. In his video, which has currently been viewed over 4 million times, he adds two ounces of Don Julio blanco, triple sec, and freshly squeezed lime to a shaker filled with ice, shakes it, and adds to a glass. He then tops it with enough Dr Pepper to turn the drink fully brown.
“I feel like this might be a dangerous combo,” he says before sipping it. “And wow was I right!” he exclaims, impressed with the unexpected quality of the drink, calling it phenomenal.
While most massive soda brands wouldn’t even think to spend money on such a silly campaign, perhaps Dr Pepper is trending because the Keurig-owned brand has leaned into this DIY weirdness.
Again, TikTokers weren’t so sure and had to try it themselves.
Over the summer stretching all the way into the last few weeks, dozens if not hundreds of Dr Pepper Margaritas were shared to TikTok, with many of those videos also going viral.
If the Negroni Sblagiato was the social media cocktail of 2022, and the Espresso Martini and Hugo Spritz dueling for the distinction last year, the most viral TikTok cocktail of 2024 had improbably become the oddball Dr Pepper Margarita.
Creamy Coconut
The amazing thing is, this Dr Pepper virality seems to be organic.
Unlike, say, the silly Empirical x Doritos mashup clearly designed to get press, or any number of other low-brow culture products that have infiltrated the cocktail scene — Arby’s Curly Fry vodka and the like — there’s no evidence whatsoever that Dr Pepper has had a direct hand in any of these trends.
While most massive soda brands wouldn’t even think to spend money on such a silly campaign, perhaps Dr Pepper is trending because the Keurig-owned brand — which is remarkably the oldest soda brand in the country (est. 1885) — has leaned into this DIY weirdness.
In an era where traditional soda is no longer cool, supposedly no longer even drunk, Dr Pepper still resonates with the extremely online youth.
More staid brands like Coke and Pepsi seem stuck in a rut of rum & colas or whiskey & colas — the most viral cola drink of recent vintage is the tequila-spiked Batanga. But Dr Pepper seems hyper-aware of what young people are drinking.
This spring, the brand rolled out a Dr Pepper Creamy Coconut flavor. It was supposedly inspired by the “dirty soda” trend — mixing soda with coffee creamer and flavored syrups — that had spawned in Utah and infiltrated TikTok in late 2022/early 2023. If a brand like Pepsi had only lazily encouraged drinkers to add milk to their soft drink, Dr Pepper doubled down on the trend, producing a sort of coconut cream-flavored canned (non-alcoholic) cocktail.
In fact, the brand seems to launch a limited flavor nearly every year, and every year fans clamor to try it, often posting first-taste videos on social media. There was Dr Pepper Dark Berry in 2022 (a tie-in with “Jurassic World: Dominion”), Dr Pepper Cream Soda in 2020, and Dr. Pepper Strawberries and Cream in 2023.
The brand even inspired me enough to do a (semi-serious) unboxing and tasting video in 2022, when they sent me Dr Pepper Fansville Reserve Bourbon, a version of the soft drink meant to taste barrel-aged with caramel and woody notes. It was launched in time for college football tailgating season and meant to be drunk as a mocktail or used to amp up a cocktail. I didn’t love it, but I couldn’t help but admire the audacity and playfulness.
Dr Pepper Wine, Dr. Blanton’s, and Flaming Dr. Pepper
In an era where traditional soda is no longer cool, supposedly no longer even drunk, Dr Pepper still resonates with the extremely online youth.
Dr Pepper just seems like a more fun brand to play around with than the other “heritage” sodas. Maybe it’s the sui generis flavor profile — spicy and herbal, it’s ideal for rye or amaro lovers — maybe it’s the fact that it is historically a regionally beloved underdog. But, perhaps aside from Mountain Dew (a unique beast unto itself), Dr Pepper has become the soda most likely to be riffed on by online users — especially in the alcohol realm.
They make Dr Pepper wines, adding yeast to a bottle of the soda until it ferments to around 6 percent ABV. Taters barrel age Blanton’s in Dr Pepper syrup-soaked barrels, then relabel the iconic grenade bottle with the soda’s perhaps even more iconic red labeling.
The Flaming Dr Pepper, a pyromaniacal depth charge shot of the ’80s and ‘90s (which, admittedly, doesn’t even include Dr Pepper), has even started to appear on upscale cocktail bar menus, like Brooklyn’s The Rockwell Place.
All these Dr Pepper viral sensations have one thing in common: They seem so bizarre, so offbeat, you can’t help but want to buy some cans or bottles and find out what they taste like for yourself.
As Smith says of her viral Dr Pepper and pickles combo: “Don’t knock it ’til you try it … you’re probably like, ‘ooh gross, I would never ever drink that.’ But there’s a lot of people that do drink this.”
A lot more, it seems, than are drinking Pepsi these days.
