If Dua Lipa said jump, many people wouldn’t hesitate to ask how high. The singer’s fans would do anything for her — well, just about anything.
It seems there is one thing they’ll draw the line at, and that’s drinking the Diet Coke concoction she recently shared on social media.
People were quick to brand the bizarre beverage — which features Diet Coke, pickle juice and jalapeño brine — ‘evil’ in comments on social media.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter) @babenataliemay said: ‘That sounds like a total wild combo. IDK if I could handle that mix.’ While @yourbaebrooke replied: ‘That’s the worst thing I’ve seen.’
Similarly @otto_tenet proclaimed: ‘Just because things can be combined, doesn’t mean they should be.’
Gordon Ramsay also wasn’t impressed. He filmed himself making up the drink, and spat it out almost instantly.
While most people might have been put off by this, it’s safe to say, my interest was piqued.
So, in the name of journalism, I headed down to Sainsbury’s to grab the necessary ingredients before mixing up Dua Lipa’s Diet Coke (although mine was made with regular Coke, as I can’t stand Diet, sorry Dua).
And you know what, it’s honestly not that bad.
I mean, what’s not to like? Coke? Good. Pickles? Good. jalapeños? Good. (Worth noting I also wasn’t repulsed by ketchup on a KitKat, so make of that what you will…)
It’s definitely an acquired taste, but if you’re someone who likes a spicy marg, I’d say you’ll like this too if you get your jalapeño to pickle ratio just right. (More brine, less juice).
This is I think where Gordon went wrong with his taste test, he added far too much pickle juice to his drink. The flavours woud have been all off.
It’s quite a savoury drink, with a spicy kick, a sweet yet vinegary tang from the pickles, and that addictive fizz from the coke.
I don’t think it’s something I’d pair with every meal, but I reckon if you had one of these with some Tacos, you’d be on to something…
While this drink might seem new and rather outlandish to us, adding pickles to fizzy drinks isn’t a new concept in the US.
On TikTok there are hundreds of videos of people sharing the controversial drink hack, with some ordering a whole pickle as a side with fast food and plopping it straight into their cup of soda.
There have also been numerous Diet Coke trends doing the rounds. First there was ‘Crispy Coke’, which was started by a TikTok user known as Kristen (@hauskris). She claims that to create the perfect crispy drink, your ingredients have to ‘marinate’.
Kristen’s recipe begins with leaving Diet Coke in the fridge for more than two weeks: ‘the longer it’s been in the fridge, the crispier it will be,’ she advises, adding that minimum fridge time should be no less than two days.
She also explains that she’ll be using a glass straw which is ‘key’, and a frozen glass: ‘This has been in the freezer for… a long time,’ she says.
Next, she adds in ice. ‘Ice is crucial. Doesn’t have to be pebbled, but I prefer pebbled.’
The Diet Coke is then poured in, along with a citrus powder (you can use a fresh slice of lemon or lime), and there you have it.
After this trend cameFluffy Coke, which saw people putting marshmallow fluff around the rim of a glass of Coke, and more recently some have been mixing Diet Coke and Vanilla Protein shakes to make ‘Protein Coke’.
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