Coca-Cola Pours New Life into Dirty Sodas

Coca-Cola is experimenting with new fountain machines that eliminate customization options to create 'dirty sodas,' which combine pop, flavored syrup, and cream. The company has built a prototype in just three weeks using a preprogrammed recipe and dairy module.

The trend of dirty sodas started as a regional novelty but has since gone mainstream, appearing at KFC locations and grocery store shelves. Sparkling soft drinks remain Coca-Cola's biggest category, with Sprite, Schweppes, and Fanta accounting for 69% of the company's overall unit case volume.

Coca-Cola is also testing Micro Matic 'mixology' dispensers with AMC Theatres to make brightly colored refreshers and developing a colorless, largely unflavored energy drink meant to launch with food service operators in the first half of 2027. This push comes as restaurants lean into high-margin beverages to offset cooling in food spending.

The company's clients, including McDonald's, are expanding their beverage menus to include refreshers and crafted sodas. McDonald's has added a Red Bull Dragonberry Energizer to its menu, despite having no affiliation with Coca-Cola.