It wasn't that long ago when people looking for an alternative to a cocktail had very few choices.
You could order a Shirley Temple — a drink featuring grenadine, ginger ale and maraschino cherries named after an old-timey star few people under 40 remember — or virgin versions of favorites like pina coladas and various other tropical drinks.
In recent years, however, mocktails have had a bit of a moment. Instead, of simply offering alcoholic favorites without the alcohol, mixologists have been creating alcohol-free beverages designed to stand on their own.
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It's a trend that has been embraced by younger generations and promoted with events like "No drink November." And while alcohol sales have not dropped, there's growing acceptance that people who choose not to drink or who are underage should readily find cocktail-like offerings.
Royal Caribbean (RCL) cruise line has affirmatively endorsed this trend by offering mixologist-created mocktails at every bar on Icon of the Seas, its newest ship and the largest cruise ship in the world.
Ed Eiswirth, Royal Caribbean's head of beverages, said that bringing mixologist-created mocktails to the entire fleet was priority "1A" now that Icon has launched.
It's a growing trend that Coca-Cola (KO) and PepsiCo rival KeurigDrPepper has leaned into with a surprising new partnership.
Image source: Shutterstock
'Dirty' soda becomes a trend
Penny Marshall's Laverne, from the 1970s sitcom "Laverne & Shirley," was ahead of her time. She drank milk and Pepsi, a combination that was unheard of at the time.
Thanks to TikTok, however, mixing soda and dairy has become a growing trend. "Dirty Soda," as it's called, has been a growing part of the mocktail trend and it's more than just topping off your soft drink with some milk.
"It’s basically an alcohol-free 'mocktail' made with diet cola, coconut syrup, lime juice and either half-and-half or non-dairy creamer, in its most classic form, served all mixed together over ice," Food Network reported.
The beverage traces its roots back to Mormons in Utah, who are not allowed, per their religion, to drink alcohol. Mormons are also prohibited from drinking caffeine in hot beverages, but the church has said that caffeine in cold drinks is not specifically forbidden.
PepsiCo has encouraged the trend and has promoted "Pilk," Pepsi and milk, through its social-media channels.
“Combining Pepsi and milk has long been a secret hack among Pepsi fans,” said PepsiCo (PEP) Chief Marketing Officer Todd Kaplan.
KeurigDrPepper embraces dirty soda trend
KeurigDrPepper (KDP) stands as a distant third behind Coke and Pepsi. This isn't McDonald's, Wendy's and Burger King; it's a top-two that dominates and a third-place player that's rarely part of the conversation.
To change that positioning, the company has embraced the dirty-soda trend with an unexpected partnership.
"Coffee Mate is getting ... dirty with Dr Pepper, releasing a limited edition Dirty Soda Coconut Lime creamer that is made to be mixed with soda," the popular Snackolator Instagram page reported.
The packaging for the new Coffee Mate (NSRGY) flavor makes clear that it's supposed to be mixed with Dr. Pepper.
"This will be hitting stores this month for a limited time and is specifically created to mix with @drpepper and their 23 flavors ... even more interesting given that Dr Pepper has a new coconut flavor coming out this year," the website added.
Coca-Cola, unlike Pepsi, has not officially embraced the dirty-soda craze. That has not stopped fans of the brand from creating a variety of Dirty Coke and Dirty Diet Coke mocktail recipes.
