Dalgona coffee might have been the viral drink sensation of 2020 and creamy lemonade certainly set Instagram feeds alight last summer but, as we approach mid-2022, there’s a new drink in town and it goes by the name of dirty soda.
What is dirty soda?
Dirty soda is a non-alcoholic, fizzy, creamy and distinctly sweet iced beverage, which sees a sparkling soft drink spiked with flavoured syrups, fruit and cream or coconut cream
It has been around for a while, having originated in the US state of Utah over a decade ago. Nicole Tanner, founder and owner of Swig, one of the state’s leading soda fountain chains and “home of the dirty soda” (so the company’s website says), opened the first Swig in St George, Utah, in 2010 with the intention of providing “a drive-through, Starbucks-style option for fountain or sparkling drinks”.
Although Swig proved popular from the outset, Tanner says orders for one item in particular quickly outstripped all others. “We offered a drink made with coconut syrup and Dr Pepper, which people began calling a dirty Dr Pepper, just because it sounded fun,” she explains. From those tropical-tasting beginnings, a statewide infatuation with “dirtying up” drinks took hold.
While Swig is considered the biggest hitter in the dirty soda world (Tanner owns the state and federal trademarks for the term “dirty” when used in conjunction with soft drinks, fountain drinks and add-ins, and there are Swig outlets across Arizona, Idaho, Oklahoma and Texas), a number of other Utah-based chains and stores also serve similarly customised fountain drinks to enthusiastic soda-swiggers.
In the social media eye
Dirty soda is regarded as far more than just a drink in Utah; it’s a way of life firmly ingrained in popular food and drink culture. Picking up a special “sodie” is a daily ritual for many and is often, Tanner says, regarded as “the best part of someone’s day”. And yet, 12 years post-inception, how come it’s only now that the state’s special drink has suddenly hit the international soda-slurping mainstream (read: gone viral on social)?
The short answer to that is the influence of American singer-songwriter and Gen Z favourite, Olivia Rodrigo, who uploaded a post of herself last December touting an oversize Swig cup on Instagram.
Rodrigo’s millions of followers were quick to take note; fast forward a few months and the #dirtysoda hashtag has racked up some 3.7 million views on TikTok.
The platform also has an ever-growing collection of videos documenting users either heading to their favourite soda fountain chain, or delivering a passionate how-to guide for recreating the drink (it definitely helps that these bespoke sodas looks great on the ‘gram — think plumes of milky-cream swirling into fizzing rainbow-hued liquids as ice cubes clink appealingly).
A trend to try?
While the UAE awaits the opening of its first designated dirty soda spot (Tanner says that national and international franchise plans for Swig are in motion and that Dubai is very much on her radar), those keen to be in on the thirst-quenching action will have to settle for stirring up their own mocktail-like concoctions at home.
Should you be inclined to do so, why not ease your way into the dirty soda revolution with a take on the Swig original (the aforementioned Dr Pepper and coconut syrup combo), or follow Tanner’s insider recommendation and recreate her favourite drink (” It’s so delicious, I get it every day”)? This a mix of Diet Coke, sugar-free coconut syrup, fresh lime and coconut cream, aptly known in Swig circles as The Founder.
Alternatively, ring the changes and become experimental with your own creations, following the simple formula that is: soda plus syrup, plus optional fruit, plus cream element. While there are no hard and fast rules, we will say that plenty of ice is essential and if you can source it, cylindrical, smooth-sided pebble ice (also known as nugget ice, sonic ice and chewable ice) is the way to go.
Keen for further inspiration? As summer approaches and the mercury rises, top-of-our list refreshing drinks to try are Sprite or lemonade with strawberry puree, fresh mint leaves and coconut cream; ginger ale with muddled mango, pineapple syrup and cream; and Mountain Dew with peach juice, pomegranate syrup, fresh pomegranate arils and yet more coconut cream.
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
How much of your income do you need to save?
The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.
In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)
Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
RESULT
Wolves 1 (Traore 67')
Tottenham 2 (Moura 8', Vertonghen 90 1')
Man of the Match: Adama Traore (Wolves)
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
HWJN
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Yasir%20Alyasiri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Baraa%20Alem%2C%20Nour%20Alkhadra%2C%20Alanoud%20Saud%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
FIXTURES
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
RESULTS
Argentina 4 Haiti 0
Peru 2 Scotland 0
Panama 0 Northern Ireland 0
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The five pillars of Islam
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 258hp at 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.4L/100km
Price, base: from D215,000 (Dh230,000 as tested)
On sale: now
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
