A sugar-sweet trend has migrated to Northern Virginia — all the way from Utah. Dirty sodas are customizable drinks where soda is combined with flavored syrups and topped with cream. The concoctions have gone viral due in part to being featured in the Hulu series The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. (They’re a popular caffeine fix for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, many of whom abstain from coffee and tea.)
The trend is on the rise in NoVA. A new dirty soda shop called CloudFizz is coming soon to One Loudoun, at 20544 Easthampton Plz., Ashburn. No opening date has been announced yet, but the shop’s website advertises dozens of possible soda creations using syrups and cold foams.
Until CloudFizz opens, NoVA currently has two shops serving these sweet drinks. The first, Coco’s Sodas + Sweets, dubs itself “The DMV’s original dirty soda.” The cozy café on Vienna’s Maple Avenue serves complex sodas to crowds of devoted fans. Drinks come in a selection of premade creations, or customers can choose to build their own. And it’s not just sodas available as the base: There are options for syrup-laden lemonade, energy drinks, and even water (sparkling or still). Some kids’ drinks come topped with whipped cream and candy.
Next on the scene was SoftSpot, which opened in Chantilly early this year. The trendy dessert spot turns out big cups of dirty sodas — you can choose from 16, 24, or 32 ounces — in addition to treats like soft serve ice cream, warm cookies, and fresh lemonade. Red Bull can also be made “dirty” if you need an extra kick.
Ready to take a sip? Here are a few of the concoctions on the menus at Coco’s and SoftSpot.
Nags Head at Coco’s Sodas and Sweets
- Diet Dr. Pepper
- Coconut syrup
- Coconut cream
- Fresh lime
Toasted Thunder at SoftSpot
- Root beer
- Vanilla
- Toasted marshmallow
- Chocolate Cream
The Wedge at Coco’s Sodas and Sweets
- Mountain Dew
- Raspberry
- Peach
- Vanilla
Lemon Lagoon at SoftSpot
- Sprite
- Strawberry
- Mango
- Pineapple
- Coconut cream
Coco’s Sodas + Sweets: 513 Maple Ave. W., Vienna
SoftSpot: 13905A Metrotech Dr., Chantilly
CloudFizz (Coming Soon): 20544 Easthampton Plz., Ashburn
Feature image courtesy Coco’s Sodas and Sweets
This story originally ran in our June Issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
