TikTok's Fluffy Coke Is A Cross Between Dirty Soda And Ice Cream Floats
Regardless of your opinions on the ever-popular social media app, no one can deny that some of the most creative and downright kooky culinary ideas originate from TikTok. Where else would we have heard about mixing pickles with Dr. Pepper or the wildly popular baked feta pasta?
The app has almost made it an artform to come up with eyebrow-raising flavor combos, and, love or hate the final products, we're here for the novel ideas. One such example is "fluffy Coke," which may have first made a splash online thanks to Twisters Soda Bar, an Indiana chain of soda shops that posted a video demonstrating how to make the beverage. The craze reached greater virality when a popular creator also whipped up the drink in her own video featuring her adorable, very Southern grandma, known as "Memama." The curious concoction taking the interwebs by storm is a gussied-up Coca-Cola poured over something you may not have thought to put in a beverage — marshmallow fluff.
@twisterssodabar Fluffy Coke! You can add the Fluff to any drink for just $1.00! Some people even add it to ChocoStrawbs! #twisters #fyp
By lining the inside of your cup with the fluff and pouring soda and plenty of ice overtop, you can enjoy a marshmallow-infused twist on a regular Coke that turns creamy and picks up the extra sweetness and "fluffy" texture the longer the drink sits. It might sound pretty out there, but it could be considered a marriage of TikTok's dirty soda, and the conventional ice cream float, both soda-based drinks with creamy add-ins.
Spiking a soda with creamer and syrup = dirty soda
Do you love bougie lattes or winding down with a cocktail? Fun libations don't require alcohol or caffeination, and the best creative soda-based concoctions capitalize on the convivial nature of mixed drinks, but are meant for those who are forgoing booze or caffeine for whatever reason.
While some in the comments sections of the videos refer to the three — fluffy sodas, dirty sodas, and ice cream floats — as though they're practically interchangeable, all of them are distinct treats made with fairly specific ingredients. Dirty sodas get their "dirtiness" from creamer, and are thus fundamentally different from fluffy Coke, but the creamy, pop-based drinks do indeed have some overlap. Like a fluffy Coke, a dirty soda starts with your choice of soda — Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper, or the like — before gaining some decadent creaminess thanks to the addition of the hearty splash of coffee creamer, and even more soda thanks to the addition of flavored syrups to create any number of flavors.
This is another "born on TikTok" trend, with many popular influencers routinely enjoying the treat. The trend is booming IRL too, landing in retailers with the launch of a special dirty soda creamer by Coffee Mate. Popular drive-thru fast-food drink spots like Swig and Sonic have also helped propel the trend to the next level, conveniently offering sodas mixed with creamer and sweet syrups in all kinds of flavors to customers on the go.
Ice cream floats prove innovative sodas are nothing new
Dirty sodas and fluffy Cokes are darlings of the internet, but the OG of this drink category is undoubtedly the old-school ice cream float — which was spontaneously invented way back in the 1870s. The soda fountain delight walked so these newfangled drinks could run, one might say. Unlike the other two bevies, the dairy component of a float is a base of rich, creamy ice cream, making it a thicker, creamier, richer concoction closer to a milkshake and arguably more of a special occasion treat.
You can make many flavors of floats ranging from the classic Coca-Cola or root beer, or even pop open a can of lemon lime or orange pop, then plunk in generous scoops of vanilla ice cream, and enjoy the blend of frozen creaminess and slurpable fizzy pop. That's about as complex as the typical formula for a float gets, though, of course, you can find dressed-up recipes with additions like spices and nuts or even boozy ice cream variations.
Like many of TikTok's creations, the fluffy Coke combination has invited plenty of strong opinions, with people expressing disdain at the addition of marshmallow fluff or commenting on what a sugar bomb it is. Others can't seem to get enough of the refreshing summer treat. There's a reason Memama's video has racked up a whopping 3 million views and counting, so don't knock it till you've tried it.