What's The Secret Behind McDonald's 'Extra Crispy' Sprite?

A Sprite from McDonald's is beyond refreshing — it's electric. You've probably seen the memes about the clear, bubbly lemon-lime soda. A glowing figure sits at a restaurant booth, and a caption reads: "This how you be feeling after you take one sip of McDonald's Sprite." Another meme jokes that the drink is so powerful "because they milk it straight from the creature." Below the caption is a creepy-looking beast being milked by none other than Ronald McDonald himself. Now, of course there is no Sprite creature (thankfully), but the point of these memes still carries: McDonald's Sprite is powerful stuff. And recently, the internet has come together to muse over the strength of one of the fast food chain's many soda offerings, and the possible reasons behind its "spicy" flavor. 

So what, exactly, makes McDonald's Sprite so strong? While the syrup used by the company is no different than versions of the soda found in other fountains, there are a few things that really do help your McDonald's Sprite pop (or glow, or vibrate with the power of 1000 suns). These differences mostly come down to how the chain stores its syrup, processes its water, and the cups it uses to serve up its bubbly drinks.

Now let's get into the details. After all, there's no one big thing that makes McDonald's Sprite so special. Rather, it's a result of many small differences in handling that come together to create a crisp and refreshing product. For starters, McDonald's chains use colder water than most soda fountains, and use insulated tubing to help keep that liquid at a cooler temperature. This helps prevent your soda from going flat. McDonald's also filters the water used in its soda fountains, which makes for a crisper, cleaner-tasting product.

Additionally, McDonald's uses a higher ratio of syrup to water than usual. This is to account for ice melt, which can dilute your soda. So you can rest assured that your last sip will be just as sweet as your first. This, combined with the colder temperature of the soda from the fountain, means that your drink is less likely to be watered down. The syrup is also stored not in the plastic bags that Sprite and other soda syrups are usually held in, but in stainless steel containers that help maintain freshness. 

Of course, the difference in McDonald's Sprite doesn't just come down to its soda fountains — the fast food chain also uses wider straws than most restaurants. This allows for more Sprite to hit your tongue at once. The drink is bubblier, colder, and much more concentrated than any other Sprite you can get with from a fountain or your local grocery store.

To understand why McDonald's has such specific standards regarding its soda selection, we must go back to 1955, when Ray Kroc first started his venture into creating a network of McDonald's restaurants, which he intended to open across the country. To help with this expansion, he began looking for a company to supply fountain drinks for his restaurants. Ultimately, Kroc reached out to Coca-Cola, an iconic soda brand that was, even at the time, a ubiquitous symbol of American prosperity. 

Kroc made plans to meet with the head of Coca-Cola's fountain products division, Waddy Pratt. According to The New York Times, Dick Starmann, a close friend of Kroc's, said the businessman assured Pratt that soon, McDonald's would soon "take America by storm" (via The New York Times). The two men shook on their deal, thus tying the two companies together in a bond that still endures today.

McDonald's and Coke have become synonymous with each other. Over the decades, both brands have taken over American (and global) culture. The swish of the Coca-Cola label and the curve of McDonald's golden arches are both recognizable across the globe. Wherever you go, you'll be able to find a delicious cup of Coke in one of the chain's restaurants. Coca-Cola even has a division completely dedicated to its business with McDonald's. And McDonald's has, in kind, put a good deal of focus on its Coca-Cola products, going above and beyond to serve the very best of what the brand has to offer. That includes its extra spicy Sprite.