There’s nothing like celebrating the holiday season by leaving Santa Claus with his favorite snack: milk and cookies – with soda.
Pepsi unveiled its latest campaign Thursday, encouraging those who enjoy milk and cookies to add “a surprising and naughty new twist” to it by adding Pepsi to the milk, turning it into Pilk and Cookies.
Todd Kaplan, Pepsi’s chief marketing officer, in a statement insisted the combination has “long been a secret hack among Pepsi fans.”
To help launch the promotion, Pepsi got the help of Lindsay Lohan, who recently starred in Netflix’s “Falling for Christmas” and has been associated with Christmas since her “Jingle Bell Rock” performance in the 2004 film “Mean Girls.”
If you’re hesitant to try the drink yourself, Pepsi offers some recipes for people to try, like “The Naughty & Ice,” which involves mixing whole milk, heavy cream and vanilla creamer into a cup of Pepsi and enjoying it with a chocolate cookie chips. Another recipe, “The Cherry on Top,” uses 2% milk, heavy cream and caramel creamer into a cup of Pepsi Wild Cherry, pairing it with a gingerbread cookie.
Lohan said in a statement she was at first skeptical of the combinations, but she was “amazed at how delicious it was.”
Pepsi is also issuing a #PilkandCookies challenge by having people follow the company on Instagram, Twitter or TikTok and share a video or photo of their Pilk and Cookies creations along with the hashtag. Pepsi will select 25 winners who will win cash. The challenge is open through Dec. 25.
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What is ‘dirty soda’?
Pilk and Cookies comes as the drink idea known as “dirty soda” – mixing soda with ingredients like cream, half and half and puree – has become an increasingly popular trend.
“Now with the rise of the ‘dirty soda’ trend on TikTok and throughout the country, we thought Pilk and Cookies would be a great way to unapologetically celebrate the holidays with a new and delicious way to enjoy Pepsi this season,” Kaplan said.
The origins of “dirty soda” are unknown, but the trend began to pick up in 2010 when Swig, dubbed the “home of ‘dirty’ soda,” opened up in St. George, Utah. The soda business grew in popularity in a predominantly Mormon area, according to the New York Times, as the church prohibits hot caffeinated drinks such as tea and coffee.
The drink gained nationwide popularity in December 2021 when singer Olivia Rodrigo posted a picture of herself holding a Swig cup on Instagram. Eater reported in April there were over 700,000 mentions of #dirtysoda on TikTok following Rodrigo’s post.
Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jordan_mendoza5.