Mountain Dew is kicking off 2026 with a bold experiment that’s already turning heads: Dirty Mountain Dew Cream Soda Dew. The new flavor, unveiled at the National Association of Convenience Stores show, blends the brand’s citrus punch flavor with the creamy sweetness of vanilla.
The drink riffs on the “dirty soda” trend that’s been bubbling up for a while now, especially in Utah, where a good deal of soda shops have replaced bars as social hubs. Traditionally, a dirty soda means mixing your favorite soft drink with cream or flavored syrups. Now PepsiCo, which owns Mountain Dew, is bottling the idea, literally.
Earlier this year, the company released Pepsi Wild Cherry & Cream, its first dirty soda. Then came Mug Root Beer Float Vanilla Howler. But this latest release is different: it marks the first time Mountain Dew’s signature citrus flavor meets cream soda in a ready-to-drink format.
The result? Something between a classic Dew and a nostalgic soda shop float.
Those who got an early taste at the NACS show say it’s unlike anything else on the shelf. Allrecipes’ editor Andrea Lobas described it as “a cloudy version of the original” with “vanilla and coconut up front, followed by the signature Mountain Dew sweet citrus kick.” So in other words, it’s got the Mountain Dew fizz you expect, just with a smoother, creamier finish.
Dirty Dew isn’t entirely new territory for the brand. In recent years, Mountain Dew has tested small-batch versions, from a pepperoncini-spiked collab with Papa Johns to a KFC Peaches & Cream Sweet Lightning flavor. But this one’s the first full-scale national release, available in both regular and zero-sugar cans and bottles when it hits shelves early next year.
Whether you love it, hate it, or don’t get the hype, one thing’s clear: Mountain Dew’s latest experiment proves that even after 80 years, it still knows how to stir the pot (and the cream).