Dua Lipa’s favorite drink has proven to be incredibly divisive. The British and Albanian singer recently uploaded a TikTok video of herself creating an interesting concoction of Diet Coke, pickles, and jalapeños. The singer mixed it all together before giving a celebratory hair flick and saying “That is mmmmm.”
Not everyone agrees with Lipa’s verdict, however, British chef Gordon Ramsay tried it for himself but spat the drink out after one sip. “Dua Lipa, for god’s sake girl,” he said. “You’ll ruin your vocal cords.” One TikTok user also commented on the video saying, “I call it ‘the just pour it straight in the toilet.’” On X, people asked if it was a prank, and claimed it “went right into the garbage after she stopped filming.”
Others, however, were not put off by the combination. One said, “I would definitely try this Dua. I love Diet Coke and pickles,” while others said, “She is just a Balkan girl!” and “How to tell me you’re Albanian without telling me you’re Albanian.”
Dua Lipa
Dua Lipa’s Balkan tastes
Lipa grew up in London, but both of her parents are Kosovan-Albanian. “Everything was Albanian at home, and English was my school life,” the singer told Vanity Fair in 2021. She moved to Kosovo from London when she was 11, before heading back to England at the age of 15.
Because of this, the singer’s tastes have likely been influenced heavily by Albanian cuisine, which consists of plenty of fruits and vegetables, like figs, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, apples, and watermelon, as well as bread and pastries, like byrek, a savory, filo-based pastry often filled with spinach or cheese, bean stews, rice, corn, and, Lipa’s key Diet Coke ingredient: pickles.
Pickles are known as turshi in Albania and they’re an important part of the country’s cuisine. Everything from pickled cabbage to pickled peppers to pickled cucumbers to pickled green tomatoes is enjoyed widely across the country, where they are eaten on their own or as a side dish. Turshi is tangy, sour, and bright—just like Lipa’s Diet Coke.
The singer has also spoken of her love for ajvar pepper paste, which is a roasted red pepper paste popular across many Balkan countries, including Albania. Earlier this year, Lipa went viral again for mixing vanilla ice cream with olive oil and sea salt. Olive oil has a long history in Albania, where, just like in the Mediterranean, olive trees have been cultivated for centuries.
The Balkan diet is one form of the Mediterranean diet, which has been heavily praised by experts for its emphasis on the consumption of nutritious plant-based ingredients, like vegetables, olive oil, fruits, and beans.
Earlier this year, the Mediterranean diet was named the number one healthiest diet by the US News & World Report for the seventh year in a row. A Mediterranean-like approach to diet is also favored in the Blue Zones, which are five regions of the world where people seem to live longer and healthier lives than people in the West.
Gordon Ramsay
How to make Dua Lipa’s spicy Diet Coke
The only way to know whether you’ll like Lipa’s unique Diet Coke recipe is, of course, to try it for yourself. You might be surprised. According to Mirror journalist and self-proclaimed picky eater Amber O’Connor, the singer “is onto something.”
“Thankfully, I didn’t gag when I tried the drink, mixed with a generous drizzle of the extra ingredients,” she wrote. “I found the smell quite overpowering, but the unexpected flavor combination worked. The ‘hot’ Old El Paso Jalapeños I used masked any vinegar taste, and I didn’t mind the kick.”
“Sceptical that I liked the drink too much, I went back to add more jalapeño sauce, and while I opted not to finish the drink in the end—as my throat was tingling by this point—and there was a strong aftertaste, I’m certain fans of the spicy stuff could have easily finished it off and enjoyed the experience,” she added.
To make it for yourself, mix Diet Coke with pickles, pickle juice, jalapeños, and jalapeño juice, before taking a deep breath and taking a sip. You might have just found your favorite drink.
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Charlotte is a VegNews editor and writer based in sunny Southsea on England’s southern coast.
