McDonald's secret drink item with 'cotton candy flavor' goes viral

Fox News

10-05-2025

Many McDonald's customers are raving about a secret menu hack.
The "Cotton Candy Sprite" isn't something you'll find on your local McDonald's menu — but social media users have cracked the code on how to finagle the fizzy drink.
Here's how it works: Customers simply ask for a medium Sprite with three pumps of French vanilla syrup. This creates a blended and bubbly refreshment, according to the Instagram page for the food news website Mouth Attack.
But to get in on the viral sensation, customers need to order in person inside a McDonald's or at the drive-thru.
The fact that the treat is an in-store exclusive hasn't stopped the hype around it.
The beverage seems to be drawing on a combination of fascination and distaste.
Of the more than 5,000 people who participated in a poll conducted by Mouth Attack on Instagram, 42% fell under the category of "I'm trying this," while 50% responded with "I'll pass."
"That should stay a secret."
"That should stay a secret," wrote one commenter.
One person who mentioned a past stint at McDonald's said, "I did this when I worked there. Best way to have a Sprite from McDonald's."
But some expressed skepticism about the flavor profile.
"I wonder how citrus & vanilla flavors would create a cotton candy flavor," wrote one person.
Others seemed unimpressed by the blend.
Said a commenter, "Wasn't good at all, lol. Tasted nothing like cotton candy, more like a creme soda. Dissatisfied!"
"This sounds horrible," said yet another.
Someone else expressed skepticism at the brand's ability to fulfill customers' requests for the secret menu item, writing, "McDonald's can't even get working milkshake machines … so don't waste our time."
This isn't the first time a debated secret menu hack at McDonald's has sparked a viral conversation.
In 2022, the "Land, Air & Sea" trendy sandwich involved ordering a Big Mac, McChicken and Filet-o-Fish and stacking the sandwiches on top of one another into a multiverse of meat.
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McDonald's seemed to legitimize the trend when it offered the burger trifecta for a limited time, though it required customers who ordered it to "make it yourself," which was met with plenty of debate on social media.
It's not certain if McDonald's will embrace the Cotton Candy Sprite in the same way.
Fox News Digital reached out to McDonald's, as well as to Mouth Attack, for comment but did not hear back by publication time.