4 days ago
'Dirty soda' shop owner serves up TikTok trending drinks to Windsorites
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Inspired by a popular TikTok trend, Windsorite Brenda Ritchie decided to bring "dirty sodas" to Windsor.
The sodas are concoctions that use pop, or energy drinks, as the base and are infused with pumps of syrups, creams and even gummy candies.
Opening Sippity Sweet on Aug. 4 inside Windsor's Central Mall was a massive risk for Ritchie.
The 30-year-old says she poured her savings into the business to make it happen.
Opening dirty soda shop inspired by death of her father
After seeing the trend on social media, she made them for her friends and family to rave reviews. A bit of research led Ritchie to discover Windsor didn't seem to have a business quite like this.
But the leap of faith to make this a reality happen had a lot to do with the death of her father two years ago.
"It inspired me to just go for it. Life's short, you need to make the best of your life," said Ritchie.
The viral trend was also popularized by the TV show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives where the female cast would frequently order complex combinations. Members of the Mormon community don't drink coffee, tea or alcohol, but can and do drink soda.
"I've never watched it," Ritchie said with a laugh.
"At first I thought it was disgusting, I'm not going to lie," she said of the dirty soda videos she initially saw on TikTok. "Once you try it, you're shocked ... it's delicious."
One of the most unique drinks on the menu is the Unicorn Dream Sipper. It's cream soda mixed with strawberry, vanilla and cotton candy syrups as well as marshmallow fluff topped with sprinkles.
Her kids even helped her come up with a drink that contains shark-shaped gummy candies.
However, health experts say people should enjoy sugar in moderation.
"One of the biggest drivers for unhealthy weight gain is excess sugar consumption," said Dr. Tom Warshawski, chair of the Childhood Healthy Living Foundation based in British Columbia.
"These dirty sodas are filled with relatively unhealthy ingredients, but if it's once a month and it's just a fun thing, no big deal."
Ritchie said she does have sugar-free sodas and syrups for people who may not be able to consume some of their sweeter drinks.
