We Tried The Dr Pepper Margarita Trend And Here's Why We Wouldn't Drink It Again

Everyone loves a margarita. The iconic cocktail brings joy to drinkers especially in the summer season. But if there is anything more iconic than a margarita, it might be a Dr Pepper. This fizzy, sweet, vanilla soda surpassed Pepsi as the number two spot for the United States' most popular soft drink in 2024 (Coca Cola remains in first place). Because both of these drinks have such star status, a TikTok trend showcasing a combination of the two has gone viral, with people all over social media debating whether the mix is worthwhile. This is the second time a Dr Pepper drink hack has taken over TikTok.

A user with the handle @timthetankofficial taste tested it himself, racking up more than 280,000 likes (and climbing). In his video, he mixes two ounces of tequila, one ounce of triple sec, and a squeeze of lime juice into a shaker, topping it off after with a splash of Dr Pepper. Is this TikTok trend ruining an already good cocktail, or is it pairing two never-before-used-together ingredients for a perfectly balanced margarita? Let's find out.

TikTok user Tim The Tank loved the drink, saying, "This is like if a margarita got a PhD in partying." But a few commenters thought that adding soda to a margarita means the drink is no longer a margarita. After tasting the admittedly unexpected combination myself, I could not help but agree with those commenters. For me, adding Dr Pepper to a margarita makes for a cocktail that is a little bit too sweet, and one that veers pretty far off from what I think a classic margarita should really taste like. 

I can understand how this cocktail would appeal to die-hard Dr Pepper fans. However, because of its strong flavor, the core of the drink becomes the taste of Dr Pepper combined with a taste of lime from the margarita. Also, the brown color of the cocktail isn't necessarily an appetizing one. The problem is that the drink tastes more like soda than a margarita, which is only good if you are someone who doesn't like to taste your alcohol. 

This combination might work better in a flavored margarita, specifically a coconut margarita, which would pair nicely with the hints of vanilla in the Dr Pepper. But if Dr Pepper is already your favorite soda, this cocktail may well become your go-to for a happy hour at home.