As a pop star, Dua Lipa needs no introduction.
If her 2021 collaboration with Elton John didn’t secure her megastar status, then her headlining spot at Glastonbury this summer proved that the Anglo-Albanian singer was now a global sensation.
But despite her extraordinary success in the music industry, the One Kiss singer has also made her mark as a… beverage pioneer.
The 29-year-old caused a stir earlier this month when she shared a video on TikTok that showed her preparing her special Diet Coke recipe.
Dua grabbed a glass full of ice and poured Diet Coke into it, before adding pickle juice, a couple of pickles, jalapeno juice, and jalapenos, before declaring “that’s mmm.”
Online verdicts ranged from “this is the most evil thing” to “this is all I could ask for.”
Here, MailOnline tries it themselves.
She took to TikTok to share the strange combination that started: “Step one, diet coke and then pickle juice, then a couple of pickles.”
Dua Lipa sent her fans into a frenzy when she shared her bizarre Diet Coke recipe with pickles and jalapeño juice on TikTok on Friday.
MailOnline staff try Dua Lipa’s pickle and jalapeño infused Diet Coke. LR: Gabriella Cassandro, former assistant video editor; Tom Cotterill, senior reporter; Jon Brady, senior UK news reporter; Stella Radeva, video journalist from the United Kingdom; and Scott Coomber, deputy editor
“Smells suspicious”
Stella Radeva, video journalist from the United Kingdom
Stella Radeva (pictured), a video journalist from the United Kingdom, was a fan of Dua Lipa’s Diet Coke concoction.
British video journalist Stella made her drink and added the pickles and jalapeños, along with the pickle juice and jalapeño juice, to her Diet Coke.
He brought the glass to his nose and sniffed it cautiously. His first reaction was: “It smells suspicious.”
However, taking another sip, Stella thought she could accept the drink.
“It’s actually very nice,” he mused, before describing it as “a very cool Eastern European drink.”
Stella’s final verdict: “I really love it.”
“It’s like stale ketchup”
Tom Cotterill, Senior News Reporter
However, journalist Tom Cotterill (pictured) described it as “horrible”.
Senior reporter Tom’s face, after he had mixed his pickle-and-jalapeño-infused Diet Coke, gave the game away.
After sniffing and taking a sip, he was visibly disturbed and quickly identified the culprit: “It’s the pickle, it’s the pickle juice in there.”
However, committed to the taste test, Tom took another sip and eventually described the drink as “strong.”
Unable to say exactly what it tasted like, Tom compared it to “you’re out of ketchup.”
Tom’s final verdict: ‘No, that’s not for me. No, I’m sorry, that’s horrible.
“Still better than Pepsi”
Scott Coomber, Associate Editor
Deputy editor Scott Coomber (pictured) compared the drink to “a really horrible curry”.
MailOnline deputy editor Scott Coomber also tried Dua Lipa’s Diet Coke infusion and first noticed its strong flavour.
Noticeably surprised by what he had just tasted, Scott commented, “Oh, God, that’s not going away; it’s going to stay there for the rest of the afternoon.”
Like Tom, Scott persevered, but after taking another sip, he was unconvinced, if not downright disgusted.
Shaking his head, he compared the drink to “a really horrible curry.”
However, there was one saving grace.
After putting down his drink for the last time, Scott added, “It’s still better than Pepsi, I’ll admit.”
‘It tastes good’
Gabriella Cassandro, assistant video editor
Gabriella Cassandro (pictured), a former assistant video editor, couldn’t tell the difference between Dua’s recipe and a regular Diet Coke.
Video editing assistant Gabriella diligently mixed her drink, adding all the components and stirring it before taking a sip.
After having prepared it with great care, even she was surprised by not being able to perceive anything different.
“I don’t really feel anything different,” Gabriella laughed.
Taking another sip, he acknowledged, “It tastes good…it just tastes like a regular Diet Coke to me.”
Stressing that she wasn’t ‘taking the p***, Gabriella concluded: ‘It tastes good.’
“It’s doing something a little suspicious to my stomach.”
Jon Brady, Senior News Reporter
Senior UK news journalist Jon Brady (pictured) had serious doubts about the drink and believed it might have caused something “suspicious” in his stomach.
Jon, a senior news reporter, added a large amount of pickle juice to his Diet Coke, along with jalapeno juice, pickles, and jalapenos.
After taking a drink, Jon found himself wanting to take another sip.
But despite bravely giving it another chance, he wasn’t convinced by Dua’s bold recipe.
Rather, aware that perhaps he was “doing something a little fishy” to his stomach, Jon didn’t dare finish his drink.
Still, even though he didn’t like Dua’s Diet Coke infusion, Jon was eager to understand it.
Appealing to the pop star, he said: “Dua Lipa, if you’re out there or if you’re watching this, I have some questions about where this came from.”
