We Tried the Mountain Dew Dirty ‘Cini Soda from Papa Johns

A collaboration between Mountain Dew and Papa Johns to release a Dirty ‘Cini Soda was not something that was on my 2025 Mountain Dew Bingo card (or any bingo card ever, if I’m being honest). Here’s the deal: Mountain Dew and Papa Johns offered fans an opportunity to win a Dirty ‘Cini Soda Kit, which included everything you need to create a briny Mountain Dew for yourself at home. (That’s right, fortunately/unfortunately, this is not a new Mountain Dew flavor you can just order.) Because I’m an official member of the press, Papa Johns sent over a kit and I mixed the drink up to give it a try.

Before we get into the review, let’s talk about what goes into this new Mountain Dew dirty soda. The ‘cini stands for pepperoncini—the pepper that is featured very prominently at Papa Johns. The Dirty ‘Cini Soda mixes pepperoncini brine with original Mountain Dew, and adds an Italian seasoning rim and a pepperoncini pepper garnish (although, in my case, I added the Italian seasoning directly into the drink as I was using a straw). 

Find out if a dirty Mountain Dew is actually good. (And read on for the recipe, too!)

New Dirty Soda!

Papa Johns x Mountain Dew Dirty ‘Cini Soda

Pros: Y’all, this is better than it has any right to be. As my good friend and fellow creator Mark Borison from Jungle Jim’s put it when we tasted it together: It almost hits a spicy Margarita vibe. The pepperoncini brine combines with the citrus flavors of the Mountain Dew in ways that I never would have predicted, resulting in a really fascinating combination of sweet and savory, capped off by hints of the Italian seasoning. I would even go as far to say that I would drink this again!

Cons: I don’t want to knock this for just being pepperoncini brine in Mountain Dew—but I’m absolutely going to do that. While I would drink this again if it was handed to me, I would prefer a nice, cold, Mountain Dew classic. While the collaboration is fun, I’m perfectly content trying this just once.

Credit: Liv Averett / Papa Johns

Rating:

6.5/10

Sporks