SONIC’s pickle slush makes a comeback

After an overwhelming amount of customer demand on social media, Sonic reintroduced an outrageous menu item from 2018, their pickle slush. The pickle slush, as well as pickle fries and the “Big Dill Cheeseburger”, were available in August. Because of the slush’s addictive pickle flavor, costumers couldn’t get enough of it. With growing petitions on change.org to make the pickle additions permanent menu items, hopefully the pickle slush is here to stay.

A medium pickle slush was $2.79, but when ordered from the Sonic app, it was half price. Like any other drink, every time the pickle slush was purchased, Sonic donated a portion of their proceeds to Limeades for Learning, an organization that supports public school teachers by providing necessary materials for classrooms. The reasonable price and contribution to teachers are just a bonus to drinking the delicious slush.

The striking flavor was designed to catch pickle-lovers’ eyes. It combines the salty dill flavor of a pickle with the refreshing sweetness of a slush. It has an initial lime Gatorade taste, with an aftertaste of salty dill pickle juice. It is undeniably oddly delicious. The pickle flavor is identifiable within the first sip. It the perfect drink when you are in the mood for something sweet and salty. But it is not the drink for extinguishing thirst—it actually does the opposite. It can feel more like snack than a drink because it often leaves you in need of another beverage to cure the overpowering salty after-taste.

Despite the authentic dill pickle taste, Sonic’s slush does not contain actual pickle juice. Though it is quite disappointing that the drink does not have the health benefits of organic pickle juice, Sonic is not exactly known for being the place to go for organic ingredients, so its absence of real pickle juice in the slush is not that surprising. Sonic hasn’t released the exact ingredients included in the slush, but they have stated that rather than real pickle juice, it is comprised of a salty dill flavored syrup.

The drink was first met with hesitation and debate. When first released, the oddity of the flavor begged the question of whether the slush was a publicity stunt. Publicity stunt or not, since 2018, it has been one of Sonic’s most requested items, and understandably so. This atomic green treat has the perfect amount of pickle-to-sweetness ratio to cure pickle cravings without ruining the appeal of a Sonic slush. The returning savory slush is the perfect refreshing summer drink for the pickle-obsessed.