WELCOME TO THIS SNACKOLOGY REVIEW OF A TRIO OF NEW DRINKS AT McDONALD’S.
Sorry.
That was just the caffeine from the new Reduced Sugar Red Bull Dragonberry Energizer coursing through my veins. Yes, you can now buy a Red Bull at McDonald’s thanks to the restaurant’s latest addition to its lineup of crafted drinks.
“We’ve seen growing enthusiasm for our crafted sodas and refreshers as fans look for more variety and options to fit every occasion,” Alyssa Buetikofer, chief marketing and customer experience officer at McDonald’s, said in the company’s announcement. “They loved the Red Bull Dragonberry Energizer when we first tested it in the U.S., so we’re excited to give fans nationwide the energy they’ve been craving with Red Bull. And we’re just getting started.”
If you want a hit of Red Bull to go along with your Filet-O-Fish, you have several options. There’s the Red Bull Dragonberry Energizer made with your standard Red Bull, the Reduced Sugar Red Bull Dragonberry Energizer made with Red Bull Zero, and then there’s a classic 8.4 oz can.
McDonald’s has also expanded its lineup of dirty sodas, introducing the Reduced Sugar Vanilla Swirl, which comes with either Coke Zero Sugar or Diet Coke as its base, along with the Orange Dream with Fanta and versions of the dirty sodas that debuted in April but now with the option to sub in Diet Dr Pepper, Dr Pepper Zero Sugar and Sprite Zero Sugar.
Who’s ready to chug another Reduced Sugar Red Bull Dragonberry Energizer with me?
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Reduced Sugar Red Bull Dragonberry Energizer, Reduced Sugar Vanilla Swirl with Coke Zero Sugar and Orange Dream with Fanta. / Snackology
What they cost
At my McDonald’s, a Reduced Sugar Red Bull Dragonberry was $4.79, and a large Reduced Sugar Vanilla Swirl with Coke Zero Sugar and a large Orange Dream with Fanta were both $3.39.
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Reduced Sugar Red Bull Dragonberry Energizer. / Snackology
Reduced Sugar Red Bull Dragonberry Energizer
I was in the honors program in college, which meant that I got a book voucher each semester. That voucher was just a gift card for the campus Barnes & Noble, and the realization that I could use that gift card to buy whatever I wanted instead of textbooks eventually led me to purchasing an entire vendor’s case of Red Bull.
My caffeine sources have become much more varied in the two decades since that bold move, but the Reduced Sugar Red Bull Dragonberry Energizer is very likely the best version of Red Bull I’ve ever had. (Sorry, Jägerbombs.)
The Red Bull Dragonberry Energizer “[combines] Red Bull’s signature flavor with blue raspberry syrup and freeze-dried dragonfruit inclusions.” Even with Red Bull Zero, that iconic Red Bull taste and smell is instantly recognizable when you take your first sip. But the addition of the syrup and bits of freeze-dried dragonfruit soften the medicinal punch of the energy drink while also brightening it up.
Reduced Sugar Vanilla Swirl with Coke Zero Sugar. / Snackology
Reduced Sugar Vanilla Swirl with Coke Zero Sugar
While the Red Bull Dragonberry Energizer is the headline that McDonald’s wants everyone focusing on with this lineup, the ability to get a dirty version of not just Coca-Cola Zero but the fountain Coca-Cola Zero served at McDonald’s is a huge, huge victory for Coke Zero lovers. (Oh, and I guess the Diet Coke folks get their own win here too.)
Obviously the Reduced Sugar Vanilla Swirl with Coke Zero Sugar isn’t calorie-free. A dirty soda is always going to be a more indulgent version of its base drink, and this one is no exception. But at least I get to enjoy the fizzy, poppy goodness of a McDonald’s Coke Zero with the added boost of a touch of vanilla and a dollop of cold foam.
Orange Dream with Fanta is the dirty orange drink that I’ve been looking for from a fast food restaurant. When I tried Orange Dream with Hi-C in April (back then, it was just Orange Dream), I noted that “because Hi-C is uncarbonated, though, this crafted soda is missing the zing that you expect from a soda.” And when I tried the Orange Dreamsicle Freezee King at Burger King, that one was much more of a slushee than a soda.
Now if only there were a Fanta Zero Sugar version available ...
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Reduced Sugar Red Bull Dragonberry Energizer, Reduced Sugar Vanilla Swirl with Coke Zero Sugar and Orange Dream with Fanta were provided to Snackology for this independent review.
Snackology is a publication of The Omnicosm. Issue No. 304
Snackology is written and produced by Bill Kuchman. Copyediting by Tim Kuchman.
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The Omnicosm founder. Snackology, Popculturology and The Cold Open writer. A Rochester, N.Y., native now living in the Washington, D.C., area. Won’t pass up a Genny Cream Ale.
