McDonald’s next big bet is quenching your thirst

McDonald’s drinks menu is growing to soon include new flavors, dirty sodas, and eventually energy drinks.

The fast food chain is adding new menu options later this year like a Red Bull Dragonberry Energizer, a Dirty Dr Pepper, and a Mango Pineapple Refresher, according to documents reviewed by the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news. McDonald’s confirmed to Fast Company that crafted sodas and new Refreshers will be introduced nationwide beginning next month.

“Our fans’ love for McDonald’s beverages runs deep, from rallying for the return of Hi-C Orange Lavaburst to coining the iconic ‘Spicy Sprite,'” McDonald’s US tells Fast Company. “Next month, we’re building on that passion with a new era of beverages, featuring a variety of Refreshers and crafted sodas rolling out nationwide. We’ll have more to share soon, and we’re excited for fans across the country to taste what’s next.”

Why drinks?

Chains have turned to the increasingly competitive beverage category to draw in customers and reach Gen Z as fast food sales have slowed. The growth of speciality drinks has turned fast food restaurant like Taco Bell, which iterates on its popular Mountain Dew Baja Blast and introduced its own Refrescas line of drinks last year, or Sonic, with its own robust ready-to-order drink combinations, into direct competitors of Starbucks, Dutch Bros, and other coffee shops. McDonald’s reportedly plans to price its drinks below Starbucks, undercutting the competition.

These new beverages are driving sales for chains that cultivate them. Beverages are a $100 billion business globally, and McDonald’s hasn’t taken its own beverage menu expansion lightly. Its short-lived CosMc’s spin-off drive-thru store concept only operated a handful of locations from 2023 to 2025 that sold just snacks and drinks. After it shuttered, McDonald’s added a few of its most popular beverage to its permanent menu at some locations.

The Sprite Lunar Splash is multicolored and the Strawberry Watermelon Refresher has freeze-dried strawberries in it.

The new beverages coming later this year are part of a wider experiment by the company to develop a menu that stands out amid a sea of colorful, caffeinated, and fruity drinks consumers can already get elsewhere. McDonald’s global head of beverages Charlie Newberger told the Journal they’ve learned customers weren’t looking for drinks like matcha- or turmeric- lattes, but beverages that were a “little treat.” Think of them as liquid snacks.

McDonald’s previously said it plans to compete for a larger share of consumer beverage budgets in the U.S. and select markets globally with drinks like energy drinks, “indulgent” iced coffees, and a new McCafe brand lineup, and that new beverages have driven a higher average spend per visit for customers. By adding even more flavors and options, the company hopes to increase that average spend even more.

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