Dirty soda is trending right now so it seemed like the perfect addition to my teen’s party. I transformed my coffee bar into a soda bar and she and her friends absolutely loved it! Even though some refer to it all as dirty soda, I included a menu that gave the basic formula for either an Italian soda, French soda or dirty soda. I also added a menu with suggested flavor combinations to try.
The dirty soda bar was a hit so I definitely recommend creating one for your next event! I’m sharing everything I used to recreate this exact soda bar, along with some other ideas so you can adjust to your taste, budget, etc.
Supplies for This Dirty Soda Bar:
By setting up a selection of sparkling water, popular sodas and tasty extras, you will have unique drinks that everyone can enjoy. Here is a list of what I used:
- Sparkling water – I used plain La Croix
- Sodas – I used Dr. Pepper and Sprite. Other popular options would be Coke and diet sodas
- Flavor Syrups – I used Torani syrups in these flavors: Strawberry, Raspberry, Blackberry, Vanilla, Blue Raspberry, and Coconut. Other popular flavors are Caramel, Hazelnut, French Vanilla, Cinnamon. I ordered mine from Walmart but you can also find them on Amazon, at Homegoods and TJ Maxx.
- Garnishes and add-ins – I included cherries, strawberries, raspberries, oranges, limes, blueberries and blackberries. You could also include lemons, gummy candies, mint, pineapple, etc.
- Heavy cream
- Glass Flavor Syrup Dispensers – These are not necessary but I think they added to the aesthetic. I love the gold pumps! Bonus, you can also use these for a coffee bar.
- Condiment Server – Adding garnishes and fruits to your soda bar is the perfect final touch.
- Glass Cups with Lids and Straws – we love these glass cups and use them for soda, iced coffee and just water. For a larger group of guests or for a lower budget option, you could alternatively use plastic cups with lids and straws like you might find at a soda shop. You could also add cute straws!
- I used marble and wooden risers to elevate items. I picked mine up at Homegoods.
- Beverage Tub for the cans of soda – I didn’t have much room on my soda bar so just used a white organizing bin.
- Ice bucket – If it fits on your soda bar, add one. This gold one would complement the gold syrup pumps.
- Orange Balloon Garland – We had an orange themed party, so that is why there is an orange balloon garland above the soda bar. If you’re interested in including that, here is the link.
- Also going along with the orange theme, I added some oranges with stems of flowers pushed into a small hole on top of each orange.
- 8×10 inch and 5×7 inch Frames for the menus
- Cardstock or paper for the free printable menus
- Printer for menus
- Free Printable Dirty Soda Bar Flavor Combinations Menu: print this menu to give your guests are starting point for ideas. The Dirty Dr. Pepper is a more popular option.
- Free Printable Soda Bar Menu – many people wonder what is a dirty soda and what is the difference between Italian soda, French soda and dirty soda. This menu will answer that question and give your guests a launching point for creating their soda of choice.
Setting up a Soda Bar:
- If you are using the glass syrup dispensers, add the sticker labels to each dispenser. IMPORTANT: Screw the lid on the jar before adding the label so you know which side will be facing forward. I learned that one the hard way.
- The labels that came with my dispensers didn’t include strawberry or blue raspberry but did have a few blank labels. I just printed Strawberry in a similar font onto paper then cut it out and glued it to the label. For the blue raspberry, I cut out the blue from a blue curacao label and added it to the raspberry label. Nobody could even tell.
- Fill the dispensers with the flavored syrups.
- If you have risers, set your flavored syrups up on risers.
- Chop any add-ins or garnishes and place them in the condiment container. You can add ice below the individual trays to keep them cold during the party
- Add heavy cream to a creamer pitcher
- Add sodas and sparkling water to a beverage tub
- Print menus using highest quality print setting.
- Cut the menus to the size of your frames and place them in frames.
- Add ice to ice bucket
- Add decorations to match your theme or home decor.
To see some video footage of the soda bar, see this video on Instagram.
Adding a dirty soda bar to a party turns drink-making into a fun activity and conversation starter for guests. They may discover their new favorite dirty soda recipe. Set it up for your next gathering, and watch as everyone enjoys mixing, matching, and sipping their own creations.
I’d love to see how you set your soda bar up. Send a photo or tag me on social media so I can see. Cheers!
