People either love or hate Disneyland’s bizarre new drink
Originally published by SFGATE on May 15th, 2024
Written By Julie Tremaine
First, the pickles came for TikTok. Then, it was Disneyland.
The Sparkling Pickle Lemonade at Disneyland.
Julie Tremaine
Pickles are so ubiquitous at Disneyland that there’s even an award for getting the first one of the day. There’s no denying it: The pickles are winning.
Now, there’s a drink at Disneyland: the sparkling pickle lemonade, which just debuted at Refreshment Corner on Main Street U.S.A. It’s Minute Maid Zero Sugar Lemonade, Sprite and pickle juice, garnished with a pickle spear, born out of a viral trend of people putting pickles in unsuspecting beverages that’s all over TikTok right now. (Pickle-infused Dr. Pepper is huge at the moment, especially among Sonic fans.)
Being deeply committed to pickle journalism, I had to try it. The drink was a combination of salty and sweet, refreshing and cold. And… pretty pleasant? The brine blended with the lemonade and soda so much that I couldn’t really pick it out individually. Without the pickle spear, I’m not sure I would have immediately realized there was pickle juice in there. It tasted more like an lemon-lime electrolyte drink than a pickle one. But that’s what the pickle itself was for — to bring home that briny goodness.
I’m not surprised I liked it. I’ve enjoyed pretty much every pickle concoction I’ve had at a Disney park, no matter how unusual.
As I picked up my drink, someone stopped me to ask what it was, and I overheard other people in line talking about how excited they were to try it. There are already recipe dupes online, too. It looks like Disneyland jumped on this trend at exactly the right moment.
