FAIRHOPE, Ala. — Shoppers at Fairhope’s Piggly Wiggly can now grab a coconut-cream-topped cola along with their groceries. Southern Sip, a new dirty soda shop, has opened inside the store, bringing a drink trend born in Utah to the Eastern Shore.
A Utah tradition finds a home on the Eastern Shore
Southern Sip is co-owned by Madi Magallanes along with April Kunz and the Kunz family. Magallanes is originally from Salt Lake City, but she spent her childhood summers in south Alabama visiting family. She also grew up drinking dirty sodas, which are especially popular in her home state.
“I’ve always grown up drinking them. Same with the Kunz family,” Magallanes said.
The owners had wanted to bring a dirty soda shop to the area for a long time. They first looked at Mobile and considered starting out with a truck and trailer, but decided a brick-and-mortar shop was the way to go.
“We were so happy that we were able to start here at The Pig and they allowed us to be here,” Magallanes said. “Now we can also do events that way as well, and so we’re just happy to be able to have a brick and mortar but also be able to do both.”
What is a dirty soda?
A dirty soda is a fountain soft drink customized with flavored syrups, fruit purees and cream, usually served over plenty of ice, often the small, chewable pellet variety. The drinks became a fixture in Utah, where drive-through soda shops line busy roads and compete with coffee shops for morning and afternoon customers.
The trend’s roots are often tied to Utah’s large population of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose health guidelines discourage coffee and tea. Soda shops offered a sweet, social alternative. The Utah-based chain Swig, founded in 2010 in St. George, is widely credited with coining and popularizing the term “dirty soda,” and the concept has since spread across the country through social media, reality television and the expansion of soda shop chains.
The classic version pairs a cola with coconut cream and a squeeze of lime, and that is exactly the drink Southern Sip chose as its namesake.
The menu
The shop’s signature “Southern Sip” combines Coca-Cola or another dark soda with coconut cream and lime. Beyond that, customers can choose from about 30 menu flavors or build their own drink.
Build your own
- Base: A range of soft drinks, or energy drinks such as Monster, Alani Nu and watermelon Red Bull
- Fruity flavors: Mango, cherry, pineapple and strawberry, among others
- Other flavors: Coconut, vanilla and cotton candy
- Make it dirty: Add coconut or vanilla cream, or top it with cold foam
Sizes and snacks
Every drink comes in three sizes: 16, 24 and 32 ounces. For something to eat, Southern Sip serves pretzel bites in salted and cinnamon sugar varieties.
A shop inside “The Pig”
Piggly Wiggly holds a notable place in American retail history. The chain’s first store opened in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1916, and founder Clarence Saunders is credited with creating the first true self-service grocery store, where shoppers picked items off the shelves themselves instead of handing a list to a clerk. Today, most Piggly Wiggly stores are independently owned and operated, and many have developed close ties to their communities.
The Fairhope store has become something of a small food hall. Last month, it drew attention for The International Goat, a counter inside the store run by a Lebanese grocer. Setting up inside an established grocery store gives small food and drink businesses built-in foot traffic without the cost of a standalone storefront.
For Southern Sip, the arrangement also leaves room to grow. The owners said that having a permanent home will let them take their drinks to events as well.
Hours
- Monday through Thursday: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Friday: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Saturday: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The early opening on weekdays positions the shop as a morning stop for commuters and parents, the same niche that helped dirty soda shops thrive in Utah.
If you go
- What: Southern Sip dirty soda shop
- Where: Inside the Piggly Wiggly in Fairhope
- Signature drink: The Southern Sip, made with a dark soda, coconut cream and lime
- Menu: About 30 flavors plus custom drinks in 16-, 24- and 32-ounce sizes; salted and cinnamon sugar pretzel bites
- Hours: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday