It’s been five weeks since Dirty Soda Girls, the latest addition to Haliburton’s downtown, opened its doors and owners Jodie McCarthy and Tracy Hawkins say business is booming – so much so that they’ve already committed to bringing their seasonal operation back in 2026.
The sisters, who live in Burlington, were introduced to the Highlands six years ago after McCarthy bought a cottage in the area. It was love at first sight for the CPG specialist, who advanced things in late spring by investing in the new 165 Highland St. storefront. It opened June 26.
The idea to launch a dirty soda shop was Hawkins’, jumping on a viral TikTok video from south of the border promoting the booze-free beverages first popularized in Utah.
“It all started with the Mormon community in Utah – because they can’t have hot beverages and they can’t have alcohol, they have these dirty soda shops everywhere. It’s kind of like their Starbucks,” McCarthy said.
The concept is simple – traditional pop such as Coca Cola, Sprite and Mountain Dew is combined with other ingredients, like fruit-based syrups, creams and ice, to form a “surprisingly refreshing” beverage, Hawkins said.
“It’s a new take on the traditional root beer floats,” she said. “I think it’s going to be huge in Canada over the next five years.”
The store offers two sizes – with a large mixed in custom Dirty Soda Girls buckets.
Drinks are made using canned products, not fountain, providing a consistent, fresh taste each time, McCarthy said. All secondary ingredients are sourced from within Canada.
The menu features options like the Bobcaygeon, Coke with coconut syrup and lime finished with fresh cream; Rockstar, Dr. Pepper with peach syrup and coconut cream; You Outghta Know, soda water with raspberry and pineapple syrups and lime; and even an energy drink-inspired option, Sk8er Boi, which mixes Monster with pineapple, mango and passion fruit syrups and coconut cream.
If you think you recognize those names – that’s by design. McCarthy and Hawkins used song titles from popular Canadian acts to label their options.
The drinks have been a big hit – both with locals and people from afar.
“We’re seeing a lot of younger people. There’s not a lot of dirty soda shops in Canada, so some have driven from hours away to check us out,” McCarthy said. “It’s great being able to educate people about what this is all about, because most have no idea when they walk through the door.”
The new feature has helped draw eyes to other local causes – 50 cents from one limited-time drink, the Franklin, will go to Turtle Guardians to support its operations, while they’re the only local carrier of Barking Brew beer for dogs, brewed at Boshkung Brewing. They’ve also released a clothing line, featuring T-shirts, hoodies and hats.
The ladies will be working hard daily until the Labour Day long weekend in September, transitioning to a ThursdaySunday schedule between then and Thanksgiving, when it will close for the season. A full-time location is opening in Guelph soon.
Given the success already, the sisters say they’ll definitely have another pop-up location in Haliburton next year. They’ll also be taking their mobile unit to various events and are available for weddings and other private functions.
“It’s something different. You can’t find a drink like this anywhere else [in Haliburton County]. It’s been fun getting started, getting to know people up here. We think this could be the start of something really special,” McCarthy said.
