Before craft beer bars and artisanal coffee shops became our go-to gathering places, America had the soda fountain. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, soda jerks stood behind marble counters mixing flavored syrups, creams and carbonated water into custom concoctions for sweet-toothed customers. The trend largely disappeared with the rise of bottled soft drinks—that is, until it resurfaced in the early 2010s in Mormon communities across the American West, where those skipping cocktails and cappuccinos found another way to indulge.

Thanks to Utah-based retail chains, TikTok, and the reality TV phenomenon The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives—whose cast members have compared the popularity of dirty soda shops in Utah to Starbucks in other cities—the trend has exploded into the mainstream.  The drinks, which combine soda with flavored syrups, fruit purees, creamers and candies, are a modern reinvention of the classic soda fountain. And now, to the delight of TikTok devotees, mocktail enthusiasts and plain-old sweet-treat lovers, they’ve arrived in our neck of the woods. 

Dirty Sara-Soda is the vision of Amber Hanratty, a longtime Sarasota resident originally from Chicago. After more than 20 years in the construction industry—where she coordinated operations and managed customer service teams and subcontractors—Hanratty found herself ready for something entirely different. For the first time in her adult life, she stepped away from work entirely, taking time to decompress and figure out what came next.

During that pause, she kept seeing videos of women-owned dirty soda businesses popping up across the country. “These girls were having fun, enjoying life, making drinks and making a killing,” she says. “They were just rocking it. They all had smiles on their faces, they got to choose their own schedule. I looked at my husband and said, ‘Why can’t I do that?’”

His response: “There’s no reason why you can’t.”

@dirtysarasoda Rolling out to Manatee & Sarasota! Let’s go! 🥤🎉 #sarasota #lakewoodranch #dirtysarasoda #dirtysoda #viral ♬ original sound - cellaking

Soon after, Amber purchased a retro-style trailer and transformed it into a mobile soda shop—but she didn’t do it alone. The name, Dirty Sara-Soda, was coined by her 14-year-old son Bronx, who inherited his father’s knack for design. Together, the pair created the company's visual identity. Hanratty's husband, James—a user-experience designer whose work has touched major brands like Monster Jam and Disney on Ice—designed the cheerful cup mascot, while Bronx handles the digital branding like weekly event flyers and signage (earning a paycheck for his efforts, of course). Behind the trailer window, Hanratty is often joined by Bronx's twin sister, Ella, who takes orders, runs the register and lends a discerning, social-media-savvy perspective when it comes to testing new flavors and menu additions.

The Sarasota-inspired name is fitting, as most of the drinks on the menu pay homage to local landmarks. There's the St. Armands Swirl, a root beer blended with vanilla and butterscotch syrup, half-and-half and cold foam, and the Selby Splash, a lemonade mixed with strawberry syrup, vanilla cream, peach boba and peach rings. The summer menu currently includes colorful creations like the Lido Beach, a sparkling lemonade infused with strawberry, vanilla and cotton candy syrup and dusted with edible glitter; the Ca' d'Zan, a tropical 7UP concoction featuring banana and coconut syrup, coconut cream and whipped cream; and the Midnight Pass, a Dr Pepper-based drink topped with coconut, blue raspberry, sweet cream and gummy candies. Drinks cost $7-$8, depending on the size and type.

While dirty sodas remain the star attraction, Hanratty has expanded into dirty cold brew coffees, lemonades and customized energy drinks as well. Customers are encouraged to mix and match flavors, creams and toppings to create their own combinations, though Hanratty advises some restraint—even if the extensive collection of options tempts you to throw caution to the wind. Anything beyond four syrups, she warns, is "a toothache."

Though Dirty Sara-Soda has only been operating since January, Hanratty is already slinging sodas everywhere from Ranch Nights at Waterside to Venice High School’s football camp and expanding her offerings to include things like DIY soda kits that encourage you to make your custom combinations from home. At a recent night market at Mobius, a curated thrift shop in the Whitfield Industrial Park, Hanratty was out until after midnight serving more than 200 drinks to the massive crowd. “By the end of the night, the inside of the trailer looked like a bomb went off," she says. "It was crazy, and we loved every minute of it.”

“I think the biggest reward I get,” she says, “is seeing people with our loyalty card in their hand.” Repeat customers get a free drink after six purchases, and she keeps the redeemed cards in a special basket at home as a tangible reminder of the community taking shape around the business. 

Though dirty sodas may be having their moment online, Hanratty’s business is reviving something much older: the joy of gathering around a counter (or, in this case, a trailer window), striking up a conversation with a neighbor and enjoying something sweet made exactly how you like it.