I Tried the Trendy Pepsi and Milk Combination—Here’s What I Thought

As a kid in the 1970s and 1980s, I was horrified by how Laverne DeFazio would guzzle Pepsi with milk (she always referred to it as “milk and Pepsi,” like it was an established product) on the popular ’80s sitcom, Laverne & Shirley. It was as horrifying as orange juice and toothpaste, the exact epitome of two substances that should not mix. I stuck to normal ’70s and ’80s beverages, like Pepsi Light and Fresca. Healthy!

But now Pepsi with milk is back, thanks to TikTok. And Pepsi itself has jumped on the bandwagon, making a commercial where Santa pours a can of Pepsi into the milk that Lindsay Lohan left out for him at Christmas. Lohan comes downstairs, drinks the Santa-made mix, and proclaims it “one dirty soda.”

And it’s not even the most unique Pepsi suggestion recently—consider Pepsi Nutmeg, Nitro Pepsi, Pepsi Mango, starry Pepsi, or Pepsi S’mores. But anyway, I had to sew a cursive “L” on my sweater a la Laverne and try Pepsi with milk for myself.

What Is Pepsi with Milk?

Courtesy PepsiCo.

Pepsi and milk is just what it sounds like—Pepsi mixed with milk! While not a brand-new trend (as evidenced by the drink’s inclusion in Laverne & Shirley), it’s currently back and trending more than ever on TikTok.

For its 2022 iteration, Pepsi created a hashtag, #PilkandCookies, and released a variety of creative recipes using different flavors of Pepsi and different kinds of dairy products. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that ice cream floats made with cola and vanilla ice cream are pretty tasty, so why not give Pepsi with milk a go?

Here’s What I Thought

Regular Pepsi with Milk

I started with the classic, filling a glass halfway with milk, then adding Pepsi. I stirred the two together and dared to take a sip. Believe it or not, it was… pretty good. It kind of reminded me of a New York egg cream, which mixes seltzer water, milk and chocolate syrup. I’m not sure I’d ever make myself this drink if it wasn’t part of an assignment, but I did take a second sip. And a third. Pro tip: It’s better with more Pepsi, not equal amounts of Pepsi and milk.

The Naughty & Ice

Pepsi suggested making numerous variations. The Naughty & Ice combines a cup of milk, a tablespoon of heavy cream, a tablespoon of vanilla coffee creamer and then a cup of Pepsi. I actually liked this even better than the regular—it’s more like a milkshake, creamy and rich.

The Chocolate Extreme

The choco-hound in me enjoyed Pepsi’s recipe for The Chocolate Extreme, which blends one-third cup of chocolate milk, two tablespoons of chocolate creamer and a cup of Pepsi Nitro. (Regular Pepsi would work fine, too.) This one tasted like extra-creamy chocolate milk or a melted chocolate shake. Yum!

More Recipes

I also tried the other three drink recipes that Pepsi recommends, which mix different varieties of Pepsi (wild cherry, vanilla nitro, zero sugar Pepsi) with unusual creamers (coconut, caramel). One drink called for oat milk and one called for almond milk.

While I patiently made the recipes exactly as Pepsi suggested, I’ll save you the hassle and tell you just to mix whichever flavors you personally prefer. Oat milk was a surprisingly good replacement for regular milk. Meanwhile, coconut and vanilla creamers mixed better than caramel.