Swig v. Fiiz: Where is the Ultimate Drink?

The dirtier the soda, the better // Sipping by the pool or after school, Swig and Fiiz are there to brighten your day with any amount of pop. From beachy flavored drinks to caffeine pick me ups, both of these soda shops are packed with flavor which begs the question: who has the Ultimate Drink? (Photo by Mila Ekstrom)

Want to be your own mixologist? At Swig and Fiiz, you can come up with your own dirty soda combinations and enjoy them. After a long day of school, Swig and Fiiz are the best shops where you can get a small snack, like pretzels or cookies, and a drink to quench your thirst. These two places are perfect to be creative with your drinks and to figure out the combination of soda flavors that make your personality shine. 

Swig: “Home of the Original Dirty Soda”

Get your Swig at the nearest location in Silverado Square. (Photo by Mila Ekstrom)

Swig was founded in 2010 starting in Utah, and is a soda shop that is Mormon owned. Also, if you watch reality TV, like the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, many of the wives consistently go to Swig to get their cup of caffeine. Now, Swig has over 100 locations through multiple states, and is open to everyone. Swig has their drinks customizable to add creamer, fresh fruit, energy drinks, with soda bases like Dr. Pepper, Coke, and Sprite as well as tea, lemonade, and water. To add flavor, they also have a multitude of syrups that offer various fruity flavors.

The top drink that I recommend is the Endless Summer, which is a Mountain Dew base with grapefruit flavoring, and fresh lime. To add an extra delicious component, I add passionfruit popping boba to have little spurts of delicious flavor, as well as a textural component. Since grapefruit is an acquired taste, a Bloody Wild is a great alternative for people who love strawberry and mango flavors. For an extra jolt of energy, they offer Revivers, both sugar-free and regular. In my opinion, the reviver energy drink has an intense flavor, so I like it when it is cut with half-tea, and a splash of lemonade. 

While they mainly focus on drinks, they need a little bite to go with them. They offer pretzel bites with cheese or strawberry cream cheese dipping sauce, and for people with a sweet tooth, they offer sugar cookies as well as a bucket of mini-chocolate chip cookies. 

The great things about Swig is how nice the staff are, how cute the decorations are in the soda shop, like the mural of the Beatles holding Swig, and the customization of their drinks. Not only can it be customizable by flavors, but they have four different size options depending on how much caffeine you desire within a day, as well as having customizable cups, merch, what variation of drink you want (slushy, iced, no ice, etc.) Whatever crazy flavor profile you have in mind, they can deliver. Additionally, Swig has offered many limited time deals. Recently, they created Sour Patch Kids inspired slushy drinks for kids, along with color changing straws. But be quick because their limited time deals are always gone in a flash. 

Overall, Swig is an amazing soda shop that fosters creativity and a nice feeling of getting some sugary soda. They have an amazing online presence on Instagram: @swigdrinks where they talk about their upcoming deals, and have raffles for you to have a chance to win a gift card to Swig. 

Fiiz: “Your Drink. Your Way.”

Go down to Lake Mead Pkwy or Decatur Blvd  to get you some Fiiz. (Photo by Mila Ekstrom)

Fiiz is another customizable dirty soda shop, founded in 2014 in Utah based on 1950’s soda shops. How are Swig and Fiiz different from each other? Fiiz is not as widely known as Swig because they have fewer locations than Swig, and their energy drinks as well as other drinks are distinct from each other. Fiiz partners with Monster Energy drinks, while Swig uses Revivers. They have also tapped into creating more diversified food offerings like popcorn, various pastries, and churro bites, while Swig only has a couple of food items. 

Another interesting aspect of Fiiz is how they name their drinks. Multiple drinks are named after movie characters like Thor and Star Lord, as well as named after trends like Maui Wowie, and  creative names like Man Card, Good Night Nurse, etc. From Fiiz, I tried the Bestie, which is Dr. Pepper with Cherry, Passionfruit, and Vanilla, which had a strong taste. I also tried the Zanadew, which consists of Mountain Dew with Blue Curaçao and Passionfruit, and the St. Paddy’s limited deal drink with whipped cream and glitter. While they have creativity and aesthetically pleasing drinks, the taste of the Zanadew was too intense for my liking, and the St. Paddy’s drink was advertised with glitter, but it didn’t give me the shine I wanted.

Fiiz may not be my shop of choice, due to their immensely sugared drinks, but I loved the aesthetic in their shop with bright colors and a great spot to sit down. I would go to Fiiz again and you can find their Instagram: @fiiz_drinkshenderson, but Swig has my heart and will always be my favorite soda shop. 

Swig has also captured the hearts and attention of many people here at Coronado. Out of all the people who responded to our Instagram poll, 62% believed that Swig–the Home of the original Dirty Soda–is the best dirty soda shop. If you want to experience joy, as well as a refreshing amount of joy and sugar, go down to either Swig or Fiiz and enjoy your special creation of a drink.