SLO County’s first dirty soda shop has opened its doors. What’s on the menu?

A new business has entered a marketplace in San Luis Obispo County, and it exclusively sells dirty sodas.

Cowgirl Soda Co. started as a mobile pop-up in March, serving craft dirty sodas at the Paso Robles farmers market before expanding its menu at a permanent spot inside the Paso Market Walk.

Owner Meghan Witrago first became obsessed with the drinks in the summer of 2024, making them at home while watching reality television series “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” the show credited with bringing widespread public exposure to dirty sodas.

“The show really did it,” Witrago told The Tribune. “I think it’s just the curiosity that’s been the biggest thing. It’s become such a thing, but not much in California. There’s some places here and there, no storefronts yet, but just pop-ups.”

Cowgirl Soda Co. is the first storefront in San Luis Obispo County to exclusively specialize in dirty sodas. Larger restaurants like McDonald’s, Taco Bell and Finney’s Crafthouse have dirty sodas on their menus, and local business dirty pops up every Thursday at the downtown SLO farmers market.

“I welcome other people to put it on their menu, because it’s fun, and I don’t want other people to miss out on it,” she said. “I’m all for it, share the love!”

Witrago opened up Cowgirl Soda Co. on June 17, and placed a sign with her expansive menu about what a dirty soda is — a soda with syrup flavoring and cream, which makes it “dirty.” She said the definition of a dirty soda is her “No. 1 question.”

“I’ve had people say that they’re scared to try it, and I was like that too, like cream in my soda?” she said. “I don’t know if that would ruin it, and it’s just trying it that one time, I’m hooked. It just makes that extra almost nostalgic feeling.”

What’s on the menu at new dirty soda shop?

Cowgirl Soda Co. has 50 different signature drinks, all customizable with a soda base and come in 16-ounce, 24-ounce and 32-ounce sizes.

The business is cowgirl-themed, but the drink names are recognizable for SLO County locals, like the 46 West with orange soda, strawberry and peach syrups and coconut cream; the 101 South with Coke, pineapple syrup and coconut cream; and the Estrella Road, a sprite with marshmallow fluff, strawberry and vanilla syrups and cream.

“I wanted to still keep it on brand with all the names, to where if you see it, you’re like, ‘OK, I can kind of understand what’s going to be in it,’” she said. “Keeping it country but keeping it local, that’s because I’m born and raised here. I wanted to keep my heart and soul here.”

The dirty sodas come with a plentiful amount of soda base options: Coke, Dr. Pepper, Mountain Dew, Sprite, cream soda and root beer. Cowgirl Soda Co. also has Cowgirl Coolers of drinks with a lemonade or Fresca base, and Cowgirl Energy, drinks with 110 to 160 mg of caffeine.

Witrago’s dirty soda venture also includes smaller versions of dirty sodas with half the amount of syrup in a 16-ounce cup, called Little Ranch Hands for kids.

“I grew up here and there wasn’t anything really for us as kids growing up, and especially now there’s nothing really,” she said. “It’s been really cool to see how excited families are, adults and their kids coming in. I’m so excited to be here.”

For more information

Cowgirl Soda Co. at 1835 Spring St. in Paso Robles is open Wednesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For more information about the dirty soda business, visit its website at cowgirlsodaco.com.