Right now, the “Pull Mecces Off” campaign is running at the fast-food chain McDonald’s. Along with this promotion, the company has two syrups on offer that you can pour into your cola: popcorn and passion fruit. MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus is into such crazy ideas and has unfortunately tried them.
Normally, food and drinks can’t be crazy enough for me. The more unusual a dish, the more I want to try it – at least if it sounds somewhat appealing. As a (nearly) trained chef, I have a pretty good idea of what can taste good and what can’t.
That’s why I was quite excited when our editor-in-chief Schuhmann shared his outrage with us: “McDonald’s now has cola with popcorn flavor!” That sounded like something I definitely want to try.
Since July 15, the chain has new additions on offer: popcorn and passion fruit syrup that you can pour into your cola or sprite. According to current information, these syrups are only available in Germany.
Still, in the same week, I was at my local McDonald’s to try the stuff. Rarely have I regretted something so much.
One person who would probably celebrate the popcorn-cola is Asmongold:
Tastes just like popcorn – But like the burnt kernels at the bottom of the bucket
I really wanted to like this cola. Not just to prove Schuhmann wrong, but also because I have experience with exactly such syrup. And from that experience, I know: it fits well with cola.
McDonald’s, however, or at least the branch here, hasn’t quite figured it out. For comparison, I ordered regular Coca Cola with the syrup. My conclusion:
- The syrup tastes like popcorn, but burnt – like caramel that has been browned for too long.
- Accordingly, the cola gets a distinctly bitter note that lingers on the tongue longer because of the syrup.
- According to nutritional information, the syrup consists of 80% sugar (via McDonald’s), so the cola becomes quite sweet.
Here you can find the official nutritional values per 100 grams
- Energy (kJ/kcal): 1352/323 per 100g (or 175/42 per serving)
- Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 80g (or 10g per serving)
- of which sugar: 80g (or 10g per serving)
- Protein: 0g
- Salt: 0g
- Fiber: 0.0g
I was recently in the USA to play the new class in Diablo 4 and even there the cola is not that sweet, even though it tastes significantly sweeter than in Europe.
The further I got down in the drink cup, the worse the whole thing became. The syrup settled at the bottom and wasn’t properly mixed.
The popcorn syrup has pleasant butter notes, as I would expect. Additionally, the bitter aftertaste makes the cola taste a bit like coffee – which really fits. Just the overall picture is simply not rounded.
A good idea poorly executed
I know from experience that popcorn syrup as an ingredient can work excellently. In a bar, I once had a drink with a good Jameson whiskey and popcorn syrup. One of the best drinks I have ever had and that I always order when I’m there.
That the cola was so terrible surprised me accordingly. Whether I will try the syrup at McDonald’s again with other drinks, I don’t know – but probably not. I’d rather try the passion fruit syrup. But I might give it a try with cola as a coolant: YouTuber pours sparkling cola into water cooling, the result surprises – others fear: That will destroy the PC
