The Thirsty Cow: Fairfield County's First Intro to Dirty Soda
If you drove down West Avenue, in front of The SoNo Collection in the first half of this year, you might’ve thought your eyes and mind were playing tricks on you. No, that wasn’t a dairy cow chillin’ by the mall. What you saw was The Thirsty Cow, and what’s being crafted inside is something that’s starting to trend both in the states and worldwide.
Before we get to The Thirsty Cow, the skinny on what a dirty soda is, well, that’s pretty simple. It’s soda that’s got add ins like flavored syrups, creamer (yes, just like you’d use in your coffee), sometimes cold foams, and garnishes. I’d liken it to ordering a latte, but subbing coffee for soda.
Popularized in Utah, dirty sodas are catching on all over. Blame social media for that.
Nadia Cossuto may have started Fairfield County’s first dirty soda business, but she says all the dirty soda spots in Connecticut all have something to offer. “People try to compare us, but don’t do that to small businesses,” she says. “Go and visit them, try them all, because we’re all different.”
But in Connecticut, it’s something that just started becoming a thing when Get Fizzy, a dirty soda trailer, debuted in Southington in 2025, and they’ve grown significantly since, with locations in Milford, Plainville, and Manchester. Others, like The Hydrant Dirty Soda Shop in Oxford, Fizzlies in Guilford, and a chain, Fiiz Drinks in Brookfield, all followed suit.
In mid-March, The Thirsty Cow became Fairfield County’s first to sling dirty sodas, and for founder, Nadia Cossuto, she felt that with her creativity combined with her hospitality background, that she could up the dirty soda game.
“I first saw it on my social media and a lightbulb went off,” she says. “I knew I could make this so much better. For me, it was about creating varieties modeled after what a root beer float is, that taste different, and make cold foams that taste different, like coconut, strawberry, and banana that goes on top of these drinks. Very few of mine don’t have a cold foam. They’re my recipes and they flat out taste like ice cream. That’s where the idea came from—looking at what a dirty soda in across the country and making my own thing out of it.”
Much like you’d see at a coffee shop, a lineup of syrups to add to your soda. 
And tools for soda mixology. 
Cossuto went onto mention that she’s seen big chains like Dunkin’ and McDonalds have gotten into the dirty soda biz, but she’s not swayed by that. Instead, she’s relying on her background, her creativity, and her travels to dream up recipes for her existing drinks and others that will certainly pop up down the road.
“I don’t care what they (Dunkin’) do, it’s about the way I do it,” she explains. “I studied international hotel management—I worked in hotels, behind bars, I’ve been a waitress. And I have transparency; I don’t have it ounce by ounce on my page, but I tell you what’s in it, and you can probably figure out how to make it. They’re fun to make on your own, too, and there’s not a copyright on it. Some of the ideas came by chance. I’d jump out of bed at 10 o’clock with an idea and my husband (Anthony) was like, ‘What are you doing? You can’t have soda now!’ I’m like, ‘Dude! I have an awesome idea!’ Recipes came about from places like visiting a coffee shop in Dubai, a restaurant in Europe, or something I saw on IG or Tik Tok. I’d wonder how I could create something out of that or different.”
On whether she’s noticed the trend of people cutting back on alcohol or going alcohol-free and replacing booze with something like coffee, or in this case, dirty soda, Cossuto says she’s not sure, but sometimes. “We have some stuff that’s like a mocktail, like Fanta pineapple with vanilla and vanilla creamer and coconut for a mock pina colada for those who don’t drink,” she says. “We’ve even had a comment once from someone who doesn’t drink, saying that this is a nice alternative for them. “
And she’s got some interesting ones. The Pink Pony Club sees Coca Cola mixed with cheesecake flavored syrup and strawberry-cheesecake cold foam. Bananas Foster uses Dr. Pepper, salted caramel syrup, and banana cold foam. The Sharknado is a blend of Sprite, blue raspberry and pineapple syrups, whipped cream, a drizzle of strawberry sundae syrup, and garnished with gummy sharks, of course!
But for those who want to keep it classic, The Thirsty Cow makes cherry-vanilla Cokes and the like as well.
“We really hit the ground running at 1,000 miles an hour,” Cossuto says. “Lots of people are coming back. But lots of people don’t change their orders! We’re all creatures of habit. They get nervous if I try to get them to try cupcake syrup in their Dr. Pepper, so we keep it safe for some people. The Country Road is like a Vanilla Coke float. It’s one of our top sellers. The Grazing Goat (Dr. Pepper, vanilla syrup, marshmallow cream, whipped cream) went viral on social media.”
Crafting up “The Grazing Goat”
Voila! 
Cossuto says that early on, it’s been a fun ride starting The Thirsty Cow and operating it regularly. Her two other mobile businesses, one that specializes in charcuterie, and another that’s a mobile cannoli bar, are still semi active, but it’s this one that’s getting a lot more attention since dirty sodas are trending up and because of the social media buzz.
“It’s for fun and creativity,” she says. “I did corporate for so many years before this. I don’t want to feel pressurized to open more trailers or have a storefront. I’m like, nope! If that happens, it will be very organically. My focus, first and foremost, is as a mom to my two kids and being a wife. That will never change. It’s the happiest job I’ve ever had. My family is my priority and their needs come first before The Thirsty Cow.”
But…her creative wheels keep spinning regarding dirty soda. She’s already got a mobile dirty soda bar to do private events. And what’s that about a truck?
“In a perfect world, which may happen, I wanna get an ice cream truck for dirty sodas, play some really badass music, drive around, and pull up everywhere.”
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