The launch has been years in the making.

McDonald’s full dive into crafted drinks will start next month, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The upcoming menu will feature items like a Dirty Dr Pepper and Mango Pineapple Refresher, and will be priced lower than beverage chains such as Starbucks and Dutch Bros. Additionally, a lineup of energy drinks, including the Red Bull Dragonberry Energizer, will enter stores in August.

The Journal reported that franchisees have invested thousands of dollars in new equipment to support the beverage rollout. Corporate leaders and restaurant operators, who worked together to develop the drink-making process, expect strong profit margins.

McDonald’s has circled beverages as a top priority for years. It believes beverages represent a more than $100 billion opportunity globally.

Toward the end of 2023, the fast-food giant launched CosMc’s, a drink-forward prototype offering blended drinks, refreshers, and specialty lemonades, teas, and cold coffee, alongside a snack platform.

The new concept was created to test customers’ response to crafted beverages and determine how the platform could fit into McDonald’s day-to-day operations. The brand learned a lot; for instance, customers didn’t want as much customization as previously thought and they often chose to add food with their beverage order.

In June 2025, McDonald’s began closing CosMc’s stores as it prepared to move the beverage pilot into actual McDonald’s restaurants. Soon after, the brand revealed that it would test a lineup of creative drinks at more than 500 locations across Wisconsin, Colorado, and surrounding markets. The list featured Toasted Vanilla Frappé, Strawberry Watermelon Refresher, Sprite Lunar Splash, Popping Tropic Refresher, and Creamy Vanilla Cold Brew.

During the test, drinks drove incremental visits and higher check averages across multiple dayparts, and the Red Bull lineup drove strong results. McDonald’s revealed in February that a systemwide launch would be coming later in 2026.

The push for beverages has been organized under a dedicated category team, in addition to focuses on beef and chicken. McDonald’s created these groups to move faster on ideas and execution and better compete with brand specialists like Swig, Dutch Bros, Starbucks, and 7 Brew.

McDonald’s is racing to gain market share in the growing beverage space, alongside QSR peers like Taco Bell, who launched spinoff Live Más Cafe in Texas and Southern California, and KFC, who rolled out Kwench in the U.K. and Ireland. Chick-fil-A spun a beverage-focused “Daybright” model into the market as well.

Swig, founded in 2010, is the originator of the dirty soda concept. The brand has hundreds of shops in development across the country.

Source https://www.qsrmagazine.com/story/mcdonalds-to-launch-crafted-beverage-lineup-nationwide-next-month/