- "Pilk" has been a fascination online for years, and is popular in South Asian communities.
- The drink went viral on TikTok this week after Lindsay Lohan drank it in a Pepsi ad.
Some people will try anything for viral fame — including Pilk.
The drink, which is sometimes referred to as "dirty soda," has been an internet fascination for years, but became a TikTok trend in the last week following a Pepsi advertisement where Lindsay Lohan drank the half-Pepsi, half-milk mixture. Multiple hashtags for the drink, which has been met with both derision and enthusiasm, have garnered a cumulative 40 million views on the platform.
Many of the videos consist of a creator pouring Pepsi into a glass of milk and then sharing their reaction. Some of the clips begin by stitching a cut from the "Pilk and Cookies" Pepsi advertisement, in which Lohan sits in front of a Christmas tree sipping a glass of the drink.
A lot of the most popular videos claim the drink tastes good. The influencer Brooke Barry has made multiple videos showing her creating and drinking Pilk that have garnered millions of views.
"If Lindsay Lohan drinks it, I drink," Barry said in the first video.
@brookiebarry I don’t know how to feel #pepsiandmilk #milkandpepsi #lindsaylohan #pepsi #milk #fyp #pilk ♬ Funny Song - Cavendish Music
The trend has gone beyond English-language creators and found popularity in Spanish- and French-speaking circles on the platform, too.
@jsebastianper #stitch with @lindsaylohan probando el Pilk de mi comadre #pilkandcookies #pilk #fyp #lindsaylohan ♬ original sound - Sebas Peralta
There are also some creators who scorned the drink after taste-testing it. One especially apprehensive user said the drink was not for him. Another creator made two versions of the trend — one with regular Pepsi and one with diet Pepsi — but said it was a disgusting drink either way.
"If I was forced to swallow this, I could," the creator, who goes by the name "Mr. Teddy Bear," said in the video. "I'm not going to finish either one of these."
@mrteddybeargrr Trying #PILK #Pepsi and #Milk #fyp #pepsiandshirlie #pepsiandmilk #diy #holiday #christmas #lindsaylohan #holidaytreat ♬ YouTube, talk, Christmas background music(934146) - TAKACHAN
The advertisement — and the startled reaction from creators trying the drink for the first time — has received some backlash online because a version of the drink was already popular in South Asian communities. Commonly known as "doodh soda," the drink mixes various sodas with milk and is widespread in India and Pakistan, according to Bon Appétit.
Videos and posts featuring internet users drinking "Pilk" date back years. There have been several variations of the trend online, including creators making "pilk cheese" or using other sodas like Fanta instead. The beverage had a mini-moment on Reddit during early 2020 after a user said it was a delicious drink on the "Unpopular Opinions" subreddit and earned over 16,000 upvotes.
@mythicalkitchen This is how to make Pepsi Milk Cheese.... sorry. #TikTokTaughtMe #TikTokPartner #fyp #foryou #pepsimilk #pilk #cheese ♬ original sound - Mythical Kitchen
"A lot of people looked at me like I'm some psychopath," the user wrote, "but once they tried it out of curiosity, they liked it as well."
"Pilk" is the latest in a long line of bizarre food and drink trends on TikTok, which has seen everything from Cheetos topped with ranch dressing to frozen corn syrup gain traction.