What to know
- McDonald’s Canada unveiled a new summer beverage lineup featuring McCafé Crafted Sodas and McCafé Refreshers at its Sunset Sip event in Toronto.
- The standout drinks were the Sprite® Berry Bliss and Mango Pineapple Refresher, both rated 10/10 for their refreshing flavours, trendy toppings, and summer-inspired vibes.
- From cold foam to popping pearls and bright colours, the lineup shows McDonald’s Canada is leaning into trendy, craveable drinks just in time for summer — alongside the return of its $1 fountain drinks and iced coffee deal on May 19.
McDonald’s Canada is having a full-on beverage glow-up, and if you ask us, the new line of drinks has summer’s stamp of approval.
Now Toronto was invited to its Sunset Sip event on Monday, and amidst the seemingly endless servings of Chicken McNuggets, McDoubles and classic Hamburgers, we also had the chance to indulge in six new drinks across its McCafé Crafted Sodas and McCafé Refreshers that are here to stay on its menu. If you’re looking for a new staple to sip on, surely you’ll find it here.
Here’s what’s ‘on tap’ at McDonald’s this summer
We tried almost the entire new menu — everything except the McCafé Cloud Iced Coffees coffees — and somehow every single drink was enjoyable in its own way. But two immediately rose above from the pack: the Sprite® Berry Bliss and the Mango Pineapple Refresher. Those are the ones we’re still thinking about days later.
Let’s get into the Sprite® Berry Bliss, a blue-raspberry drink that looks perhaps the most unique out of the lineup. It’s a bright electric blue, topped with fluffy sweet cold foam, totally Instagrammable and thankfully, it actually tastes good too! It has that nostalgic blue-raspberry slushie flavour, but fizzier and way more refreshing than expected. And as someone who was a bit hesitant about how cold foam would fare on top of a soda, it worked so well without being overly sweet. Easily a 10/10!
The Mango Pineapple Refresher was the other standout and honestly the sleeper hit of the night. It tastes like the kind of drink you accidentally finish in five minutes because it’s so easy to sip. The lemonade blended with a tropical vibe is so summertime core, and the strawberry popping pearls only add to the collision of flavours. Also a hit, and no-brainer 10/10!
The Refreshers as a whole were genuinely impressive and lived up to their name. Fast-food lemonade drinks can sometimes taste aggressively artificial, but these felt light and actually refreshing. The Blackberry Passionfruit was probably the most balanced of the three, while the Strawberry Watermelon one felt the most summery. Both were a solid 8/10!
If we had to rank the only slight misses for us, it’d probably be the Orange Dream, a creamsicle-inspired soda and the Creamy Strawberry Coke®. Not because they were bad — they weren’t — but because the others were just that much stronger. As a big fan of orange soda, the creamy addition wasn’t as enjoyable in this one, the strawberry Coke® tastes exactly like a melted strawberry ice cream float. Fun for a few sips, maybe not a personal go-to order. Our rating is a pretty average 5/10.
The final verdict: To sip, or not to sip?
What surprised us most is how intentionally trendy the entire line-up feels. Between the cold foams, popping pearls, bright colours and fruit inclusions, it’s obvious McDonald’s is paying attention to what people actually want from drinks right now.
Most importantly: the drinks don’t feel gimmicky. They’re fun, yes, but they’re also genuinely craveable — especially the Refreshers, which are arriving at exactly the right time for summer. Also in for the season is its iconic $1 (plus tax) small fountain drinks and iced coffee, which returns on May 19.
McDonald’s entering this beverage era wasn’t on our 2026 bingo card, but here we are. And honestly? We’d go back for that blue raspberry drink 10 times over.
