Move over bubble tea, there's a new kind of specialty drink in Shelby County: Dirty soda

Bubble tea cafés are about to have some serious competition.

In a first for the Memphis area, POPPZ Drinks & Sweets is bringing a “dirty soda” café to Carriage Crossing in Collierville.

Currently in a soft opening phase, the soda shop’s grand opening is Saturday, July 27, at 4600 Merchants Park Circle, Suite 137.

Dirty soda, a concept that originated in Utah in the early 2010s, is not an alcoholic soda as you might guess — rather, it’s soda spiked with a splash of cream, as well as various flavored syrups and fresh fruit. The result is a sweet, smooth drink contrasted sharply with tinges of carbonation. It’s unlike anything a typical coffee joint has to offer.

POPPZ creator and native Memphian Jennifer Purnell said she discovered dirty soda when her oldest son was studying the western United States, and noticed the abundance of soda shops. Purnell, already a small business owner, realized the opportunity to bring the trendy drink to Memphis.

“When I did a little bit of research, I realized this is something that’s so incredibly popular there, that we don’t have here,” Purnell said. “We did all the research, built the whole menu, and over the last couple of years that’s what we’ve been doing, is developing [POPPZ].”

The café’s indoor décor is calming, yet eye-catching. Shelves of POPPZ merch sit in front of exposed brick, while another wall is filled with positive affirmations, which Purnell said is a big part of her life. There’s a comfy couch and cushioned chairs, and small details like a chess set and a map of Collierville. All watched over by the POPPZ logo, a tuxedoed bulldog wearing sunglasses.

“My goal really was a vibed-out coffee shop,” she said. “The logo, I was really intentional about something that… had that Memphis swag, and so I knew the space kind of had to meet that. We wanted to make this space something special where people could come in and hang out, relax with their kids, or teenagers could come in and have a good time.”

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POPPZ carries both Coca-Cola and Pepsi products, as well as cold brew, lemonade, energy drinks and sparkling water, which, when combined with some of POPPZ’ 45 different syrup flavors, becomes a sweet drink that completely removes the typically harsh taste of sparkling water. Many of the drink names like Starry Nights reference Memphis or the South, while others like Romeo and Juliet reference stage plays — Purnell was once an English major.

There’s grab-and-go food too. Quick meals and snacks like turkey sandwiches, salad, Greek yogurt and popcorn are sold, as well as sweets from Bluff City Toffee, which is owned and operated by Madonna Learning Center.

Purnell said she’s excited for people to try a drink that they’ve likely never tasted or even heard of before. It’s no gimmick — even down to the mouth feel of the beverage, dirty soda is wholly unique in the specialty drink market.

“Folks really need to try the drinks because it’s unlike anything that we’ve had before,” she said. “That’s what was so cool and made me really excited about the concept, is because we don’t have anything like this.”

Jacob Wilt is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal. You can reach him at jacob.wilt@commercialappeal.com .

POPPZ Drinks & Sweets

Address: 4600 Merchants Park Circle, Suite 137 at Carriage Crossing in Collierville

Hours: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon-6 p.m. Sunday

Online: poppzdrinks.com

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Move over bubble tea, there's a new kind of specialty drink in Shelby County: Dirty soda