KFC Will Serve an Exclusive Mountain Dew Flavor That’s the ‘Perfect Pairing’ for Original Recipe Chicken

Mike Pomranz
MTN DEW Sweet Lightning joins KFC’s permanent beverage lineup this summer.

In the fine dining world, a perfect pairing might be Reblochon tarts with bacon and fingerling potatoes matched with a 2005 Logan Pinot Noir. But in the fast food world, it’s Kentucky Fried Chicken and Mountain Dew. These brands have a lot in common. They both target and appeal to a similar demographic. Both KFC and MTN DEW like shortening their names into groups of three capitalized letters. At one point, both brands were even owned by the same company, PepsiCo. But the two have never partnered together: That is, until now. Today, Mountain Dew has announced it will be debuting a new flavor exclusively at KFC next month, and it’s specifically designed to complement the Colonel’s chicken.

Set to arrive on July 1, MTN DEW Sweet Lightning is billed as “the first exclusive beverage to be offered at KFC” and only the second time the Dew has partnered with a fast food company, “the first being the hugely successful Baja Blast which debuted at KFC's sister restaurant, Taco Bell, nearly a decade-and-a-half ago.”

And though I joked about pairings up top, Mountain Dew isn’t kidding when they say that Sweet Lighting was developed with the help of the KFC team “to create the perfect pairing for KFC's Original Recipe fried chicken.” The result is a golden-hued soda “with a punch of peach and a touch of honey flavors,” ostensibly a crisp and sweet counterpoint to deep-fried batter.

“With the addition of Sweet Lightning, we now have a drink that is as unique to KFC as the Colonel's secret blend of 11 herbs and spices,” Andrea Zahumensky, chief marketing officer for KFC U.S., said in the announcement. “And like our world-famous fried chicken, Sweet Lightning will keep fans coming back for more.”

Apparently, a lot of effort went into delivering the goods on this highly-anticipated partnership, so even though we’re living in a world where limited-time offerings reign, MTN DEW says that Sweet Lightning will be a permanent addition to KFC locations nationwide. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll be able to tell your grandkids about the dark ages before KFC had its perfect MTN DEW pairing?