I Tried Dunkin's 4th Of July Drinks. Here's What Sparkled — And What Fizzled

Dunkin' loves offering new sippers for various seasons and celebrations — and I can appreciate that. It's nice to have something fresh as a way to bring joy into one's life, even if it only lasts a few sips before you're back to reality. Today, June 24, the coffee chain debuted 11 new beverages, and you guessed it, I tried them all. Yep, every single one. I have some mixed reviews, but there's one drink that stands out among the rest. Which such a range of flavors to pick from, there's something for everyone, whether you want a drink that's fruity, tangy, or laced with espresso. 

I reviewed each of these offerings in order to learn a few things; how they taste, what the pricing is, and if any of them are worth placing an order or simply deserve to be skipped. While I have my personal preferences, I include some information to better help you figure out if the drink is something you'd enjoy. We have a lot to go through, so I lumped similar drink bases together to help you scroll to something you're most interested in. Grab one of the limited-time drinks while they're available; they're specifically marketed as Fourth of July drinks — I'd go sooner than later if anything appeals to you. 

Prices are as of the date of publication and may vary based on region.

I placed a drink order ahead of time in the app to give the Dunkin' team time to make the drinks — I know Dunkin' mornings can be hectic. Then, I picked up all 11 drinks during my scheduled window via the drive-thru. I've found that sometimes there's a longer wait for app orders, so I encourage you to order larger orders through the app with a generous lead time. Despite the order size, I had no wait.

I ordered a medium size in every drink; this is the standard size set by the app, but you may change it if desired. The drinks were ordered exactly as advertised without any type of customization. I was seeking a balanced drink that was neither too plain nor too cloying. I was looking for something refreshing and ideal for summertime sipping that delivered its promised flavor profile. Ideally, I was looking for something very summery to get as my new regular seasonal drink.

Tart notes of lemon and lime seem perfect for summer. The Starlight Lemonade ($4.55) has a lemonade base, dragon fruit pieces, Freeze Pop flavoring, and ice, while the Freeze Pop Limeade ($4.05) has a limeade base with the same summertime flavoring. The Starlight Lemonade is a beautiful ombre drink with purple and blue, although the fruit pieces seem like an afterthought. It needs at least another scoop of fruit because it merely looks like there are random chunks in the drink — not enough to make it appear like it was done on purpose. The drinks are pretty similar in taste, with a combination of citrus and sweet flavorings. If you like those little frozen push pops in the plastic tubes, these iced drinks are perfect for you. It's like Dunkin' poured in a melted pop into your lemon or limeade. 

I, however, am not a fan of this flavor profile. I cringed every time I took a sip; it's like drinking straight syrup, but then there's the bitter aftertaste of the lemon or lime. Both are nearly full and sitting on my countertop as I write this; I couldn't muster up the courage to drink any more than necessary. 

The Starlight Lemonade has been called out as a favorite for some reviewers, so don't let my opinion sway you. It's clear, though, that you have to like the artificial pop flavoring, not the ones that use real fruit juice — it tastes like the former without the authentic fruit taste to give it a lift. These are fun and fit for summer, but they're not my style.

I've tried everything on the Dunkin' Zero lineup, so the Peachberry Tea Dunkin' Zero, priced at $5.45, is the newest seasonal addition. It uses Blackberry Tangerine flavoring, a smidge of peach flavoring, black tea, and ice. Rather than using sparkling water like the other Zero sippers, this one swaps in tea, which creates a totally different experience. While I enjoyed the carbonated uplift of the other drinks, I quite like the earthy, mellow, slightly bitter taste of black tea. 

It brings much-needed balance to the drink. That said, the tea takes up the bulk of the overall flavoring, followed by a nondescript fruit note. Essentially, it tastes like fruity black sweet tea, and that can be a good or bad thing depending on one's preference. I find it leans very sugary, and I can't taste any peach or tangerine. There's a touch of berry, but it's a bit muddled by the strong tea addition; truthfully, I'd never be able to pinpoint it as blackberry flavor. It doesn't exactly deliver the promised flavors, but it still tastes fine. I don't like it enough that I'd get it again, but it's great for someone who wants a spin on a tea drink. 

Dunkin' introduces a couple of new Refreshers into the mix, including Cherrylicious Daydream ($5.15) and Fruit Punch iterations ($5.35). Cherrylicious Daydream uses black cherry flavoring, oat milk, the standard Refresher concentrate, and ice. Then there's the sweet cold foam topper with patriotic red, white, and blue sprinkles. There's nothing (too) new here: It's the Cherry Daydream Refresher I tried for the late-April launch, except this one has sprinkles added. Not revolutionary, though it tastes pretty good. I like the black cherry flavoring. Yet, the sprinkles are unnecessary. They inevitably sink to the bottom and lose their color once the cold foam incorporates into the drink (the red turns orange). 

The Fruit Punch Refresher has a flavor medley going for it. There's black cherry, pink pineapple, lemonade, the Refresher concentrate, and ice. Basically, it's a mixed fruit-flavored drink with a hint of tanginess from the lemonade. I kept sipping this one to try to identify the flavors, but it's so muddled. It's a mid-tier drink for me — not bad, not great. It's a hair too sweet and juice-like for my taste. I can't really identify any of the flavors since there's so much going on, but it still delivers a fruit-forward, refreshing experience that seems very summer-like. Order this if you want a seasonal drink that could double as juice. 

Both black cherry-flavored drinks are summer-only options, so grab them while you can. As it is, I prefer the fruit and mellow oat milk combination of the Cherrylicious Daydream. Alternatively, you could get the Cherry Protein Daydream Refresher for a similar flavor profile, but it's made with the brand's protein milk instead of oat.

Dunkin' has two new frozen sippers to choose from. The vibrant Dazzleberry Coolatta ($5.55) reminds me of a slushy; it uses blue raspberry syrup swirled with the marshmallow cold foam drizzled around the cup. It gets the festive sprinkles and whipped cream to top it off. If you like a hyper-sweet slush, this may hit the spot. The texture is big, rich, and helps mellow out the sip, but not by much. I don't exactly identify "marshmallow" flavoring, but something sweet, creamy flavor, sure. I'm not a big fan of this Coolatta. Its blue hue absolutely looks and feels like a summertime Fourth of July beverage, though. Other iterations of the Blue Raspberry Coolatta were not highly received in a previous Tasting Table review. Still, it's worth getting if you like blue raz.

The other frozen beverage is the Oreo PB Coffee Chiller ($6.25), which uses coffee syrup, peanut butter sweetened flavoring, cream, and Oreo cookie crumbles blended into a frozen treat. The indulgent drink is topped with whipped cream, mocha drizzle, and more Oreo bits, which only adds to the heavily cookie flavor. This definitely hits the icy note one might want for summer, but my oh my, it is incredibly sweet. Admittedly, I like the coffee, cookie, and peanut butter notes, so if anything, I'd suggest getting a small one as a tasty treat. While the drink is so new and there's not a lot of online reviews yet, some folks seem to like this one.

Now we have some options for those who like coffee or espresso. I tried the four new drinks, and I'll describe them in the order shown in the photo — left to right. First up is the Peanut Butter Dunkalatte ($5.25) made with espresso, coffee milk, peanut butter flavoring, and ice. The PB, espresso, and coffee milk create a complex, delicious profile that's a delight to sip on. I don't find it particularly summer-inspired, but the flavors seem the most balanced out of everything I tried; I can taste the various notes in harmony. 

The Shakin' Espresso with Sugar Free Vanilla ($6.50) uses shaken espresso along with a smidge of oat milk and the sugar-free vanilla flavoring. It's a safe, not especially inventive beverage. The sugar-free vanilla offers sweetness while the oat milk brings a fairly neutral, thick milkiness to keep it from feeling too sugary. The drink may seem boring, but it gets the proportions right. It's a modest drink that makes for a good, anytime order. 

The Cookie Cravings Iced Coffee ($4.15) uses the Original Blend coffee, chocolate cookie sweetened flavoring, cream, and ice. The flavoring inevitably sinks to the bottom, but it seems to impart a pastry-like flavor. The drink is chocolatey, but I can discern something else in there, too. It may appeal to those who are into the cookies and cream flavor profile.

The striking Strawberry Sparkler Cloud Latte ($6) has sugar-free vanilla syrup, espresso (which merely shows up as "Regular" in the app, in case there's confusion), whole milk, strawberry-flavored cold foam, and those red, white, and blue patriotic sprinkles. I quite like the strawberry lift; I was a fan of the cold foam in my Barbie Dunkin' drink taste test, and it still hits the spot here. This sipper seems the most summery of the coffees to me, thanks to the summer fruit flavor addition.

This was a whirlwind of a taste test with flavors jerking me all around, from creamy blue raspberry and sour limeade to various espresso drinks. The Dunkalatte has always been a favorite of mine — thanks to the coffee extract that sets it apart from standard lattes — so I'm not surprised a peanut butter one takes the cake in this taste test. The Peanut Butter Dunkalatte is enticing and worth ordering if you like that flavor combo. (Even if it still remains quite sugary.) I've had peanut butter lattes, so this isn't particularly new to me, and it makes a solid Dunkin' option.

If PB-flavored coffee isn't your thing, you can also find plenty of other tasty iced coffees from the company. You can customize the sweetness or flavorings to your liking, which may heighten the overall experience. The Shakin' Espresso with Sugar Free Vanilla was mild but still works; you could add strawberry-flavored cold foam to give it a fruity spin. However, the $6.50 price tag makes it the most expensive of all the drinks.

Other than that, nothing else was especially delicious for my taste buds. I didn't like the Freeze Pop-flavored limeade and lemonade, but it's the most obvious summer-inspired option. From tangy sweet limeade to a bold blue-hued Coolatta, the menu includes a range of options to appeal to a wide array of customer taste buds. After trying these drinks, the number one thing they have in common is sweetness. You need to enjoy a sugared-up bevvy to like these.