"Beverage director Nick Sinutko always thought Baja Blast tasted "just like a color," he says: some citrus, sure, but mostly, the soda seemed like the essence of bright aqua blue, no need to think about it further. The Baja Blast was, naturally, Sinutko's go-to order at Taco Bell, the fast-food chain at which the Mountain Dew variant was exclusive from its launch in 2004 until 2024."
"Enter Sinutko's homage, a fizzy teal highball known as the Neon Bell. It starts with a cordial of black pepper, Thai basil and lemongrass, inspired by a video in which someone puts a Baja Blast through a mass spectrometer and identifies flavor compounds including lemon and basil. That's followed by green Mommenpop lime aperitif, white vermouth and blue spirulina for color, before the whole thing is force-carbonated."
"It has even more cult appeal than the classic Mountain Dew, and what marketers imagined 20 years ago came true: You go to Taco Bell, you get a Baja Blast. But the soda, no longer solely defined by Taco Bell, has become as much of a template as the endlessly riffed-on Filet-O-Fish. Everyone wants to drink a Baja Blast, so now here come the boozy versions."
Baja Blast, a Mountain Dew variant exclusive to Taco Bell from 2004 until 2024, combines citrus notes with a distinctive bright aqua-blue character. Beverage director Nick Sinutko created the Neon Bell at Chick & Hawk, a fizzy teal highball that reconstructs Baja Blast using a cordial of black pepper, Thai basil and lemongrass inspired by mass spectrometer findings, plus green Mommenpop lime aperitif, white vermouth and blue spirulina for color. The cocktail is force-carbonated to mimic soda fizz. Baja Blast achieved cult status at Taco Bell and now functions as a template for alcoholic riffs.
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