Why Did Gummy Candy Sparkling Water Go Viral This Summer?

A drink called Swimming Burger Sparkling Water has spread quickly on social media. The method is simple: drop a supermarket-bought burger gummy and ice cubes into a glass, pour in sparkling water, and the gummy bobs up and down. Prices vary by city, from just over ten yuan to thirty-plus yuan. Haidilao, Auntea Jenny, and FamilyMart have all copied it, and drink shops keep inventing variations with bears, goldfish, and other shapes.

The drink started as a signature cocktail at a bar, originally made with a specially mixed clear liquor rather than sparkling water, and only became the sparkling version after gaining attention online. That raises the real question: the gummy neither dissolves nor changes the flavor, so the selling point is emotional value and photo appeal rather than taste. Similar novelty items, including c o f f e e b e a n g i f t s style products, trade on the same visual hook.

On a scorching summer day, a glass of refreshing sparkling water always manages to capture consumers' hearts. Recently, a drink called "Swimming Burger Sparkling Water" has rapidly gone viral on social media—simply place a supermarket-bought burger gummy and ice cubes into a cup, then pour in sparkling water, and you'll see the gummy bobbing up and down in the glass. This drink originally came from a special cocktail at a certain bar, and after going viral, drink shop owners kept creating variations featuring bears, goldfish, and more. Due to regional price differences, it sells for anywhere from just over ten yuan to thirty-plus yuan, and brands like Haidilao, Auntea Jenny, and FamilyMart have all jumped on the replication bandwagon. However, the gummy neither dissolves nor changes the drink's flavor—so is the core selling point of this beverage the taste or the emotional value? It's worth pondering.

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As midsummer arrives, drinks with a cool taste and fine bubbles have become hot sellers at major beverage shops, and the most talked-about one recently is none other than "Swimming Burger Sparkling Water."

Making this drink isn't complicated, and the needed materials are easy to get. Alternately place supermarket-bought burger-shaped gummies and ice cubes into a transparent glass, then slowly pour in sparkling water, and the glass will show the amusing scene of burger gummies floating up and down—a seasonal summer special is complete.

It's said that this sparkling water originated as a signature cocktail at a certain bar, which at the time didn't use sparkling water but a specially mixed clear liquor. Only after gaining attention on social media did it gradually evolve into the "Swimming Burger" version made with sparkling water.

Creative drink shop owners replaced the burger gummies with other shapes, rolling out variations like "Swimming Bear Sparkling Water" and "Swimming Goldfish Sparkling Water." Some shops even swapped the clear sparkling water for other drinks with color and flavor, creating dreamy, gorgeous visual presentations to attract young consumers who love taking photos for check-ins.

In terms of price, affected by local price levels, this drink isn't uniformly priced across shops in different cities—as low as just over ten yuan, as high as thirty-plus yuan.

For netizens who care about value for money, there's an even more budget-friendly way to get it. For example, before going to Haidilao for hot pot, first buy a pack of burger gummies, then use a Haidilao takeaway cup filled with ice, add the gummies one by one and pour in Sprite, seal the lid and gently shake, and the burger gummies will happily "swim" in the cup.

After learning about this low-cost replication method, many people tried it out, and a large number of "Haidilao DIY Burger Sparkling Water" sharing posts quickly flooded social media. Other brands like Auntea Jenny and FamilyMart, sensing this trend, quickly followed suit, proactively revealing their own "recipes," drawing much attention—comments even included calls to "put it on the menu."

However, note that the gummies soaked in sparkling water won't melt, nor will they change the drink's taste in any way. In the eyes of some consumers, this drink follows a similar logic to the earlier "lollipop ice water"—winning over young people with a fresh, cute appearance, letting them take photos and share while finding it fun and good-looking.

Perhaps for many young people, whether the drink itself tastes good is no longer that important; what they care about more is whether posting this drink can attract others' attention and whether they can get a moment of pleasure from it. Therefore, when an seemingly ordinary drink can provide emotional value, even if its cost-performance isn't outstanding, it's enough to make consumers willing to pay for the current trend.

Once businesses with a keen sense of smell catch a traffic hotspot, they quickly follow suit, so burger gummies found everywhere begin rising and falling in sparkling water at drink shops across the country, and other members of the gummy family have also joined this swimming party. But perhaps before summer even ends, these hard-swimming burgers will be replaced by the next emerging drink.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

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