Summer time brings chafing. Heat waves. High air-conditioning bills. Canceled flights. Instagram feeds filled with girls in Tulum. And of course, cookouts.
Hanging out with friends and family, sharing drinks over a grill and blowing off some steam is the trademark of a great cookout, especially if you’ve got someone rocking New Balance 504s while manning the grill.
But there’s a sentiment many people find wonderful after a cookout that isn’t discussed enough: and that’s being left with a bounty of leftover chilled soda cans once it’s all over.
It’s a feeling that TikToker Lil Kiko (@lilkikonyc_) got folks talking about in a viral post he uploaded to the popular social media platform that’s garnered over 1.8 million views as of Wednesday.
@lilkikonyc_ #fyp #foryou #xyzbca ♬ original sound – Lil Kiko ₆⁶₆
The 6-second video begins with Kiko opening up the cooler to reveal a post-cookout feeling that would probably bring joy to the hearts of any soda-pop lover: Tons of chilled beverages waiting to be enjoyed for days and days to come. He writes in a text overlay of the video: “When the cookout was at your house so now u have soda for days” as he holds a can of orange Crush soda above what looks like Canada Dry and Pepsi cans.
Commenters expressed their love for this very specific summer time sensation: “It’s like a reward,” one wrote.
Another penned: “Best feeling,” while someone else said that they take full advantage of their soda richness, basking in the after-glow of a soda surplus: “It be having me drinking soda breakfast,lunch and dinner”
One TikTok user also broke down why the sodas tasted so good: That combination of melted water and persistent ice cubes yields the perfect temperature for cracking open a fresh soda and taking a sip: “The next day half water half ice cooler combo keeps the drinks so nice and cold”
But there were other folks who shared what stirred their favorite feelings after a barbecue. For one, it was less about the sodas, and more about the disposable utensils: “Be feeling like this with the paper plates and plastic cups”
For someone else, it was when guests took it upon themselves to help with cleaning everything up, leaving you not just with leftover food and drinks, but a spotless home: “better feeling when they help clean before leaving, so you can just chill aftewards”
And then there were those who commented on the overall pleasant vibe one has after a cookout, and the state of affairs their home is in: “Those few days after the party be the best. Cake and soda and food for days”
There’s something to be said about that: Not having to worry about preparing any meals, and being able to slap some leftovers on a plate you can easily throw away when you’re done, all while having a crisp, chilled drinking hanging out in a frigid cooler outdoors, is a great feeling.
What can I do with leftover soda?
Plenty of outlets have penned some helpful ways for folks to make the most out of their leftover cookout food as well, like Food Print, which penned an article dividing up the different ideas based on the types of grub that was left behind. If you’ve got grilled vegetables, you can use them for some delicious olive-oil drizzled vegetable sandwiches. Meats can be turned into a salad, a stir fry, or you can chop it up for burrito or taco protein.
The Guardian also uploaded some ideas on how to use the abundance of soda you may have after a cookout, like marinating beef in cola, or using the drinks to make a “grown up slushie,” something that the Crush soda can glistening in Kiko’s video would be perfect for. Ginger Ale could be used in some baking recipes as well, and 7-Up is a great addition to a biscuit recipe, according to the list of creative concoctions linked in the piece.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Kiko via TikTok comment for further information.
