Claim Suggests Hawaiian Punch Never Gets Cold — Wait, but Does It?

There’s a claim going around TikTok that the iconic Hawaiian Punch doesn’t get cold, and now, folks are trying to remember the last time they had a glass to see if it holds any truth.

Hawaiian Punch, like many sugary drinks on the market (think SunnyD), is loaded with sugar and, of course, fruit juice. It has a reputation for being a bit too sweet and sometimes feeling a little warm on the tongue. But why are people saying it doesn’t get cold? And if it’s true, then why doesn’t it? Here’s what we uncovered surrounding this claim.

Be leery of believing everything you hear and see on TikTok because many times, it’s just not true, like the claim about Hawaiian Punch not getting cold.

The truth is, Hawaiian Punch does actually get cold, but it might take longer compared to other beverages. So the real question is, why doesn’t Hawaiian Punch get cold as fast as soda?

It might have something to do with the high sugar content and other ingredients like high fructose corn syrup, sucralose, and sodium. A 12-ounce can of Hawaiian Punch contains 25 grams of sugar, 5 percent fruit juice, and 150 milligrams of sodium. You might be wondering, though, why a 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola, which contains 39 grams of sugar — almost 14 more grams than Hawaiian Punch — doesn’t take as long to cool down.

The most plausible explanation? Hawaiian Punch contains fruit juice, which tends to thicken the liquid, giving it a lower viscosity. Hawaiian Punch might fall somewhere between high and low viscosity, which refers to "the resistance of a liquid to flow," according to Purdue University. For context, a less viscous liquid would be one that flows quickly, like water, while a more viscous liquid moves slower, like syrup.

So, it seems the combination of sugar content and viscosity could be why people are saying Hawaiian Punch doesn’t cool down quickly. But it does, and TikToker @javonford16 put the claim to the test.

TikToker @javonford16 chilled three drinks — Dr. Pepper, Mountain Dew, and Hawaiian Punch — in 20-ounce sizes overnight. The following day, he poured the same amount into each cup and tested their temperatures. What he found was that each drink had the same temperature, falling between 43 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

However, he did point out that Hawaiian Punch "tasted off," which is why he "stopped drinking this stuff years ago." He also mentioned that Hawaiian Punch tasted dry, which could be what people are feeling in their mouths rather than a lack of cooling. The TikToker suggested that sucralose might be responsible for this sensation, but a real chemist might need to step in to validate these claims.

Still, some people continue to hold this claim as true. But after hearing @javonford16's explanation, they might reassess the next time they sip a Hawaiian Punch they've chilled in the fridge. Perhaps it’s not the temperature that’s causing them to curl their lips, but the dryness they’re experiencing instead.