Double Dip is one of those sweets that's more ritual than recipe: a stick, a sachet, and a lot of licking. It's also one of Swizzels' longest-running lines, and one with a surprisingly undocumented birth certificate for something this recognisable.
What's actually in the packet
Our Swizzels Double Dip 19g — Case of 36 is exactly what the name promises: two fizzy sherbet flavours, orange and cherry, in a single sachet, with a Swizzels lolly stick for dipping. There's no spoon and no wrapper to peel back — the stick doubles as both the dipping tool and something to lick clean afterwards. It's sold as a full case of 36 individual 19g packs.
How the fizz actually works
The ingredients list explains the sensation: sugar and dextrose for the base, then citric acid and malic acid alongside sodium bicarbonate. That's a classic sherbet combination — acid and bicarbonate react on contact with saliva, which is what produces the fizzing, popping sensation rather than any actual carbonation. Cornflour and modified starch keep the powder from clumping, and the colour comes from beetroot red, curcumin and lutein rather than anything artificial. There's no gelatine in the recipe, and no allergens are declared on the pack.
A sweet with an unusually vague birth certificate
For a sweet this recognisable, Double Dip's exact launch date isn't well documented — most accounts place it sometime before the 1980s without pinning down a year. What's better recorded is what happened next: Swizzels gave away free packets with Buster comic in 1982, around the time Buster merged with Jackpot, and by the end of the 1980s Double Dip had become the best-selling sweet in Ireland. The packaging design has barely changed since the 1970s, which is part of why it still reads as an obviously retro sweet on sight. Double Dip's popularity is also widely credited with prompting Barratt to launch a rival dip-and-lick sherbet sweet of its own, Dip Dab — we don't stock that one, but it's a fair measure of how much of a category Double Dip created almost by itself.
Where it sits in the Swizzels range
Double Dip is part of the same Swizzels stable as Love Hearts and Drumstick Squashies — we've covered the fuller story of the company itself, founded in 1928 by brothers Alfred and Maurice Matlow, in our Love Hearts guide and Squashies guide, so we won't repeat it here. You'll find Double Dip alongside the rest of the brand's fizzy and novelty lines in our full Swizzels range.
Frequently asked questions
What is Swizzels Double Dip?
A sachet of two fizzy sherbet flavours, orange and cherry, with a Swizzels lolly stick for dipping and licking.
Is Double Dip vegan?
Based on the ingredients list, yes — no gelatine and no declared allergens. Always check the pack for the most current information.
When was Double Dip invented?
There's no single confirmed launch date on record; it predates the 1980s, and had become Ireland's best-selling sweet by the end of that decade.
Did Double Dip inspire Barratt's Dip Dab?
By most accounts, yes — its popularity is widely credited with prompting Barratt's rival version.