Street
purple drank
What does purple drank mean?
A recreational drink built from prescription codeine-promethazine cough syrup, a clear soda (usually Sprite), and a Jolly Rancher dropped in for color and sweetness. The purple comes straight from the syrup's dye. Born in Houston's hip-hop scene in the late '80s, pushed mainstream by DJ Screw, and tied to multiple rapper deaths since.
"He poured a double cup of purple drank before the show and could barely stand by the second verse."
Origin
Houston, Texas hip-hop scene in the late 1980s; popularized nationally through DJ Screw's chopped-and-screwed mixtapes in the '90s.
Frequently asked questions
What does purple drank mean?
Purple drank is codeine-promethazine cough syrup mixed with soda and candy — the original name for the drink now widely known as lean.
How do you use purple drank in a sentence?
"He was sipping purple drank all night and could barely keep his eyes open."
Is purple drank dangerous?
Yes — it's a prescription codeine syrup misused recreationally, and mixing opioids like this can be seriously harmful.
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Vocabulary Flow — saved to your collection.
