Hi, Friends of Cocktails! Jack & Coke–two icons of the drinks world, combined to create a staple of college parties and dive bars. This drink is not really something you’d expect to see on cocktail menus of craft cocktail bars, but we’ll change that today with a mixology version that will be easy to make, and easy to drink!
Before we elevate anything we first need to try the original version, to see why this flavor pairing works so well. Thankfully the beauty of this Coca-Cola highball, as it was called in the beginning, is the simplicity of the preparation, which we’ll give us some time to quickly cover its history. It’s Cocktail Time!
Jack & Coke
● 45mL · 1.5oz Jack Daniels No. 7
● 120mL · 0.75oz Coca-Cola
● Lemon Slice or Maraschino Cherry
Both of the brands we’ll need for this cocktail were launched in the second part of the 1800s in the American South. The combination was first documented in 1907 by an employee of the United States Bureau of Chemistry and Soils, who came across the drink during a visit to the region, noting it was called the Coca-Cola high-ball.
Building this cocktail is as easy as pouring the whiskey into a chilled highball glass with ice. Then top up with coke, gently mix with a barspoon, and if you want to garnish this classic Jack & Coke you can do so with a lemon slice or a maraschino cherry.
Even without the garnish, we have a sweet and fizzy sipper, mixing the woody and vanilla flavors of whiskey with the caramel and spice notes of cola. It's simple, refreshing, and easy to enjoy, and interestingly, if you were to add bitters to this mix you’d have a Lemmy, named after the legendary frontman of Motörhead, Lemmy Kilmister.
But why does this simple pairing work so well? Jack Daniel’s is quite spicy, it has flavors of vanilla, caramel, lots of oak, and some fruitiness, like bananas. Cola, with its spices, vanilla, and caramel sweetness, enriches and ties all those flavors together. So I figured elevating this two ingredient cocktail, and giving a bit more balance and depth of flavor, would be fun.
After playing around with the recipe a bit, here are the ingredients I ended up with to make the cocktail I’m calling “Jack, Where’s the Coke?”. That's because we'll have coke flavor, but none of the coke. Instead of the Old no.7 we’ll use Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel, but Gentleman Jack would be a great option as well.
We already made the DIY Kola Liqueur, we’ll also add maraschino cherry syrup, lemon, and of course saline solution. But we still need to make soda water from smoky tea, and for garnish a cola-flavored foam made from cola gummy candy. Let’s start with this easy and quick foam, which will take advantage of the gelatin to create a nice crown for our cocktail!
Cola Foam
● 80g Cola-flavored Gummy Candy
● 400g Hot Water
First add the candy to a jar, and use a precision scale to make sure you’re using the correct amount. Next pour the hot water on top, and stir until dissolved–which I’ll do with my handy magnetic stirrer. As the candy melts this liquid will get all those cola notes we all know and love in these soft candy.
Once fully mixed and chilled to room temperature I’ll just pour the mixture into the iSi Siphon and charge it with a single nitrous oxide cartridge, as we always do when making foams in this handy tool. Shake well and place it in the fridge to chill before use.
As for the smoky soda we’ll make that by carbonating lapsang souchong tea. Since this has no sugar or alcohol, you don’t need any specialized tools to carbonate it. So feel free to use an iSi Twist & Sparkle, an iSi Soda Siphon with CO2 cartridges or a sparkling water maker. I’ll be using the Aarke Carbonator.
Smoky Soda
● 250g Hot Water
● 0.5g Lapsang Souchong
● 800g Cold Water
Begin by steeping the tea in hot water for 4 minutes. Lapsang souchong is a black tea with leaves that are smoke-dried over a pinewood fire and it really has a rich smoky aroma that will pair well with our cocktail. I’ll now strain 200 grams of this tea right into the cold water, to dilute the strong flavors but also to chill enough so that we can place it in the fridge or freezer.
We want this to get really cold before we carbonate it, as the CO2 has a higher rate of absorption and disbursement in colder liquids, so you always want your sparkling ingredients to be as cold as possible. And with that the smoky soda is ready.
With these two done, we now have everything needed to make our elevated Jack & Coke!
Jack, Where’s the Coke?
● 45mL · 1.5oz Jack Daniels Single Barrel
● 22.5mL · 0.75oz Kevin Kola Liqueur
● 15mL · 0.5oz Maraschino Cherry Syrup
● 7.5mL · 0.75oz Lemon Super Juice
● 2 drops 20% Saline Solution
● 100g Smoky Soda
● Cola Gummy Candy
● Cola Foam
Start with a highball glass that we’ll garnish with a cola gummy candy before you make the cocktail. It will stick on the side of a chilled glass on its own, before adding in a clear ice spear. Just like the original, we’ll build this straight in the glass, starting with the whiskey, Kevin Kola, cherry syrup, lemon juice and saline solution.
Then top the cocktail up with our smoky soda water. Gently mix all the ingredients with a few turns and a lift with a barspoon before you add the finishing touch - cola foam. Make sure this is cold, give it a shake, then add a nice even layer on the top of the cocktail. Gummy candy cola, on top and on the side of the glass–beautiful! Now let’s give this cocktail a try.
The cola is present throughout foam and the cocktail. The sweetness and acidity from the candy balance the foam perfectly, while the cherry adds a new layer of flavor that pairs well with both the cola and whiskey. Once you try this interesting cocktail you’ll know where the coke is–on the aroma and the palate.
We have now reached the Bottom of the Glass of the second Tennessee whiskey cocktail of the day. So today’s recommended read is of course connected to whiskey as well - The World Atlas of Whiskey by Dave Broom. It’s a comprehensive guide to whisky, featuring maps, tasting notes, and expert insights on a global scale. Perfect for Friends of Cocktails that want to expand on their whiskey knowledge. Until next week, cheers!
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