DRINK UP!: COLA COCKTAILS

big boy's rum & coke, a cola spritz, and cynar cola

DRINK UP!

Last week, I sent out a recipe for Kuka Cola, a soda syrup with crisp fall vibes. It is delightful on its own, but I wanted to give my paid subscribers a little trio of cocktails you can make with the base syrup. For when you are craving something a little stronger than a sugar rush.

I did a bunch of tests, but ultimately landed on these three, all of which are slight riffs on classic tried and true cola cocktails. Sugar! Caffeine! Booze! What more could you ask for?

The first cocktail I’ve named the Big Boy’s Rum & Coke. It is a rum and coke for me, and I am a big boy. Hopefully, you will all like it too and we can all be big boys. I’ve never enjoyed the classic rum and Coke. I crave complexity in a cocktail, so honestly most well drinks are not for me—call me snobby, I am. The spiced base syrup already amps things up, but a few additional liquors and a bit of citrus take this to the next level.

The next little drink I’ve mixed up is a Cola Spritz. To be completely honest, this one was inspired by one of my recent rewatches of the Real Housewives of New York. During Season 12’s trip to Mexico, Sonja Morgan manages to get very drunk very quickly (this is sort of a specialty of hers) and is late to a tequila and ceviche tasting. After Dorinda Medley (my personal favorite) returns from checking on Sonja, she nonchalantly shares that the culprit of Sonja’s intoxication is “Coca Cola, with a little rose in it.” Luann de Lesseps scoffs and replies, “that’s disgusting.” And while I do agree with Luann, this scene sent me down a rabbit hole to investigate the seemingly quite popular, Kalimotxo, or red wine and Coke. My disgust melted away into curiosity, and after a few tests and tweaks, I’ve managed to put together my version of the classic, using Lambrusco.

The final recipe is arguably the most classic, a Cynar Cola. For the uninitiated, Cynar is a bitter aperitif, made from plants, most notably the artichoke. The bitter flavor of the liquor tempers the sweetness that comes from cola. My version adds a splash of citrus and uses the spiced Kuka Cola syrup to give you something delightful to sip as summer turns to fall.

In case anyone is a little lazy and doesn’t want to make the base soda syrup, I’ve also provided versions of the recipes using good old classic Coca-Cola. DRINK UP!

THE RECIPES

BIG BOY’S RUM & COKE

makes one drink