Have a Coke and a Smile (assuming you have any teeth left).

October 19, 2011 4:30 PM

You know those Coke Freestyle machines? Where you can make your own combos? Like, 127 of them?

The folks at Serious Eats visit a Brooklyn Five Guys, drink a ridiculous amount of soda and other HFCS-laden drinks, and find the best combination.

posted by ga4ry (96 comments total)

We called these "suicides" or "graveyards" when I was a kid, and it is easy to accomplish at any soda fountain anywhere.

Had not seen nor heard of these fancy lookin' machines yet, though.
posted by curious nu at 4:33 PM on October 19, 2011 [6 favorites]

Interesting - I never knew such a thing existed. I'll stick with just plain diet coke, though.
posted by blaneyphoto at 4:34 PM on October 19, 2011

Oh my god. We can't even get cherry coke in Canada. This machine inspires in me the same sort of feelings hover boards do: desperate longing and sadness.
posted by arcticwoman at 4:36 PM on October 19, 2011 [3 favorites]

Coke Red!
posted by ericb at 4:37 PM on October 19, 2011 [2 favorites]

Every Five Guys is supposed to be getting one of these. Awesome.
posted by azarbayejani at 4:37 PM on October 19, 2011

I had not seen or heard of these things before, but I like the concept of microdosing. Was hoping for a sexy infographic, but this was an interesting read. Not totally sure why it needs the obesity tag. Do these drinks make you any fatter than any other sodas? I'd kill for more caffeine free diet soda flavor options if I'm stuck in some sort of soda-only situation.

Relatedly: people still make websites this terrible in 2011? That Coke site is crazy bad.
posted by jessamyn at 4:37 PM on October 19, 2011 [3 favorites]

Best one is the classic: lemonade + Sprite (or 7-Up). Vodka optional. Yum!
posted by vorfeed at 4:38 PM on October 19, 2011 [2 favorites]

I miss America.
posted by Put the kettle on at 4:39 PM on October 19, 2011

Yet no Mezzo Mix.
posted by ymgve at 4:39 PM on October 19, 2011

By this point I felt my diabetes risk climbing rapidly. Soda's a lot more fun when you're not trying them 20 at a time.

Seconded. I went similarly Coke-wild at the end of the Coca-Cola factory tour in Atlanta, and had to spend the next half-hour sitting outside, vibrating slightly and trying not to vomit while my friend patiently waited at my side, soothingly whispering to me, "You idiot. You idiot."
posted by Greg Nog at 4:40 PM on October 19, 2011 [44 favorites]

That makes two of us, Greg Nog. I think it was the Beverly that pushed me over the edge.
posted by yellowbinder at 4:46 PM on October 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

These aren't really suicides, it's just a soda machine with a lot of flavors.
posted by empath at 4:48 PM on October 19, 2011

ymgve: "Yet no Mezzo Mix."

Well, they try "Coke Orange" but claim it "felt forced, as if it didn't belong together. Mine tasted like orange pop, but brown—halfway between the original and a straight orange soda, in a strange netherworld." Clearly, they have no idea they have just insulted 80 million Germans.
posted by brokkr at 4:50 PM on October 19, 2011

It's a soda fountain with a touch screen? So?
posted by cmoj at 4:59 PM on October 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

These machines seem designed to prevent "suicides" or "graveyards" (which is a new name to me). Which is both a good and bad thing. You can't mix EVERYTHING (probably a good thing), but you can't make an Arnold Palmer like mixed drink (which is bad). It's just a self-serve soda mixer, with limitations. No pure syrup squishees.
posted by filthy light thief at 5:01 PM on October 19, 2011

I ran into one of these machines at the Fat Burger in Bellevue a couple months ago. It baffled me. Apparently coke machines rank up there among stuff like light switches, stairs, and red meaning stop that if you change them on me, my whole world gets flipped turned upside down.
posted by Mizu at 5:03 PM on October 19, 2011 [3 favorites]

If you mix equal amounts of Coke and Sprite, it tastes kinda like ginger ale.

If you mix equal amounts of Mr Pibb and orange soda, it tastes like... actually, I forget what it tastes like, but it was delicious enough for me to drink nonstop at my waitressing job.
posted by Metroid Baby at 5:05 PM on October 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

Good luck ever getting to use one of these. There's always some slow idiot who still hasn't figured out the old machines. There's going to be so many slow idiot children and parents crowding around this thing.
posted by bleep at 5:08 PM on October 19, 2011 [2 favorites]

Data point: "graveyard" is the term my kids use for a fountain drink with a little bit of every soda flavor offered. They are 10 and 7, so this is still an active, kid-endorsed term, at least in our part of California. YMMV.
posted by mosk at 5:09 PM on October 19, 2011 [3 favorites]

Sadly, no all sugar "Mexican" Coca-Cola is on offer.
posted by Ideefixe at 5:10 PM on October 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

If you mix equal amounts of Coke and Sprite, it tastes kinda like ginger ale.

I knew a guy that "discovered" this and and drank it for years. Always going on and on about how Ginger ale was a scam, and you could make your own.

I got him to try some other concoctions too, equal parts tea and coffee was pretty good. Then decided that he would make hot chocolate by putting cocoa powder in my coffee machine and ruined it.

That guy was awesome.
posted by Ad hominem at 5:12 PM on October 19, 2011 [3 favorites]

FOR THE MERE COST OF A CAN OF COKE AND A CAN OF SPRITE YOU CAN MAKE 2 CANS OF GINGER ALE WAKE UP SHEEPLE
posted by nathancaswell at 5:19 PM on October 19, 2011 [35 favorites]

If you mix equal amounts of Coke and Sprite, it tastes kinda like ginger ale.

But it's caffeinated.
posted by grouse at 5:24 PM on October 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

Holy shit, are you him? If you are not you must know him because your impression is spot on.

We also invented captain crunch with coffee instead of milk. That was great, you could just throw some captain crunch in a mug, pour in coffee and milk and you got your breakfast.
posted by Ad hominem at 5:26 PM on October 19, 2011 [2 favorites]

What did one snowman say to the other snowman?
posted by grouse at 5:27 PM on October 19, 2011

Here we have Duff, Duff Light, and our newest flavor, Duff Dry.
posted by The Lurkers Support Me in Email at 5:33 PM on October 19, 2011 [3 favorites]

My first response to seeing one of those things was "the soda machine now has its own Facebook?" and my second was to realize that in figuring out how to use it, I'd neglected to put any ice in my glass before I put in the soda. Seeing one of those and sorting through the 127 different kinds of soda is one of those things that makes me really believe the folks whose research says people are happier choosing from a smaller set of option.
posted by immlass at 5:34 PM on October 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

If you mix equal amounts of Coke and Sprite, it tastes kinda like ginger ale.

I work in a movie theater. Infinite amounts of free soda. Let me break some stuff down.

We only have five flavors: Coke, Diet Coke, Cherry Coke, Root Beer, Sprite.

Fake ginger ale = Sprite with a small amount of Coke. Equal amounts is too strong; you actually want it to look almost exactly like ginger ale. It's about 5 parts Sprite to 1 part Coke.

4 parts Cherry Coke + 1 part regular Coke + splash root beer + slightly smaller splash Sprite = something that tastes a lot like generic grocery-store Dr Pepper (i.e. Mr. Pibb).

Diet Coke + float regular Coke = something that was good before Coke Zero became a thing. Better tasting Diet Coke, basically.

Diet Coke + float Cherry Coke = absolutely nauseating, for some reason.

Root Beer + one or two coffee half-and-half packets = root beer float. Honestly. I've mentioned this here before.

Don't drink with ice. If your machine is mixed for ice, the syrup is a little stronger which makes these recipes work better.

You can thank my high-school-aged coworkers for all of these.

One more: shitty house red wine (like a red zin with a screw top) + a little Sprite = surprisingly palatable, surprisingly energizing.
posted by penduluum at 5:36 PM on October 19, 2011 [34 favorites]

Ha, my first ever FPP was about these machines.
posted by kmz at 5:40 PM on October 19, 2011

Which Brooklyn Five Guys has this?
posted by pravit at 5:41 PM on October 19, 2011

Oh oh oh! And: take some freshly brewed coffee. Put it in a carafe and stick the carafe in an ice bucket. Pour the chilled black coffee over ice, add a couple ounces of Coke. You now have a weekender! Kinda good, not terribly sweet, will keep you going over a nice long shift.
posted by penduluum at 5:42 PM on October 19, 2011 [3 favorites]

How many types of diabetes are there?
posted by not_on_display at 5:42 PM on October 19, 2011 [2 favorites]

Root beer with a bit of milk (or half & half as noted above) is amazingly tasty.
posted by Mei's lost sandal at 5:43 PM on October 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

One more: shitty house red wine (like a red zin with a screw top) + a little Sprite = surprisingly palatable, surprisingly energizing.

1part red wine, 1part Coke. Don't ask why or how, the guy told me it had to so with Hungary
posted by Hoopo at 5:47 PM on October 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

Anyone else remember Laverne and Shirley? They used to drink Cola mixed with Milk.
posted by Renoroc at 5:51 PM on October 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

Does it have Lilt? All I want is Lilt. I'm not interested if there's no Lilt.

People are surprisingly unwilling to bring soda back from Britain in their suitcases.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 5:52 PM on October 19, 2011 [2 favorites]

I had a Mexican Coke from a taco truck the other day. It was delicious.
posted by jonmc at 5:55 PM on October 19, 2011

As a programmer, I sense an off-by-one error. They forgot the zeroth combination: no thing at all. Ah, 2^7 combinations, I feel better now.
posted by davel at 5:56 PM on October 19, 2011 [6 favorites]

They used to drink Cola mixed with Milk.

Apparently Penny Marshall used to drink this in real life. I did not know this.
posted by jessamyn at 5:57 PM on October 19, 2011 [2 favorites]

A friend of mine in college drank Pepsi mixed with milk at every meal. He claimed it was delicious, I still believe he was doing it just to stand out.
posted by Ghidorah at 5:59 PM on October 19, 2011

Caffeine-Free Diet Raspberry Coke: wanttt
posted by Xurando at 6:00 PM on October 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

I used one of these at my local Fatburger. I was surprised to see that the shot of lime added to my Coca-Cola Classic was indeed green in color. I didn't think they'd take the time to add colorings to the flavorings.
posted by infinitewindow at 6:00 PM on October 19, 2011

How odd. Just this very day I saw a coworker mix three different kinds of soda (root beer and sprite, and some kind of cola, I think) at Chipotle's and I thought to myself, "I've never seen anyone do that before!"
posted by trip and a half at 6:01 PM on October 19, 2011

Guess we're a test market; we've had these at our local Pei Wei and Boston Market for a while now.

I dig them, it's not too many flavors, it's basically a coke machine crossed with an iPod.

I like the half-caffeinated/half-not Diet coke plus flavoring set up.
posted by emjaybee at 6:01 PM on October 19, 2011

Barq's Diet + Vanilla, and Diet Cherry Coke are the go-to combos when we hit Wendy's, usually just for some diet soda.
posted by Slap*Happy at 6:10 PM on October 19, 2011

I adore Cherry Coke, but I'm not sure how much of that is due to its absence in Canada. Raspberry Coke seems interesting.
posted by Harpocrates at 6:11 PM on October 19, 2011

It's 128 if you count the trivial drink.
posted by Wolfdog at 6:15 PM on October 19, 2011 [4 favorites]

I always drink 2/3rds Barq's 1/3rd Coke and it's fantastic. I stole the drink mix from an ex-girlfriend that drank it all the time. Back in my being bitter about the breakup days I used to refer to the drink as the only good thing to have come out of that relationship.

Try it, it's delicious!
posted by Arbac at 6:23 PM on October 19, 2011 [2 favorites]

They used to drink Cola mixed with Milk.

Apparently Penny Marshall used to drink this in real life. I did not know this.
posted by jessamyn

Being the youngest it wasn't that hard for my older sister and brother to convince me to try it out. As I recall, it wasn't to bad, kind of like a root beer float.
posted by Sailormom at 6:28 PM on October 19, 2011

Put enough vodka in it, and anything'll taste good, eventually.
posted by crunchland at 6:31 PM on October 19, 2011 [2 favorites]

Renoroc: "Anyone else remember Laverne and Shirley? They used to drink Cola mixed with Milk"

It was milk and Pepsi, specifically. I know because my mother favored this horrifying concoction. Mom grew up in Brooklyn, which to my Texas raised geographical sense didn't seem terribly far from Milwaukee - so I just assumed this was a regional thing from the northeast.
We love her anyway.
posted by John Smallberries at 6:39 PM on October 19, 2011 [2 favorites]

We have these In a number of restaurants and theaters around town. I think they are fantastic: vanilla raspberry Dr Pepper is a wonderful thing.
posted by Doleful Creature at 6:39 PM on October 19, 2011

I just have regular coke with an extra sugar pack. It is Sweet!
posted by JohnnyGunn at 6:42 PM on October 19, 2011

What's the difference between "Dasani" and "Water"?
posted by dunkadunc at 6:42 PM on October 19, 2011

I saw and used one of these for the first time when I went with a friend to a Five Guys over near Bothell (near Seattle). It was mildly delightful... a nice interface and kinda fun to use.

I agree with the taste test authors that the flavor additions can be rather overpowering in some combinations (vanilla diet coke, I'm looking at you). It's fun to have the option, though.

Also, I don't think there's any reason for the number of flavors to be related to a power of two, here. It's not like there are seven options that are either on or off; there are 22 choices on the main menu (including plain water), and then these each have a submenu with a few varieties. So if the total number lands near 128... that's just a coincidence.
posted by kprincehouse at 6:44 PM on October 19, 2011

Coke Raspberry: I expected this to be downright awful, and it wasn't. It almost tasted better than Cherry coke. The raspberry flavor works with coke, surprisingly.

Coke mixed with a bit of Schweppes Raspberry Cordial is so popular here in New Zealand that Coke did sell it premixed for a while. Unfortunately they used some awful artificial raspberry flavour so it didn't actually taste very good, and it didn't last very long in the marketplace.
posted by netd at 6:50 PM on October 19, 2011

ymgve: "Yet no Mezzo Mix."

Well, they try "Coke Orange" but claim it "felt forced, as if it didn't belong together. Mine tasted like orange pop, but brown—halfway between the original and a straight orange soda, in a strange netherworld." Clearly, they have no idea they have just insulted 80 million Germans.

This sounds basically like the (sadly) failed OK Soda.
posted by xedrik at 7:00 PM on October 19, 2011 [2 favorites]

It's 128 if you count the trivial drink.

If you mean "nothing," surely that would be the degenerate drink. (As I understand it, the trivial drink is Tab.)
posted by No-sword at 7:51 PM on October 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

Wendy's in New Orleans has those machines. I always get flustered and end up with Cherry Vanilla Diet Coke. Almost everyone surprisingly seems to know how to work it. (One old man was confused, but he didn't have trouble pressing the drink choice buttons. He had trouble pressing the giant button that said PRESS HERE. He just kept banging on the ice dispensing bar. I rescued him and helped him get his PLAIN COKE.)
posted by artychoke at 8:07 PM on October 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

The trivial drink or nothing sounds a lot like dehydrated water to me.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 8:13 PM on October 19, 2011

some ASU dudes have figured out how to get to the secret freestyle status screen. i'll bet that there are more than 127 possible flavors because there are more than 7 syrups in the beast.
posted by bruceo at 8:15 PM on October 19, 2011

127 combos and not one of them contains FRESCA?
posted by TWinbrook8 at 8:27 PM on October 19, 2011 [4 favorites]

Coke+orange juice. You can thank Mrs A. for this discovery. Looks curdled but tastes good.
posted by arcticseal at 8:59 PM on October 19, 2011

I'll Nth the suggestion of mixing soda and milk. If you get the chance, try milkis!
posted by PueExMachina at 9:01 PM on October 19, 2011

Mmmmmmm. Diet Coke with Lime. Loved that stuff. I suspect it is my curse that made them discontinue it. I love the flavor of limes, and in that drink, it hid the nasty sugar free tase brilliantly.
posted by Samizdata at 9:05 PM on October 19, 2011

We called Root Beer and Milk a brown cow and it is fantastic. We called what you call a grave yard swamp water. I am disappointed you cant make a swamp water with this.
posted by PinkMoose at 9:38 PM on October 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

Pepsi Bl... er, carry on.
posted by Foosnark at 9:45 PM on October 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

Is this the place where I can brag about being introduced to coke-beer? My German friends one day ordered a pitcher of lager and a pitcher of coke at the pub, and proceeded to mix the two in pint glasses.

We (boring canadians) were slightly horrified that this was happening, but my curiosity got the best of me and MAN that was tasty stuff! Just make sure to mix it at least 3:1 so that it's mostly beer, otherwise it'll just taste like weird coke. The magic is in adding just a little sweetness to the beer. Try it next time you're at a pub, trust me!
posted by Nutri-Matic Drinks Synthesizer at 9:49 PM on October 19, 2011

We have these machines where I work in the cafeteria. I find them a bit revolting as eventually all of the drinks have a slight taste of graveyard as everything is coming through the same tube.
posted by kthxbi at 10:04 PM on October 19, 2011

Peach Fanta is the most amazing beverage ever.

That is all.
posted by Garm at 10:50 PM on October 19, 2011 [3 favorites]

As a soda person, I hit Pizza My Heart just for the Diet Vanilla Barqs with a splash of orange.
As a marketing person, I'm completely envious that Coca Cola gets that much real-time data on regional experimentation and preferences that they can perfect their test markets like that.
And as an OK Soda fan, why isn't there an OK easter egg!? You've got all the pieces of the recipe right there, Coke!
posted by Gucky at 10:52 PM on October 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

So many combinations, and they still couldn't try Masala Coke/ Pepsi.

_{Spoiler: Hated it.}
posted by the cydonian at 10:58 PM on October 19, 2011

There used to be an honest-to-god old-fashioned soda fountain about two blocks from my house. I was introduced to real cherry Coke there -- not Cherry Coke® -- and remember that I always meant to try every flavor they had, but somehow never completed this task.

We called these "suicides" or "graveyards" when I was a kid, and it is easy to accomplish at any soda fountain anywhere.

No, not really the same thing. How can you get a chocolate Coke at a regular soda machine? Well, OK, not with the Freestyle either. But there's a big difference.

We called them "atomic bombs".

Guess we're a test market; we've had these at our local Pei Wei and Boston Market for a while now.

Yeah, they've been in limited test market release for a couple of years; they're just starting to be rolled out in national chains.

We called Root Beer and Milk a brown cow and it is fantastic.

Most places, that means a root beer float with chocolate ice cream.

As for the Freestyle ... needs more egg cream.
posted by dhartung at 11:03 PM on October 19, 2011

If you mix equal amounts of Coke and Sprite, it tastes kinda like ginger ale.

I was like that once. And then I moved to the south pacific and discovered ginger beer.
posted by hal_c_on at 2:15 AM on October 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

I worked at a bowling alley with a drinks dispenser once, and did not manage to find any combination that tasted better than straight-up sodas.

And what the hell is "Barq"? (I'm not American...) It sounds nasty.
posted by Harald74 at 2:19 AM on October 20, 2011

And what the hell is "Barq"? (I'm not American...) It sounds nasty.
It's caffeinated root beer and it was awesome. HFCS ruins everything.
posted by Purposeful Grimace at 2:39 AM on October 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

What's the difference between "Dasani" and "Water"?

The flavor of Dasani is reminiscent of PET bottles and the glass of water you drank after leaving it on the kitchen table for a couple nights. Water tastes like, well, water.
posted by whatzit at 3:20 AM on October 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

As Bleep said before, if there is a high child factor where you are, you wind up waiting forever to get your drink becuase the 8 year old girl in front of you spends forever before finally choosing Peach Sprite. A drink that might as well have unicorns and pricesses in its logo.
posted by Badgermann at 5:31 AM on October 20, 2011 [2 favorites]

It's caffeinated root beer and it was awesome

You tell 'em Johnny, you tell the world!
posted by arcticseal at 5:42 AM on October 20, 2011

Wait wait wait, they discontinued Diet Coke with Lime? But it's still on Coke's website.

Did it just go regional, like how Diet Cherry Pepsi can be found in some places but not others?

Part of me wants to know so that I can horde a bit before it's completely gone, while the sensible part is thinking "just buy a bottle of lime juice."
posted by rewil at 6:14 AM on October 20, 2011

At my serving job the other day, I had an older (mid 60's) couple come in and order Arnold Palmers as their lunch-time drink on our patio. As this is my go-to energy drink for surviving double shifts, I quickly whipped up a pair and served them with a flourish. The couple happily sipped theirs and when I came back for refills, the wife told me: "That's a tasty drink, so many young people don't know how to make them well anymore." I simultaneously felt very young and very old. I am sure this feeling will again appear when I am standing in front of one of these machines, surrounded by caffeinated, screaming kids, impatient hipsters and leaving me to be a befuddled old fart who just wants his Mezzo Mix.
posted by 1f2frfbf at 7:06 AM on October 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

They used to drink Cola mixed with Milk.

My mom and I both drank that all the time when I was growing up. I don't really have any taste for soda anymore, but the thought of Coke and milk is still pretty appealing.
posted by little cow make small moo at 7:50 AM on October 20, 2011

My first job was at a real soda fountain. Was all excited when Cherry Coke came out, but it wasn't nearly as good as the cherry cokes I used to make.

My father was fond of chocolate coke. I wasn't.

Really, some things should be made by hand, not by machine.
posted by QIbHom at 7:54 AM on October 20, 2011

We also invented captain crunch with coffee instead of milk.

My autistic son who has verbal issues mixed Lucky Charms with chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. Best. Cereal. Ever.
posted by doyouknowwhoIam? at 8:46 AM on October 20, 2011

In the 1980s my best friend would add a saccharine tablet to Diet Coke so it would taste better. At the time saccharine was derided as Toxic, and I never tried it. Also, he just may have been pulling my leg: I trust him implicitly so I never called him out on it.
posted by wenestvedt at 8:51 AM on October 20, 2011

I always drink 2/3rds Barq's 1/3rd Coke and it's fantastic.

To avoid wasting part-empty cans, don't you have to drink like three of these at a time? Now that seems like a ticket to diabeetus.
posted by wenestvedt at 8:53 AM on October 20, 2011

And what the hell is "Barq"? (I'm not American...) It sounds nasty.

BLASPEMY!!!!

I'll get the pitchforks and torches - real torches, mind you, not flashlights.
posted by doyouknowwhoIam? at 9:03 AM on October 20, 2011

Ugh I hate this machine. I took a bunch of kids for pizza after a dance performance. This was already a no-no since the dance group was part of a children's health study on obesity and diabetes prevention. But where else can you feed a bunch of kids at 8:30 on a school night, with a research assistant's salary? I did my best, ordering side salads and asking the staff to cut the gigantic pizza slices in half for some measure of portion control.

But oh, the beverages. Thinking I could avoid the soda machine I asked for pitchers of ice water. Not available. Cups for water please? The kids were used to the drill only being able to drink water at dance class. But who can resist the EXTREME TOUCHSCREEN FUN?? They did good at first, until someone figured out that by wrapping a napkin around your glass and choosing clear beverages you could sneak soda. And by sneak I mean have six 10 year olds giggling around a soda machine. Thank goodness the teenagers behind the counter didn't care enough to come and find me to pay for $40 worth of soda.

It's hard enough being an adult and trying to make healthy choices, but the money and resources they can put into machines like this to push sugar water is just not fair. Makes Joe Camel look quaint in comparison.
posted by wilky at 10:08 AM on October 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

Suicides. Graveyards. Swamp water...

We called these The Bo Jackson and i still say that's the best possible name.

My pops introduced me to peanut Coke as a kid and i love it still.
posted by broadway bill at 10:45 AM on October 20, 2011

These are great. Hardly anyone stocks Vanilla coke and it is so delicious. I believe that you _can_ make custom flavors because one by my work has two buttons which look like they were made in MSPaint for something I've never heard of.

Anyway, really just came here to say Barqs has bite and it really did taste better before HFCS.
posted by kookywon at 11:23 AM on October 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

Tried one of these for the first time today. Orange, cherry and vanilla Diet Coke.

It was a-MAYYYYY-zing.
posted by Lucinda at 1:39 PM on October 20, 2011

Hoopo, that red wine + Coke combo is called a kalimotxo in (some parts of?) Spain. It's surprisingly awesome. I discovered it a few years ago and it's been my go-to Summer afternoon drink ever since.
posted by rhiannonstone at 5:24 PM on October 20, 2011

1part red wine, 1part Coke. Don't ask why or how, the guy told me it had to so with Hungary

Calimocho.
posted by Bukvoed at 7:10 PM on October 20, 2011

Nutri-Matic Drinks Synthesizer: "Is this the place where I can brag about being introduced to coke-beer? My German friends one day ordered a pitcher of lager and a pitcher of coke at the pub, and proceeded to mix the two in pint glasses.

We (boring canadians) were slightly horrified that this was happening, but my curiosity got the best of me and MAN that was tasty stuff! Just make sure to mix it at least 3:1 so that it's mostly beer, otherwise it'll just taste like weird coke. The magic is in adding just a little sweetness to the beer. Try it next time you're at a pub, trust me!"

It's a shandy variant. I like 50/50 some light, tart hoppy beer/ginger beer.
posted by Samizdata at 8:04 PM on October 20, 2011

Taking kids out for dinner as a group and expecting them to eat salads and not drink soda is like cursing the darkness: a fool's errand. Plus, at a certain point you have to let things go: food is just as much for enjoyment as it is for nourishment.

Another thing to keep in mind: completely forbidding something makes it all the more tempting. Of course they wanted to futz with the OMG TOUCHSCREEN THING, because you told them not to. Same with drinking soda: if it's there and OMG FORBIDDEN, of course they are going to try and sneak it. I did the same as a child with sweets, when they were forbidden to me.
posted by Hwin at 10:29 PM on October 20, 2011

1part red wine, 1part Coke. Don't ask why or how, the guy told me it had to so with Hungary

Calimocho.

I'd heard it called "Kalte Muschi", which is an even more delightfully vulgar name.
posted by Greg Nog at 8:19 AM on October 21, 2011 [1 favorite]