Do Balsamic Vinegar and Sparkling Water Really Taste Like Coke?
A video went viral on TikTok this week in which user MandyVJones explains how you can make a drink that tastes like Coke but is good for you. All you have to do is mix some balsamic vinegar with sparkling water, add some ice and enjoy.
“My Pilates instructor makes this drink almost every day,” Jones says in the video. “I’m not kidding, it tastes like Coke and you’ll think I’m crazy.”
I had my doubts, but as a Coke fanatic and fat ass, I had to try, what if …? So I mixed it up as directed: balsamic vinegar, sparkling water and ice, and took a healthy slug.
No, vinegar and sparkling water do not smell like Coke.
I don’t think Jones is crazy, but this drink doesn’t taste like Coke. Tastes like fizzy vinegar. It has something in it that might remind you of Coca-Cola – about the same color, with bubbles – but it doesn’t taste like Coca-Cola. The taste is not bad (if you like vinegar), but something more is clearly needed.
But you can make vinegary drinks that taste great.
Vinegar-based drink is not new. Colonial Americans loved “bushes,” mixtures of vinegar syrup with alcohol, water, or soda. The great Claire Lower has already explored the realm of vinegar in this very spot, creating bushes and other delicious and refreshing vinegar-based concoctions.
I trust Claire all my life, but I am a seasoned person and have to try everything myself. I mixed some peach balsamic seltzer from my SodaStream and poured it into the drinker. And I would give it three and a half stars out of five! It’s delicious and refreshing – the sour vinegar delightfully cuts down on the peach’s sweetness.
But there was no booze in it, so I’m happy to report that adding a dash of vodka to peach balsamic vinegar and seltzer is a 5-star hit. I added some crushed basil to make it healthy, and voila , a new cocktail was born: Peach Steve. A guy with an ironic mustache and garters on his sleeves in a hipster bar ten years ago could mix such a drink for you.
I’d include the recipe, but Peach Steve’s soul lies in experimentation, so instead I offer you some general guidelines that I urge you to ignore because I’m not your boss.
- You can use any flavor of infused balsamic vinegar, but the quality of the vinegar really matters. Get more out of it, for example, by using an 18 year old bottle you bought in Ojai after an olive oil tasting. (My life is immeasurably filled with strange and decadent pleasures.)
- Tried both gin and vodka, I prefer vodka. Claire loves it with gin .
- Add a third ingredient to complement the flavor, such as basil, mint, or rosemary.
- Vinegar is very strong, so start small. From there, experiment with the diet of ingredients until you create a cocktail that tastes just like Coke or you get slightly drunk, whichever comes first.