FARMER’S COKE AND OTHER SIPS

HERE’S AN ALTERNATIVE FOR NON-beer drinkers who’d like to experiment with nucleated peanuts: “Farmer’s Coke.”  

Atlas Obscura describes, “Historians speculate that the Southern tradition of blending shelled, salted peanuts and Coke may have originated in the 1920s, when farmers or other manual laborers wanted to enjoy a snack that wouldn’t require touching their food. A more hands-on meal would mean a washing-up break, but simply pouring your peanuts into the Coke bottle allowed for a protein boost that you could sip while working.”

What a great idea for those of us fooling with attendant greasy bits of old cars. 

Atlas Obscura continues, “Purists say the only way to enjoy the pairing is with a classic glass bottle. As one nostalgic writer says, ‘there’s something about gripping that curvy green glass bottle and tilting it just so, at that perfect 40° angle that offers up a trickle of Coke with an attendant peanut or two in each swig, that makes for one of the most satisfying sensations imaginable.’ ”

My Peanut Coke. I experimented with Diet Coke in my favorite plastic mug with Vons’ signature brand Roasted & Salted Party Peanuts.

Unlike the beer/peanut experiment, none of my peanuts initially sank. (Can Diet Coke be more dense than beer? This calls for further research.) 

Sure enough, though, after a minute or so whole-kernel peanuts began to rotate and dance downward, then return. Peanut halves took longer to exhibit rotation.

Pass the Bourbon. The bread booze BACON website (whose subtitle is “Damn Good Food”) adds a kick: Julie Kotzbach writes, “I first had this drink at the Maker’s Mark distillery at a dinner event years ago. It was weird and amazing and I’ve been hooked ever since! Putting peanuts in my coke has now become standard practice, especially if I can find glass bottle Coke in stores…. Adding bourbon makes this southern classic a delicious adult beverage, especially if you use a nicely aged bourbon that goes down smooth.”

Have a Mexican Coca-Cola. Naomi Tomky reports in CHRON, February 1, 2023, “The Coca-Cola formula sometimes changes from country to country. Most famously, Mexican Coke and American Coke products differ in a very major way that, according to some, affects the flavor of the drink.”

Tomky recounts, “Coca-Cola started out in Atlanta, developed in the late 19th century as a drink for people who wanted to avoid alcohol. By the 1920s, the company had started bottling the beverage in Mexico, and by the 1970s a major advertising push made the drink immensely popular around that country. In 1980, a schism occurred that created the difference between Mexican Coke and American Coke and it all came down to a change in sweeteners.”

Tomky explains, “The ingredients listed on American Coke starts with carbonated water and high-fructose corn syrup, while Coca Cola labeled ‘Hecho en Mexico’ (made in Mexico) starts with carbonated water and sucrose—ordinary sugar. All the other ingredients are the same, including how much caffeine is in Coke from the two countries…. The only American Coke product that uses traditional sugar is a seasonal product available during the Jewish holiday of Passover, when observers eschew a number of foods, including corn syrup.”

Wikipedia notes, “In 2013, a Mexican Coca-Cola bottler announced it would stop using cane sugar in favor of glucose-fructose syrup. It later clarified this change would not affect those bottles specifically exported to the United States as ‘Coca-Cola Nostalgia’ products.”

A No-No Colla. “Coca Colla,” Wikipedia notes, “is an energy drink produced in Bolivia with the use of coca extract as its base. It was launched on the Bolivian market in La Paz, Santa Cruz and Cochabamba in April of 2010…. It is made from coca leaf extracts, a plant also known for its use as the base of cocaine powder. This is a restricted substance in many countries and illegal to sell, buy, or distribute in North America and Europe.”

Wikipedia says, “The International Narcotics Control Board of the United Nations has had the coca leaf on the list of dangerous drugs since 1961. Exporting the drink worldwide will not be possible unless drug laws are changed, including local Bolivian law which prevents exporting any coca based product from the country. However, importers from Iran, Bolivia’s economic and political ally, have already expressed an interest in over 2 million units of the drink when large scale production starts.”

It’s not known whether peanut-dosed Men’s Colla has been considered. ds 

© Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays.com, 2023