The Flavored Whiskey You Should Be Mixing With Coke

Combining whiskey and Coke undeniably makes for one great cocktail. In fact, some people even prefer it over the more common rum and Coke. But if you fall into the category of reaching for whiskey and Coke, you'll want to know about ways to upgrade the drink to make it even more memorable. One way to make it better? Use vanilla-flavored whiskey, such as Jim Beam Vanilla, instead.

There's a reason that Coca-Cola has a vanilla flavor option — the natural sweetness of the vanilla fits in perfectly with the saccharine nature of the soda. Since the vanilla is infused into the whiskey, you're guaranteed to have that sweet flavor without having to include a ton of Coke — in other words, you can make yourself a stronger drink that doesn't taste like the alcohol is overpowering the other flavors. Plus, using vanilla whiskey — instead of regular whiskey mixed with Coca-Cola Vanilla — guarantees that the vanilla is perfectly blended into the whiskey, making for a smoother drinking experience.

Once you've discovered the brilliance of vanilla-flavored whiskey and Coke, you may be wondering if there are other drinks to mix with said whiskey — and the answer is a resounding yes. First of all, sticking with the Coke combination, you could swap out the classic Coke for Coca-Cola Cherry — cherry and vanilla is already a classic combo, which is only enriched by the flavor of whiskey.

If you'd like to keep the focus on the vanilla whiskey, you can opt for seltzer water (or flavored seltzer) instead. This will give you the fun, bubbly aspect of Coke but without the extra sweetness if you're looking for something that isn't too overpoweringly sweet.

Additionally, you can swap out the bourbon for vanilla whiskey in Tasting Table's recipe for summertime peach whiskey smash cocktail, which will turn this semi-sweet cocktail into a treat that is almost dessert-like. While you're at it, concocting more complex drinks, you may as well try vanilla whiskey in the most well-known whiskey cocktail out there: a whiskey sour. The sweet vanilla will bring a complexity to the natural tanginess of the classic drink.

While Jim Beam Vanilla is an excellent starting point, it's far from the only option. There are tons of other popular flavored whiskeys; in fact, Tasting Table ranked 16 of them. For other bottles that are strictly vanilla-flavored, consider Crown Royal Vanillaor Skatterbrain's Vanilla Cake whiskey. If you're lucky, you might even find pre-made Coke and whiskey canned cocktails, like Jack Daniel's partnership with Coca-Cola. 

Many brands also have combination flavors like Select Club's Sea Salted Caramel and Vanilla whiskey or Den of Thieves' Ginger Vanilla whiskey. For a chocolate and vanilla take, consider Hotel Tango's Swiss Miss Shamllow bourbon.

Many of the combination flavors might end up tasting a little sweeter than some may like. But there's another option that gives all the flavor without the sweetness by topping the whiskey with regular Coke. When paired with a dash of the soda, Skatterbrain's Dark Cherry Vanilla whiskey offers the perfect combination of the two classic flavors.