The Unique, 2-Ingredient Bubbly Cocktail Tom Hanks Invented On A Whim

If you thought all Tom Hanks could do was nail pitch-perfect performances and hoover up Oscars, think again. The actor is also an amateur mixologist, if only by accident. In a conversation with Stephen Colbert on an episode of "The Late Show", Hanks said he was at Café Carlyle, a New York City jazz club, to see his wife Rita Wilson perform with her band. As such, after the performance, Hanks and his group ordered a bottle of champagne to celebrate. 

The actor, who has Type 2 diabetes, was sipping on a Diet Coke — a surprisingly useful drink to mix with cocktails and mocktails — but didn't want to miss out on the fun so he instructed the server to add a bit of champagne to his beverage. To Hanks' astonishment, the oddball combination actually worked quite well. And thus was born a new cocktail he dubbed the "Diet Cokagne." Hanks, of course, was just goofing around when he mixed the soft drink and sparkling wine, so the proportions are subjective. 

Luckily, Colbert had iced highball glasses, Diet Coke, and a bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne at the ready so the pair could demonstrate the qualities of the Diet Cokagne. As Hanks remembered, he'd sipped down about a third of his Diet Coke before the remainder of the glass was filled with champagne. The pair then proceeded to drink the mixture with Colbert mouthing an exuberant "wow" after his first sip. Clearly, what started as a lark has legs.

Champagne is a very specific beverage. While there are several types of champagne and numerous wineries that produce the beverage, they are legally required to be located in the Champagne region of France and use specific methods of production. That said, there are plenty of alternatives you can swap in with a Diet Cokagne, such as American sparkling wine or Italian prosecco if you don't mind betraying the name a bit. 

Maybe though, you aren't a fan of champagne or other sparkling wines at all, but the idea of carbonated soft drinks and wine has you intrigued. While we can confirm that Hanks' creation is wholly original, the combination of soft drinks and wine is a territory well-trodden, especially in Spain. One of the nation's most popular cocktails, especially in summer months is the Kalimotxo which is different from Tinto De Verano. 

The Kalimotxo is a combination of equal parts Coca-Cola or other cola beverage and red wine, preferably a Spanish one. It is an effervescent cocktail that is at once light and fruity, but with a depth and spice. If you want even more fruit, also try the Tinto de Verano, which swaps out the cola with lemon-lime soda for a breezy beverage that is somewhat similar to another famed Spanish tipple, sangria.