Saxon + Parole & The Daily Mix Up Coca-Cola Cocktails
Cola's got a brand-new bag
We, like many people, are dedicated fans of cola with our fatty burgers.
But we usually shoved cola aside when it came to serious cocktailing. Not anymore–not now that both classic and inventive takes on cola drinks have been appearing all over New York.
At Saxon + Parole and the brand-new the Daily, there is the La Batanga ($14), blanco tequila, fresh lime and cola stirred with a steak knife and served in a salt-rimmed highball. Talde's Tuk Tuk ($8) high-kicks Mekong rum with strips of fresh ginger. At the Upper East Side's new incarnation of Jbird Cocktails, the 59 Convertible with Cuban Plates ($12) starts with Coca-Cola, reduces the soda by half and fortifies the result with demerara sugar, grilled pineapple, clove and anise.
Over at the Wayland, the wizardly bartenders have taken a cue from Argentineans with a flowing and fizzed supply of Fernet Branca and house-made cola on tap ($7).
Eager for more, we secured a home-bartender-friendly version of the Wayland's crazy-good cola. Buy kola nuts at Dual Speciality Store, then watch our step-by-step slide show to crack the new cola code at home.