Ditch The Basic Coke: Pair Jack Daniel's With This Instead

The Jack and Coke, or, more formally, Jack Daniel's and Coca-Cola, is one of the world's foremost intoxicating and stimulating refreshers. This particular combination of alcohol and caffeine predates the similarly situated espresso martini and the Red Bull and vodka by decades. The sweet soda mellows the Tennessee whiskey's edge, and the pair's shared caramely components mingle marvelously. But that does not preclude room for improvement, and a Jack and Coke is even better when that latter ingredient swaps the standard domestic can with a beautiful glass bottle imported from Mexico.

Famously, Mexican Coke is thought to taste better than the American version largely because it's made with cane sugar, rather than the high-fructose corn syrup of its (still pretty good) U.S. counterpart. Studies and polls, including from Marketwatch, have shown that many people prefer the taste of that former, more easily identifiable sweetener to the highly processed latter.

Now, a lot of factors can affect this perception, including simple personal preferences. Heck, even the type of ice can change the character of a drink, and a Jack and Coke (or just the Coke) is no exception. But, if you are among those who love the crisp, unique sweetness of a Mexican Coke, you're probably also going to prefer it with your Jack.

In 2025, The Coca-Cola Company announced plans to re-release a version of its flagship product made with real sugar, specifically for the United States market, for the first time in decades. That product would theoretically slake the nation's thirst for what had previously only been available in relatively limited quantities. Real-sugar Coke would be an addition, however, not a replacement, so you'd still have to sort through your retailer's Diet Cokes, Coke Zeros, flavored varieties, and analog high-fructose corn syrup versions to find the real sugar variety. And that would be if you could find it at all.

As of winter 2026, cane sugar Coke is sold in U.S. stores, but not as ubiquitously as high-fructose corn syrup Coke. Some denizens of social media have even lamented how hard it has been to find. But, in addition to the limited-edition, yellow-capped, Kosher for Passover bottles, which also use real sugar, there seem to be more ways than ever to taste anything other than high-fructose corn syrup in your Coca-Cola, provided that you're among those who notice the difference at all. And we happen to notice that that difference makes all the difference in a good, old, Jack and Coke, so we'll keep snapping up those glass bottles of Mexican Coca-Cola (as well as the new, U.S. sugar and Kosher for Passover options) whenever and wherever we can find them.