I’ll take Coke, if that’s what they have, although my preference is Pepsi.
Any other brand?
No. Goddess no. Absolutely not.
Other flavours? Sure, I’ll take an off-brand. Ginger ale, I even generally prefer it to Canada Dry or Schweppes. But cola? Never. Any cola other than Coke or Pepsi is absolutely vile. I don’t care if it’s RC, Big8, a store brand, or whatever. It. Is. Gross.
Oh, good god, yes, Starlight is completely different. For one, yes, it tastes sweeter, but, for two, it’s oddly flavored. It tastes like Coke with graham crackers and cream soda in it to me. Then somewhere I read the flavor was supposed to be based on s’mores, which is consistent with my (and my children’s) flavor impressions of it.
While I’d hesitate to call it terrible, it’s not something I’m ever going to purchase myself again. It was fun as a one-off experiment for me, but nothing I need more than a couple of sips of.
Also, regular Coke Zero and Diet Coke should be noticeably different to someone who drinks Diet Coke regularly. Coke Zero is supposed to taste more like regular Coke (and I agree), while Diet Coke is kind of its own thing, not really resembling Coke Classic to me. I actually like Diet Coke and its dry, very slightly astringent taste, while Coke Zero tastes almost too sweet to me, but definitely more like the real thing (which I definitely find too sweet.)
That said, to the OP, I’ll drink any diet cola and, many moons ago when I drank sugared sodas, it didn’t make a lick of difference to me, though my preference ran: Coke, RC, Pepsi – in that order – of the usual soda brands available around here.
My exact same opinion. (On both counts.) I don’t drink any sodas unless they are diet because I can’t stand the syrup. The one exception is root beer. And I’ll take a straight cola as a mixer.
I prefer Diet Coke over Diet Pepsi but I’ll drink either. And I like Coke Zero Sugar over either.
My favorite soda ever is Coca-Cola Light. It’s basically Mexico’s version of Diet Coke and I’ve only seen it down there. It is soda nirvana.
If I had a gun to my head, and had to choose between Coke and Pepsi, I’d take Pepsi hands-down. I despise Coca-Cola. If I was given the choice between Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi, Diet Coke in a heartbeat. Diet Pepsi tastes salty to me (for some reason).
Given a choice between regular Coke and Diet Pepsi… the bullet starts to look quite inviting.
On an airplane I drink ginger ale for some reason. It’s a tradition. Coke makes a better Cuba Libre. If for some reason I’m not allowed alcohol, I’d really prefer Fresca.
My airplane tradition is a can of Mr. & Mrs. T’s bloody Mary mix. If I sweet talk the server I usually end up with a whole can of it, plus a cup of ice. Good times . . .
Same here. Don’t even have to sweet talk them, at least not recently – they just automatically give me a full can. At least on Southwest. (Oh, and United.)
Is there something about planes and flying that make me crave tomato juice or its spicier cousin BM mix? It’s the only place I ever order either of those. And it’s a staple of airplane non-alcoholic drink menus. I’ve been doing either tomato drink on planes since I was probably 8 or so. My flying mate last month remarked on my Bloody Mary Mix, thinking it was an odd drink choice, but I said, “hey, it’s on the menu, so somebody must be drinking it.”
I often get tomato juice on airplanes. And yes, i read an article about how the extremely dry air makes everything taste different, and it’s a challenge for airplane food, and it included the curiosity that tomato juice is extremely popular on airplanes, although i forget the exact details.
It depends on how tired or otherwise irritated I am. Normally I will suffer through a (diet) pepsi if no zero-calorie coke (whichever) is to be had, but when I’m already having a bad day, hearing that an establishment offers pepsi products only can be the final straw. One I will not drink from on general principle. A way of reclaiming some sense of control over my day. It’s kind of like an impromptu “two minutes hate” cut down to two seconds to refuse a pepsi product under such circumstances.
I can tell the difference, and prefer Pepsi. But I’ll easily drink a Coke if it’s what they have. I used to drink HoJo colas when Howard Johnson’s was still around. I used to drink RC and whatever “cola” flavor the local soda makers came up with. As William Poundstone pointed out in his book Big Secrets, the basic “cola” flavor formula is actually pretty widely known (vanilla + cassia/cinnamon + citrus oils), and it’s the particulars that make the distinction between Coke and Pepsi and the others.
I’ll often signal my lack of preference by ordering a “cola”. But this seems to disturb the waitstaff. “Is Coke OK?” “Yes, that’s a cola.” Or else they think I’m saying “diet cola”. So saying you want a “cola” doesn’t necessarily help. It’s easier to order a Coke or a Pepsi and accept their saying that they only have the other kind if that’s the case.
I’m a Diet Coke drinker. When I’m asked if Diet Pepsi is ok, I say yes but am disappointed. They don’t usually have any other diet drinks so I’m stuck with Diet Pepsi which does not compare to Diet Coke. Sometimes, depending on what I’m eating, I’ll opt for ice water.
I’ll tell you what disappointed me!
I loved Vernor’s ginger ale when I was younger. Very snappy bitey ginger flavor. Then, they either stopped production or didn’t distribute it as widely, and I wasn’t able to find it for a long time. But then I found it in a supermarket and was so happy. Bought a six pack and took it home. And the first sip? Sweet sweet SWEET. Where is my snappy Vernor’s???
Many in this thread are probably aware of this: With some types of soda guns, it’s possible to pour out pure syrup. Typically, you’d press one of the buttons on the gun only halfway down to get pure syrup.
If the bartender is hip to this (many – but not all – are), you can ask for a soft drink with a little extra syrup.
Starlight is a whole different flavor, like vanilla or cherry coke. It also has a zero calorie version. I assume there also are zero calorie versions of those others. Starlight tastes most closely to cotton candy, so it would definitely be too sweet for most people.
Wow, I don’t taste that at all. It’s 100% cotton candy flavor to me, and I would know as I regularly buy cotton candy.
I’m now finishing up the Starlight Coke Zero Calories that my wife refuses to drink. The closest I can describe the odd undertaste is “minty,” almost as if someone put a stick of Wrigley’s Spearmint into the can.
There’s definitely cotton candy, too. I can see that. But the first thing I thought was graham crackers and cream soda, but the cream soda can also be cotton candy. It’s all in that ballpark.
There’s a reddit thread here that describes various posters’ impressions of the drink. S’mores is mentioned. Chocolate is mentioned. Mint is mentioned. Cotton candy is mentioned. Creamsicle is mentioned. Cookies are mentioned. Graham crackers and marshmallows are mentioned. Dr Pepper Cream Soda is mentioned. There’s all sorts of flavors going on, and what sticks out will vary from person to person. I know that even with myself, day to day, different flavors can stand out to me from the same food.
The interesting thing there is the OP claims they got two different flavors after switching cans, so it would seem its just different flavors in each can and not everyone tasting the same thing differently.
I did that at Wendys for several years. They sold Pepsi.
Coke is the only cola that I like.
It does truly say something about humans that billions of dollars change hands over a combination of carbonated water, sweetener, and flavorings.