7 of Clubs

That's right! I have Mexican Coke! What's so great about Mexican coke? Real sugar: you can tell it tastes a bit more rich, the cola less citric. It's a throwback flavor for some of us who miss the way Coca-Cola used to taste.

Here the classic Seagram's Seven Crown playing cards series experiments with the idea of a mint flavored cola. It is not as bad as it sounds. The sweet long drink known as the 7 of Clubs has a cool minty finish. I rather like how it is cleansing and a little like a classic soda fountain treat from bygone years. When sipped through a straw, it comes across like a quaint but almost forgotten luxury.

• 1 1/2 oz. Seagram's 7 Crown whiskey
• 3/4 oz. peppermint schnapps (white creme de menthe used)
• 6 oz. cola (Mexican Coke used)

Build cocktail with whiskey and schnapps in a Collins glass. Add ice and top with cola. Stir gently with the straw.

7 of Spades

I'm ticking off the Seagram's 7 playing cards drinks while I have a bottle of the blended whiskey. Whatever you may think of this American standard, especially now that Bourbon and local whiskey are in full swing, Seagram's 7 is smooth. It is made with seventy-five percent grain neutral spirit. That means that the remaining twenty-five percent is what tastes like aged whiskey. The rest is as smooth as vodka. This is useful when mixing a basic cocktail, one or two mixers that are nominally very sweet ingredients.

I'm not saying that these cocktails are bad or good. They are good if you are in the mood for a flavored Coke with an alcoholic kick. And if you are going to throw together a sweet long drink, Seagram's Seven Crown is as good as any other whiskey, and probably better, really. Of course, you're welcome to mix your best bourbon with Coke, but I bet you won't. I wouldn't.

• 1 1/2 oz. Seagram's 7 Crown whiskey
• 1/2 oz. amaretto 
• 6 oz. of cola (Mexican Coke used)
• several dashes of lemon juice (optional, but very nice)

Build drink with whiskey and amaretto in a Collins glass. Add ice and top with cola. Stir gently and add lemon juice dashes if desired. 

Nutty Cola (Non-Alcoholic)

I don't think that Coke gets enough credit for popularizing a tropical drink made from the kola nut in the U.S. Now that kola is no longer an ingredient in cola, it is more citrusy with lime, lemon and orange notes, despite the artificial brown color.

A Nutty Cola does the trick of reminding us that Coke is tropical. Add lime juice and the balance goes way too sour to stand, so orgeat or hazelnut syrup are needed to add sweetness and nutty flavor.

• 2 oz. orgeat or hazlenut syrup
• 2 oz. lime juice
• cola

 Combine juice and syrup in a Collins glass with ice. Top with cola and stir. 

Piscola (Chilean with Mexican Coke)

At China Chilcano I tried the Piscola, a Pisco & Coke, with Mexican Coke. Pisco Control C is Chilean pisco that is unaged and drier than some piscos. It is made from muscatel and Pedro Ximenez grapes. It stands out more than a Coke and Bacardi, with its floral nose.

Mexican Coke is another find at China Chilcano because it is made with real sugar. This tastes less bitter than the U.S. formula and is very suited to mixing with pisco.

• 2 oz. pisco (Control C used at China Chilcano)
• Coke (Mexican used)
• lime wedge

Build drink in a Collins glass with pisco and ice. Top with coke and garnish with the lime slice. 

Cuba Libre / Rum And Coke

Take a Rum & Coke and add a lime slice and you have the classic Cuban spy thriller cocktails, the Cuba Libre. It was the signal flag of reporters and spies meeting in the Havana Hotel to discuss the end of the Spanish occupation of Cuba.

It's so simple to make and really so basic that it is beautiful. I found it to be especially good for afternoon beach drinking in the Caribbean, where you really need to pair down ingredients and tools to keep things simple.

• 2 oz. light rum
• cola
• lime slice

Build cocktail in a double Old Fashioned Glass with ice. Top with cola and stir. Garnish with lime slice. 

Pyewacket's Revenge

This is a very esoteric name for a simple drink. Let me break down some of the history of it's name. Pyewacket was supposedly the name of a "familiar spirit" that an Essex, England, woman consorted with when she was tried for witchcraft in 1644. The name has been applied to black cats, experimental missiles, and witch characters in comedies ever since. It's strange to see such a singular name have no human antecedent!

Then there's the drink. Just 1 1/2 oz. of scotch in an Old Fashioned glass topped with cola. Here's the recipe just for consistency's sake:

• 1 1/2 oz. scotch
• cola (about 6 ounces)
• lemon peel

And you just build it in a glass with ice. The lemon peel actually does a lot to change the nature of the drink, both in the nose and on the tongue. But there's a strange sensation when you drink through the sweet cola and taste the peat of scotch and sense the alcohol in there. It's kind of cheap tasting and a little gross. There are better ways to drink scotch and better ways to enjoy a Coke, for sure.