Whiskey and Coke is a

highball A highball is a mixed alcoholic drink composed of an alcoholic base spirit and a larger proportion of a non-alcoholic mixer, often a carbonated beverage. Examples include the Seven and Seven, Scotch and soda, gin and tonic, screwdriver (a.k.a ...

cocktail made by mixing

whiskey Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden ...

, typically bourbon or

Tennessee whiskey Tennessee whiskey is straight whiskey produced in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Although it has been legally defined as a bourbon whiskey in some international trade agreements, most current producers of Tennessee whiskey disclaim references to ...

, with

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...

or other

cola Cola is a carbonated soft drink flavored with vanilla, cinnamon, citrus oils and other flavorings. Cola became popular worldwide after the American pharmacist John Stith Pemberton invented Coca-Cola, a trademarked brand, in 1886, which was imi ...

s. A popular version of the drink is Jack and Coke (also referred to as JD and Coke or Jack Coke), where the

Jack Daniel's Jack Daniel's is a brand of Tennessee whiskey. It is produced in Lynchburg, Tennessee, by the Jack Daniel Distillery, which has been owned by the Brown–Forman Corporation since 1956. Packaged in square bottles, Jack Daniel's "Black Label" ...

brand of whiskey is used. The drink is especially popular in the American South. The drink is generally served with ice – sometimes in an

old-fashioned glass The old fashioned glass, otherwise known as the rocks glass and lowball glass (or simply lowball), is a short tumbler used for serving spirits, such as whisky, neat or with ice cubes ("on the rocks"). It is also normally used to serve certain ...

or a

Collins glass A collins glass is a glass tumbler which typically will contain . It is commonly used to serve sparkling cocktails, especially long drinks like the Tom Collins or John Collins. Its cylindrical shape, narrower and taller than a highball glass, ke ...

, and sometimes in less-expensive containers such as

disposable A disposable (also called disposable product) is a product designed for a single use after which it is recycled or is disposed as solid waste. The term is also sometimes used for products that may last several months (e.g. disposable air filte ...

plastic cups. When bourbon is used, it is often called bourbon and Coke, or more generically, bourbon and cola. The "Coke" part of the name may tend to imply that the

brand of cola is used, but it is common for any brand of cola to be referred to as "Coke", at least in the American South.

History

The first known mention of a drink made by mixing whiskey with Coke was in a 1907 report of an employee of the United States Bureau of Chemistry and Soils, who encountered the drink when visiting the South, and said the proprietor called it a "Coca-Cola high-ball". Bourbon and Coke would grow to become a common starting point for introducing novice drinkers to bourbon, according to

Dave Pickerell David Steven Pickerell (August 14, 1956 – November 1, 2018) was an American distiller. He was considered the "Johnny Appleseed" or "founding father" of craft distilling. Early life and education Pickerell was born on August 14, 1956, in Fai ...

, a former master distiller of the

Maker's Mark Maker's Mark is a small-batch bourbon whisky produced in Loretto, Kentucky, by Beam Suntory. It is bottled at 90 U.S. proof (45% alcohol by volume) and sold in squarish bottles sealed with red wax. The distillery offers tours, and is part of ...

brand of bourbon. According to ''Massachusetts Beverage Business'' in 2005, the popularity of the Jack and Coke combination was on the rise among 21- to 34-year-olds. Mike Keyes, Jack Daniel's Senior Vice President and Global Brand Director, was quoted in 2007 as saying that "Over time, more of Jack Daniel's is being consumed with mixers, such as Coca-Cola."Walker, Tracy.
Walker
"It's clear that brown spirits have gained momentum, particularly the Tennessee whiskey segment." Retrieved February 1, 2007. In 2016, after the death of

Lemmy Kilmister Ian Fraser Kilmister (24 December 1945 – 28 December 2015), better known as Lemmy Kilmister or simply Lemmy, was an English musician. He was the founder, lead singer, bassist and primary songwriter of the rock band Motörhead, of which he wa ...

, the frontman and bassist of the heavy metal band

Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a precu ...

, his fans began a campaign to rename the cocktail after him, due to his prominent and frequent consumption of the drink. On January 12, 2016, ''Food and Beverage'' magazine said they had officially named the Jack and Coke combination "The Lemmy".

Marketing

The term "Jack and Coke" was used in some combined advertising for Jack Daniel's and Coca-Cola, and several products were created as part of this marketing campaign, including bar signs and taps.Image
Jack & Coke Bar Tap
Retrieved February 2, 2007. Around 1996, Jack Daniel's released a canned beverage called "Jack Daniel's and Cola", a mixed beverage of the same type as Jack and Coke, in several markets in the South Pacific, including Australia and New Zealand. In 2022, Jack Daniel's and Coca-Cola announced the planned release of a

ready to drink Ready to drink (often known as RTD) packaged beverages are those sold in a prepared form, ready for consumption. Examples include iced tea (prepared using tea leaves and fruit juice) and alcopops (prepared by mixing alcoholic beverages with frui ...

(RTD) canned cocktail.

Variations

* When

rye whisky Rye whiskey can refer to two different, but related, types of whiskey: * American rye whiskey, which is similar to bourbon whiskey, but must be distilled from at least 51 percent rye grain * Canadian whisky, which is often referred to as (and o ...

is used, the cocktail may be called rye and Coke.

References

{{Cocktails Cocktails with whisky Cocktails with cola

History

Marketing

Variations

See also

References