If you’ve been scrolling on TikTok lately, you may have seen people trying out Tom Hanks’ unusual cocktail. Hanks whipped up his ‘Diet Cokagne’ on Stephen Colbert’s talk show and people have been curious to try it ever since.
While many of my friends are participating in Dry January - I’m not, so I decided to see what all the hype is about.
The recipe is simple and it’s easy to see where the name of the drink comes from as the only two ingredients are Diet Coke and Champagne.
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I’m not a massive fan of champagne or prosecco, so I wasn’t sure whether or not Diet Coke was going to improve its taste. Colbert and people on TikTok who made Hanks’ Diet Coke spritzer have compared it to an Aperol Spritz, with the talk show host dubbing it an American Aperol Spritz.
While it may sound like an unusual concoction, Hanks said he got the idea because he’s not a big drinker.
"I usually have a Diet Coke because if you don't have a long enough disco nap, you're going to fall asleep at 11:45."
However, when he was out recently with his wife, Rita Wilson, when they ordered a celebratory bottle of Champagne, he decided to request a shot of bubbly in his Diet Coke.
Hanks told host Stephen Colbert that everyone at the table told him he was insane, to which the Forrest Gump star said: “Well, I may be insane, but I want to celebrate the season. So I had a sip of this. Stephen, it was delicious."
If Tom Hanks says it’s delicious, I’m going to take his word for it, I trust Tom Hanks!
The method is extremely simple, which I appreciate because let’s face it, no one wants to be pulling out the cocktail shakers and measuring out all sorts of syrups and alcohols. If I’m honest, the most time I spent was trying to pop open the bottle.
I opted for a prosecco flute as my glass with a cube of ice, while Hanks used a straight glass. I filled the glass two-thirds of the way with Diet Coke (Hanks uses diet due to his Type 2 diabetes, but adds that any cola soda will do) and topped it off with champagne.
On the Colbert show, Hanks uses Veuve Clicquot Champagne which the Brut Yellow Label goes for £45 in Tesco. I, on the other hand, used a bottle that had been unopened and brought as a gift on New Years’ Eve called Mumm Cordon Rouge Champagne Brut which retails for about £36 in Tesco.
Finally I was ready to try my first Diet Cokagne, and honestly, it was what I was expecting. I wasn’t a huge fan of the mix, however I will say, I would prefer adding a splash of Diet Coke to a future glass of prosecco or champagne rather than having it on its own.
It tasted like a sweeter, fizzier Diet Coke - probably not a drink I’d stomach for the whole night. I poured my mix into a glass of ice and played around with the measurements to see if I could find a taste to my own personal liking, ultimately deciding that it’s definitely nicer with more Diet Coke than champagne.
I’d recommend actual prosecco drinkers to steer clear of this “American Aperol Spritz”, but to those who aren’t a fan of the sparkling wine anyways, it’s definitely worth a try.
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