A new soda champion has risen and it is known as Mexican Coke. It's made with sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup and comes in the classic curvy glass bottle you expect to see on an episode of Mad Men.
New York restauranteurs say it's definitely a thing, with some people venturing to call it "real coke."
Greta Dana, owner of Taco Chulo in Williamsburg, has been stocking Mexican Coke since she opened the restaurant eight years ago. She says she's seen an uptick in demand for the drink lately. "The Mexican Coke craze has been sort of recent," she said. "But it's definitely become more of a thing that people ask for. It's more of a trendy item, if you could say that about a Coke."
But it's not just a hit in New York. From Washington, D.C., to Texas and Los Angeles, Mexican Coke's reach is vast.
My wife sends me off to work with a bottle of Mexican Coke AND an attached bottle opener, is awesome.
Mark Berman
@themarkberman
My wife sends me off to work with a bottle of Mexican Coke AND an attached bottle opener, is awesome.
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Few things are as satisfying as a Mexican Coke.
Texas Humor
@TexasHumor
Few things are as satisfying as a Mexican Coke.
It's midnight, and I want a Mexican Coke more than anything in the world. I may hit to the corner store, don't judge me. #tasteslikehappy
Jesse Cox
@JesseCox
It's midnight, and I want a Mexican Coke more than anything in the world. I may hit to the corner store, don't judge me. #tasteslikehappy
"Everywhere we go in Seattle, Mexican Coke is on the menu. Totally awesome."
Whenever immigration reform debates get heated, Mexicans should just threaten to stop exporting their Coke. A Day Without a Mexican Coke.
Meowrey
@meowrey
Whenever immigration reform debates get heated, Mexicans should just threaten to stop exporting their Coke. A Day Without a Mexican Coke.
Mannnnn...Mexican Coke is soooooo good!!!
Monique Frausto
@BLOGSbyLATINAS
Mannnnn...Mexican Coke is soooooo good!!!
Mexican coke is da best
Sirenia Cortez
@seeedollaz
Mexican coke is da best
Mexican Coke! Those who know - know!!!! Yes the soft drink.
Shawn Hernandez
@TNASuperMex
Mexican Coke! Those who know - know!!!! Yes the soft drink.
A page dedicated to the fizzy delight has nearly 10,000 fans on Facebook.
Dave Chang, of trendy restaurant Momofuku, even defended charging $5 for the elusively delicious Mexican Coke on Twitter in May 2011.
@justinkowalski 86 @seriouseats. kenji please stick to catering. mexican coke = hard to obtain in nyc + costs $. @momofuku @momomilkbar
Dave Chang
@davidchang
@justinkowalski 86 @seriouseats. kenji please stick to catering. mexican coke = hard to obtain in nyc + costs $. @momofuku @momomilkbar
So why is Mexican Coke spoken of in hushed and semi-reverential tones? Because Pepsi and Coca-Cola introduced high fructose corn syrup to their sodas as a cheaper replacement for sugar in 1984.
According to DNA Info, the U.S. is the only country to use corn syrup in soda. Thanks to importation quotas designed to protect American sugar producers, cane sugar is more expensive than corn syrup.
Coke from Mexico is a hundred times better than regular coke
dulce
@ohmycandy_
Coke from Mexico is a hundred times better than regular coke
The Daily Mail conducted a test to find the soda pop champion, but found that most couldn't tell the difference.
We found that while most said they preferred the Mexican version when they could see which was which, half failed to correctly identify the two drinks when they did a blind test.