Food

Posted on Jun 13, 2022

This Balsamic Vinegar Drink Is Going Viral Because It Apparently Tastes "Just Like A Coke," So I Tried It

My taste buds were not ready for that.

by Jen Shiori Adams

BuzzFeed Staff

I don't know about you, but it seems like everyone on TikTok has been making this balsamic vinegar drink that's supposed to taste "just like a Coke."

@mandyvjones
@LaCroix Sparkling Water you should try this
♬ original sound - Amanda Jones

"Okay, my Pilates instructor makes this drink almost every day," user @mandyvjones said in the clip. "It's a healthy alternative to a Coke, and I am not joking you, it tastes just like a Coke and you're gonna think I'm insane."

She continued, "You do a splash of balsamic vinegar with ice in a cup, and then take any sparkling beverage — I'm picking La Croix — and it can be any flavor; this one's the Guava. Now you're gonna mix it together, and see, it already looks like a Coke."

People in the comments were definitely a little skeptical. I mean, I know I had my doubts.

One person said, "Have you ever had a coke"

One person. commented "this needs to affect your credit score somehow"

It is worth noting that adding vinegar to sparkling water is not necessarily that bizarre a concept, since it has been, and continues to be, a common ingredient in a lot of mocktails.

However, I was certainly curious about how it would taste, since there was so much buzz around it, so I decided to try it for myself. I even bought a real Coke to compare the two drinks — here's how it went:

I started by gathering the ingredients. As the original poster mentioned, all you really need for the drink is balsamic vinegar and any type of sparkling water. She used a Guava La Croix, but I couldn't find that flavor at my local grocery store, so I decided the plain would have to do.

A bottle of balsamic vinegar and a can of La Croix

I then filled my cup with ice.

After I had my ice ready, I poured in about 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. User @mandyvjones didn't specify the exact amount, but I decided that 2 tablespoons would probably be a good amount to start with.

After the vinegar, I poured in about half a can of the plain La Croix. I will admit, it did start to look a little like a Coke.

The glass with ice, vinegar, and La Croix

I was actually pretty curious about this, so I got a real can of Coke and decided I would compare the two, side by side:

The glass of ice, vinegar, and La Croix next to a glass of Coke, which looks darker

After further inspection, I noticed that the balsamic drink is definitely a little lighter than the real Coke, although I'm sure adding more vinegar to it would make it more comparable in color to the real thing.

Now that I had the real Coke ready for reference, I braced myself and took the first sip of the balsamic drink.

I was definitely...confused? After the first few sips, I couldn't tell if I liked it or not. I could sort of taste hints of the Coke-y flavor because the balsamic vinegar gave it a tangy, natural sweetness, but it surely didn't resemble a real Coke. The overall flavor was a little disappointing and even a bit underwhelming.

I then took a few sips of the regular Coke, and then it really confirmed my doubt about the balsamic drink. The actual Coke was wayyy sweeter, and I don't think any amount of balsamic vinegar in sparkling water could achieve that same taste.

A glass of Coke with a can of Coca-Cola next to it

For reference, one can of Coke has 39 grams of sugar, while 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar has 2 grams of sugar. That means the balsamic concoction that I made had about 4 grams of sugar — so it makes sense that it didn't really taste like the real thing.

I will say that after taking a few more sips of the balsamic drink, I started to get used to the taste and could tolerate it a little bit more.

Woman holding a glass of the balsamic vinegar–La Croix mixture

I think this drink is definitely worth a try for those trying to kick a soda habit, and I would also imagine that using a flavored sparkling water miiight help you replicate more of a sugary flavor, or at least make it taste better.

I did later see that people were sharing their favorite ways of making the drink, which included using fruit-flavored balsamics...

One person said "Look for flavored white balsamic; I love peach and apricot balsamics; I use plain sparkling water"

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This Balsamic Vinegar Drink Is Going Viral Because It Apparently Tastes "Just Like A Coke," So I Tried It

I don't know about you, but it seems like everyone on TikTok has been making this balsamic vinegar drink that's supposed to taste "just like a Coke."

"Okay, my Pilates instructor makes this drink almost every day," user @mandyvjones said in the clip. "It's a healthy alternative to a Coke, and I am not joking you, it tastes just like a Coke and you're gonna think I'm insane."

She continued, "You do a splash of balsamic vinegar with ice in a cup, and then take any sparkling beverage — I'm picking La Croix — and it can be any flavor; this one's the Guava. Now you're gonna mix it together, and see, it already looks like a Coke."

People in the comments were definitely a little skeptical. I mean, I know I had my doubts.

It is worth noting that adding vinegar to sparkling water is not necessarily that bizarre a concept, since it has been, and continues to be, a common ingredient in a lot of mocktails.

However, I was certainly curious about how it would taste, since there was so much buzz around it, so I decided to try it for myself. I even bought a real Coke to compare the two drinks — here's how it went:

I started by gathering the ingredients. As the original poster mentioned, all you really need for the drink is balsamic vinegar and any type of sparkling water. She used a Guava La Croix, but I couldn't find that flavor at my local grocery store, so I decided the plain would have to do.

I then filled my cup with ice.

After I had my ice ready, I poured in about 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. User @mandyvjones didn't specify the exact amount, but I decided that 2 tablespoons would probably be a good amount to start with.

After the vinegar, I poured in about half a can of the plain La Croix. I will admit, it did start to look a little like a Coke.

I was actually pretty curious about this, so I got a real can of Coke and decided I would compare the two, side by side:

After further inspection, I noticed that the balsamic drink is definitely a little lighter than the real Coke, although I'm sure adding more vinegar to it would make it more comparable in color to the real thing.

Now that I had the real Coke ready for reference, I braced myself and took the first sip of the balsamic drink.

I then took a few sips of the regular Coke, and then it really confirmed my doubt about the balsamic drink. The actual Coke was wayyy sweeter, and I don't think any amount of balsamic vinegar in sparkling water could achieve that same taste.

For reference, one can of Coke has 39 grams of sugar, while 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar has 2 grams of sugar. That means the balsamic concoction that I made had about 4 grams of sugar — so it makes sense that it didn't really taste like the real thing.

I will say that after taking a few more sips of the balsamic drink, I started to get used to the taste and could tolerate it a little bit more.

I think this drink is definitely worth a try for those trying to kick a soda habit, and I would also imagine that using a flavored sparkling water miiight help you replicate more of a sugary flavor, or at least make it taste better.

I did later see that people were sharing their favorite ways of making the drink, which included using fruit-flavored balsamics...

...as well as black cherry seltzer water.

I'll definitely try one of those next time!

Have you tried this? Let me know in the comments.

This Balsamic Vinegar Drink Is Going Viral Because It Apparently Tastes "Just Like A Coke," So I Tried It

I don't know about you, but it seems like everyone on TikTok has been making this balsamic vinegar drink that's supposed to taste "just like a Coke."

"Okay, my Pilates instructor makes this drink almost every day," user @mandyvjones said in the clip. "It's a healthy alternative to a Coke, and I am not joking you, it tastes just like a Coke and you're gonna think I'm insane."

She continued, "You do a splash of balsamic vinegar with ice in a cup, and then take any sparkling beverage — I'm picking La Croix — and it can be any flavor; this one's the Guava. Now you're gonna mix it together, and see, it already looks like a Coke."

People in the comments were definitely a little skeptical. I mean, I know I had my doubts.

It is worth noting that adding vinegar to sparkling water is not necessarily that bizarre a concept, since it has been, and continues to be, a common ingredient in a lot of mocktails.

However, I was certainly curious about how it would taste, since there was so much buzz around it, so I decided to try it for myself. I even bought a real Coke to compare the two drinks — here's how it went:

I started by gathering the ingredients. As the original poster mentioned, all you really need for the drink is balsamic vinegar and any type of sparkling water. She used a Guava La Croix, but I couldn't find that flavor at my local grocery store, so I decided the plain would have to do.

I then filled my cup with ice.

After I had my ice ready, I poured in about 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. User @mandyvjones didn't specify the exact amount, but I decided that 2 tablespoons would probably be a good amount to start with.

After the vinegar, I poured in about half a can of the plain La Croix. I will admit, it did start to look a little like a Coke.

I was actually pretty curious about this, so I got a real can of Coke and decided I would compare the two, side by side:

After further inspection, I noticed that the balsamic drink is definitely a little lighter than the real Coke, although I'm sure adding more vinegar to it would make it more comparable in color to the real thing.

Now that I had the real Coke ready for reference, I braced myself and took the first sip of the balsamic drink.

I then took a few sips of the regular Coke, and then it really confirmed my doubt about the balsamic drink. The actual Coke was wayyy sweeter, and I don't think any amount of balsamic vinegar in sparkling water could achieve that same taste.

For reference, one can of Coke has 39 grams of sugar, while 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar has 2 grams of sugar. That means the balsamic concoction that I made had about 4 grams of sugar — so it makes sense that it didn't really taste like the real thing.

I will say that after taking a few more sips of the balsamic drink, I started to get used to the taste and could tolerate it a little bit more.

I think this drink is definitely worth a try for those trying to kick a soda habit, and I would also imagine that using a flavored sparkling water miiight help you replicate more of a sugary flavor, or at least make it taste better.

I did later see that people were sharing their favorite ways of making the drink, which included using fruit-flavored balsamics...

...as well as black cherry seltzer water.

I'll definitely try one of those next time!

Have you tried this? Let me know in the comments.

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