You probably didn’t realize but you can make booze out of anything, as long as it has sugar. At Kings County Distillery co-founder Colin Spoelman decided that he wanted to turn his longtime favorite soda Coca-Cola into a whiskey unlike any other, putting a whole new meaning behind a whiskey and Coke.
Kings County Distiller, the oldest operating whiskey distillery in New York, sits in the Paymaster’s building at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The distillery has made a name for themselves since they opened in 2010, producing whiskey and moonshine as well as writing a book called “Guide to Urban Moonshining”. The guys at Kings County are clearly not afraid of pushing boundaries and their newest project is further evidence of that.
So how did they do it? Using the actual syrup from Coke, the guys at Kings County got rid of the rye and barley for this batch of whiskey. A mixture of Coke syrup and yeast was left to sit for four days before they ran it through the still. Next they brought the whiskey up to a boil to gather up the booze and get rid of the unnecessary water. The whiskey is then twice distilled to get their final product: a clear Coca-Cola flavored moonshine (unaged whiskey) around 140 proof.
The whiskey has an aftertaste with a distinctive Coca-Cola flavor and as a mixer it is the perfect companion to Coke. We need to get our hands on one of these bottles of whiskey ASAP. It isn’t available to purchase yet with all the FDA hurdles but we can hope. We vote they tackle ginger ale next for the ultimate whiskey ginger.
What drink would you turn into booze?