Whiskey and Coke

My first cocktail post!  How exciting. Actually I don't drink cocktails that often, which is a shame when you consider the liquor collection I've acquired over the years. I guess I'm just not that interested in coming up with something I have to mix myself when opening a beer or a bottle of wine is so easy.  Still, sometimes I want something "free," as in no carbs and therefore no calories that count (at least the way I count them). Red wine is basically free too, but I don't always want to commit to a whole bottle.  So that's when it's a good time for a cocktail.

My go-to is a whiskey and Coke.  Particularly, Maker's Mark and Coke Zero. I've got other, better whiskeys which I might even use in cocktails, but not in one like this. This is a cocktail for when I just want a drink. Maker's Mark is still a pretty good bourbon. If I had something less fancy on hand, like Jack Daniel's or Wild Turkey, I might use it instead, but tonight I didn't.

If I were in a mood to pretty up my drink, I'd add a mint leaf or a lime wedge. I don't have either one of those things today. What I did have is some orange bitters, so I added a dash of that. It adds just a little something to the taste. Other fruit bitters tend to work well too. Actually, you can add these to pretty much any cocktail (no matter or basic or complicated) and add a nice background note to it.

So my whiskey and coke recipe goes something like this:

1. Fill glass with ice.
2. Pour 1.5 oz whiskey in glass.
3. Fill glass with Coke.
4. Add a dash of orange bitters.
5. Stir and enjoy.