The Whiskey & Coke is the drink people make when they don’t want to think about what to make. Two ingredients, no technique required, and it tastes exactly like you expect it to. That’s not a criticism. The simplicity is what makes it work. The cola’s sweetness and carbonation meet the bourbon’s warmth, and the lime bridges the two.

The cola matters more than you think

In a two-ingredient drink, quality shows. Mexican Coca-Cola (made with cane sugar instead of corn syrup) has a cleaner sweetness that pairs better with the spiced notes of a bourbon alternative. Fever-Tree Cola and Q Cola are craft options with more complex flavor profiles. Even a cherry or vanilla cola changes the character of the drink in interesting ways.

Avoid diet colas unless that’s your strong preference. The artificial sweeteners interact differently with the bourbon alternative and can produce an off-taste that isn’t present with regular cola.

Building it

Fill a highball glass with ice, pour the non-alcoholic bourbon over it, and top with cola. Stir once, gently. The lime wedge goes on the rim or squeezed directly into the glass, depending on how much citrus you want. Squeezing it in adds brightness that cuts through the sweetness. Leaving it on the rim makes the lime optional per sip.

The bourbon alternative

Seedlip Spice 94 adds enough warmth and spice to remind you that there’s a spirit in the glass. The cola does most of the heavy lifting flavor-wise, so the bourbon alternative just needs to provide structure and a dry counterpoint to the sweetness. The Kentucky Mule swaps the cola for ginger beer if you want something with more kick.