Day Fifty One.
It is probably one of the most popular cocktails. Boasting only two ingredients, simple yet strong. The main ingredient masks the strong taste of whiskey under it’s bubbly sweetness. Jack and Coke has been around as long as me and it shows no signs of dying soon. But, will drinking this popular drink be the perfect toxic cocktail to send your body spiraling into poor health?
Photo credit: Bartending-school.com
I am not one for scare tactics, but the wonder behind what is actually in this drink that seemed as simple as 2 ingredients got me asking questions. Are there really only 2 ingredients? No. My guess is there are several, but both Jack Daniels and Coca-Cola have a secret ingredient list. That led me to dig further, because a “secret” ingredient list is intriguing to me.
Let’s start with Jack Daniels. They are a huge multi-million dollar company, landing themselves in the top ten best selling alcoholic brands in the world. They have a very high demand for their products. Interestingly enough, they do not include an ingredient list. I emailed them a couple months ago asking them if they used GMO corn in their whiskey. I heard back and wanted to share the email with you.
Recap, in 2000 they opted to not use GM corn anymore due to high demand, mainly in Europe, go figure. However, push came to shove and non GMO corn is just too expensive. Cuts into their pockets too much I guess. Did you catch the bold claim they made in this email:
“none of the genetic material makes it through the distilling process to the final product.”
Do you trust that claim? I do not know much about the distilling process, I am intrigued enough to learn more about how this process happens. For now, I will pass on the next Jack and Coke but not because of the Jack, it is Coke that is my biggest problem.
Would you ever grab a can, pop the top and drink it without wondering what you are drinking. You might say ‘no’, but I bet you have done it before and not just once. We (and I am not excluded from this list) have done this at least once, if not, hundreds of times in our lifetime. Do you really know what is in that beloved Coke or better yet Diet Coke? Does anyone? Coca-Cola is one of the world’s most popular carbonated beverages and it has such an interesting start. Did you know the original recipe was created in the 1800’s by a Civil War Vet, addicted to drugs, who was searching for a cure to his pain? In fact, the original recipe contained coca and cocaine. Here is a good article I read on the history of Coke-A-Cola in the New York Times.
Photo Credit: georgiaencyclopedia.org
There are numerous articles out there that go into great scientific detail as to why these addicting carbonated beverages are so bad for you, especially the diet versions. I won’t take the time to write about it, let’s just be very basic. What do I know from first glance? The ingredients listed on a can of Coke: “natural flavors, high-fructose corn syrup and/ or sucrose, caramel color, phosphoric acid and caffeine.” All of these ingredients are unhealthy (ha!) and each have a long list of health concerns. No where in this list do you see a “real” ingredient, just chemicals and water. And you better believe that Coca-Cola is not revealing the list of ingredients in it’s entirety. That is just a tad concerning to me, you?
If you combine this chemical laden, carbonated “drink” with a genetically modified alcohol, you just might create a toxic cocktail. Okay, okay. I know I am being dramatic, but did it get you thinking? 🙂 Just something to sip on the next time you order the simple, Jack and Coke: “what am I actually drinking?”
non GMO journal 