My brain works in mysterious ways, making connections where there simply aren’t any. My mind’s always kind of been like that, but it was only exacerbated when I grew up and started drinking 4-6 cups of coffee a day. Now I see sounds and my brain moves in the 4th dimension.
One of the topics that comes up is death. I try not to think about mortality. Thinking about life and death isn’t exactly fun, it’s just kind of something I do. It’s the same thing to me as deciding what I’m going to eat; it’s natural, and if you’re not prepared you’re going to end up with a pickle. I just can’t help it.
During one of my recent thought sessions, my brain went to the passing of one of music’s greatest personalities, a man who will always stand the test of time. A man who infamously bought and collected Nazi periphenaillia but adamantly denied his membership in the party, a deity that transcends names and clothing, a God who can be identified just by a couple markings on his face. You know, the distorted bassist that played the instrument as a lead, forcing his bandmates to adjust to him. That’s right:
Motherfucking Lemmy.
If, for some obnoxious reason, you don’t know who Lemmy is, that picture is pretty much all you need to know. Everything he’s ever done, said, drank, or fucked is represented there. He turned a Rickenbacker into an auditory assault.
Lemmy’s only part of the reason why we’re here, but this story cannot be told without him. You see, the unobjectionable GOAT of beverages, the one I’m drinking as I’m typing this and the reason for my edits in the morning, just so happens to be the choice drink of the Mötorhead frontman.
Jack and Coke, the combination whiskey and coca-cola cocktail, is the ultimate mixed drink. It’s one of the easiest cocktails to make, requiring TWO (2) ingredients: your choice of coke, diet coke, coke zero, or any other coke product you can think of, and your choice of whiskey. That’s it! It’s typically made with Jack Daniels, and was Lemmy’s drink; legend has it he would consume a bottle of Jack Daniels a day in his prime (until he was 68), with most of that coming in this form. He drank it so much Jack Daniels affectionately started referring to it as “The Lemmy” after his death.
Ey, the classic Jack and Coke is the only drink in the world that appeals to every living soul: people who don’t consume alcohol will appreciate it; it’s keto, vegan, and can be made sugar-free; it can be 99% whiskey or 99% coke, it doesn’t matter. Traditionalists will say it should be close to half-and-half, but no one’s looking over your shoulder. No one can tell you how to enjoy it.
The Jack and Coke (allegedly) came about in 1907, when a soda vendor in Georgia near a military base sold Coca-Cola to the soldiers there, who would then combine it with whiskey in a recipe known only as a Coca-Cola high-ball. The recipe would make the soldiers “wild and crazy”.
A century later and it’s doing the same thing to me and so many others that seek a cheap and easy combination. Unsurprisingly, the South lays claim to it, as they do so many other things I enjoy, which only further makes me want to go Sherman on their asses until I remember that anyone trying to get into whiskey and likes college football has their head on somewhat straight.
It’s a simple drink that combines all the flavors of your choice whiskey with the fizzy sweetness of coke. They just work. It’s not complicated, some flavor profiles just mesh in a way our brains cannot comprehend. Jack and Coke, salt and caramel, peanut butter and hamburger. They’re sweet and savory, hitting every note that both adults and children crave.
I tend to drink my whiskey almost exclusively on the rocks, but when I need to change things up a bit Jack and Coke is really the only place to go. You can add whatever you want to it; oranges, lemons, grenadine, etc. Freeze your coke and make a slushie version. Whatever you’re craving, whatever your style, Jack and Coke is the drink for you.
What’s good enough for Lemmy is good enough for the world.