Karla Alindahao Senior Contributor

ForbesLife

I write about travel and food. So I love forks in the road.

I’ve never had a Smoky Cokey in Scotland—not a single one in any of my handful of visits. I’ve heard of it, of course. My good (and apparently more adventurous) friends in the spirits world have raved about it endlessly. I have been offered a taste at a bar—pre-pandemic, when it wasn’t exactly unusual for friendly inebriated strangers to share their drinks. I’ve seen several social media posts exalting its virtues. 

But I was stubborn. And I had my reasons: A Smoky Cokey is essentially a highball made with Lagavulin (16 Year or 8 Year, your choice) and Coca-Cola. It would not be an exaggeration to say that I had massive reservations. Was I really going to mix a spectacular Islay whisky with Coke? I mean, I barely even drink soda. (My husband estimates that I drink soda no more than eight times a year.) 

Clearly, I was wrong about this rather controversial cocktail.

During a lockdown catchup session with the chef and cookbook author Elizabeth Karmel, a dear friend whose a sophisticated palate and recommendations I respect without question, she mentioned that she had made herself a Smoky Cokey—and she absolutely loved it. Karmel said everything I needed to hear to make it happen for myself and offered one advice: “If you’re going to do it, buy the good Coke! The Mexican Coke.” 

And so I did. The result was divine, just as Karmel affirmed. Let’s call it perfect harmony for two very different flavors profiles: It truly tasted like Coke and Lagavulin went together naturally, comparable to a good marriage that has stood the test of time—as if it were the kind of drink that you could bottle and sell. A product all its own, instead of two liquids mixed and stirred together. So whatever hesitations I had about the drink simply disappeared—and I’m happy to report that it’s now part of my happy hour rotation. There was just a part of me that still needed to actively unlearn what my father taught me about drinking Scotch all those years ago. “Drink it neat,” he said. “Or on the rocks. That’s it.”

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But now I know better. And Ewan Gunn, Diageo’s global master of whiskey, was kind enough to educate me further by answering all of my hard-hitting Smoky Cokey questions. (Scroll all the way down for Gunn’s thoughts and the highball’s official recipe.)

A Smoky Cokey is essentially a highball made with Lagavulin (16 Year or 8 Year, your choice) and ... [+] GETTY

THE SMOKY COKEY

“I’ve never had any reservations about mixing Scotch whisky—it was enjoyed mixed for decades and indeed centuries ago, and we are great believers in heritage and tradition in Scotland. There’s a lot to love about this drink: Firstly (and most importantly) it tastes brilliant. Secondly, it gets people thinking differently about whisky and challenging some of the preconceived ideas about how you can and can’t enjoy a dram—for every occasional purist that’s outraged by it there are many new drinkers who adore it. Thirdly, I love that it just feels a bit naughty. And that’s never a bad thing.” —Ewan Gunn, global master of whisky at Diageo

Ingredients:

1.5 oz. Lagavulin 16 Year Old or Lagavulin 8 Year Old

5 oz. of your favorite cola

Wedge of lime, optional

Method: Add Lagavulin and cola to a tall glass (a Collins glass, if you have one) filled with lots of ice. Stir, then add a wedge of lime if desired. Enjoy.

Diageo’s Ewan Gunn on all things Smoky Cokey

Karla Alindahao: How did the Smoky Cokey come about and circa when? Is there a definitive origin story—or some kind of “lore” that’s been going around about how it all began? Do we know who came up with the idea of mixing this (superb) Islay whisky with Coca-Cola?

Ewan Gunn: People have enjoyed a wide variety of Scotch whiskies with cola for decades, and it’s still very popular throughout Europe. However, as far as I’m aware it was Dave Broom in his brilliant 2014 book, Whisky: The Manual, who first specifically recommended Lagavulin and cola as a perfect combination.

Karla Alindahao: What brand of cola do you personally prefer, since the original recipe doesn't call for anything specific? What are the second and third cola contenders? 

Ewan Gunn: I often follow Dave’s recommendations on whisky—and music for that matter (he happens to have excellent taste in both). But I do also enjoy pairing Lagavulin with Madagascan cola, which has more pronounced vanilla notes. And if I’m in the mood for really infuriating the whisky purists I quite enjoy it with cherry cola as well—the sweetness really amplifies the smoky intensity of Lagavulin brilliantly. 

Karla Alindahao: Is this something that’s typically served in Islay (or is it a big no-no)? Or is it more ubiquitous in cities Glasgow or Edinburgh? Would the Smoky Cokey be considered a "regional" thing in Scotland? 

Ewan Gunn: It’s certainly not a regional thing, but my understanding is that it was initially found in the more progressive cocktails bars of the larger Scottish cities, before spreading across the nation and beyond. It’s not ubiquitous globally yet, or even across Scotland, but it has developed into a bit of a cult serve that is quietly winning the hearts of drinkers. We did serve this cocktail at the Islay Festival (Feis Ile) a few years ago, and the team who worked at the distillery absolutely loved it, as did some of their parents and grandparents who had worked at the distillery and made Lagavulin decades ago. 

Karla Alindahao: Do you prefer using the Lagavulin 8 or 16? And why—what do you think each expression delivers to the cocktail? 

Ewan Gunn: Both are brilliant to be honest, but I have a firm preference for Lagavulin 8 Year Old. It has a vibrancy and intensity to it that the sweet vanilla and caramel notes of cola counters brilliantly. Using Lagavulin 16 Year Old gives a rich, full bodied drink, but for me the 8 Year Old makes for a more fun drink, which is ultimately what this serve should be.