Add a little booze to this traditional Southern drink when you make Peanuts and Coke with bourbon! The sweet & salty combination is amazing!
I first had this drink at the Maker’s Mark distillery at a dinner event years ago. It was weird and amazing and I’ve been hooked ever since! Putting peanuts in my coke has now become standard practice, especially if I can find glass bottle Coke in stores.
Not surprisingly, this drink is also great without any booze at all. So you can mix up a few for the family and spike the adult’s drinks as desired. It’s become a summer party staple at our house right alongside this fun Fish Bowl cocktail!
Why We Love Peanuts and Coke with Bourbon
The salt from the peanuts brings out the flavor of the Coke more and the peanuts cut through some of the bite from the fizz. Adding bourbon makes this southern classic a delicious adult beverage, especially if you use a nicely aged bourbon that goes down smooth.
Stop by a small-town gas station in the south in the summer and you will see someone take a bag of salted peanuts and pour them into a bottle of Coke. And if you’re really lucky, you will see boiled peanuts being sold right outside by the road under a tent.
Ingredients
Coca-Cola: If you can find the glass bottlees of Coke it’s the best option. It makes a difference for some reason. That being said any ice cold Coca-Cola will work fine.
Peanuts: You want salted peanuts with the shells removed. Unsalted peanuts change the way this drink tastes.
Bourbon: Pick your favorite brand of bourbon. Nothing fancy. A middle-shelf bourbon works great.
Variations
You can easily make this delicious drink without Bourbon.
How to Make Peanuts and Coke with Bourbon
TEAR open your peanuts and add ice if you’re drinking from a glass
POUR peanuts and bourbon over ice and coke or directly into chilled bottle
SIPÂ your delicious drink and then eat the peanuts
Why do people put peanuts in Coke?
There is no concrete answer other than it tastes amazing. There are some theories according to the National Peanut Board and looking back to when this seemed to start.
Basically, Peanuts are grown mostly in the south and around 1920 individual bags of salted and shelled peanuts started showing up on filling stations.
The main theories on this particular pairing are that workers would grab a bag of peanuts with dirty hands and instead of trying to eat them that way they just poured it into the bottle of Coke they picked up and had an all-n-one snack.
Another thought is that it was easier to drive a stick shift (which is what most vehicles were in the earlier 1900’s) if you only had to have one hand used for your snack. Whatever the origin, we can be thankful someone made this popular because it is a truly delicious combo.
Are peanuts and Coke good?
This combination is seriously good, the ultimate salty and sweet combo with a nutty element added in. You have to try it to understand. This version of peanut and coke drink is even better than the classic though.
More delicious peanut recipes
- Thai Peanut Sauce Skillet Pasta
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cornflake Cookies
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Pancakes
- Peanut Butter Crack
- Peanut Butter Graham Cracker Pie
Peanuts and Coke with Bourbon
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ounces salted peanuts shells removed
- 1 ½ ounces bourbon
- 8 ounces Coca-Cola chilled
- Ice
Instructions
- Add the peanuts to a tall cocktail glass.
- Pour in the bourbon and some ice.
- Pour in the Coke until the glass is full. Add a straw and start sipping.
Notes
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.
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