Tips and Confessions in Mixology

You guys, I am so freakin' excited about this guest post today. Andrea is Tracey's friend from Texas, and this post is pure gold. Seriously. Just keep reading! It's a literally mouth-wateringly good read. When I finished reading this post for the first time, I texted Tracey and said, "Your friend Andrea is a genius. I'm pretty sure I will be going to 7-11 today when I get off work. I HAVE to try her 7-11 Italian soda! Genius!!!" I am really that excited about this. This is Mixology at its finest, to be sure. Thanks so much for posting today Andrea : ) After this gem of a post, we will definitely need to have you back.

My name is Andrea and I am a drinkaholic. Not the alcoholic kind, mind you, but the carbonated, don’t-need-an-ID-to-buy-it kind. My vice is Diet Coke (henceforth referred to as DC). It brings me sunshine and warmth and smiles and all those good vibes and warm fuzzies. I will drink it hot or cold, bubbly or flat, any which way it can come. But I digress. The purpose of this post is to relay the secrets of an avid drink mixologist — not to proclaim my love of DC.

So… let me spill some of my precious Mixology secrets about how to go about mixing drinks and hope that the lessons I have learned along the way will benefit you in some small part.

If you’ve never mixed any kind of drink before, have no fear. My Mixology tips start with the basics…



Mixology Confession #1. The best DC is at McDonalds. Hands down. I can’t explain it, but it is just the best. Ever. This one isn’t so much of a mixing tip, but just something that I feel like everyone should know.

Mixology Confession #1b. Another interesting fact, and also not so much of a tip, is that sometimes when I’m feeling a little frisky, I mix 2/3 DC and 1/3 Diet Dr. Pepper. It’s magic, I tell ya!

Mixology Confession #1c. I feel like I just need to add this one in here too while I’m sharing interesting tidbits. I’m mostly from Texas. I kind of claim it since I’ve been rooted here since 14, and in Texas, you refer to all soda as coke. It’s just a thing. Sometimes your waiter will ask if you want a coke and then he’ll say, "What kind?” It’s not so much like this anymore since the city has been growing so much, but I still think it’s fun. And I plan to employ this terminology in my post.

Mixology Tip #2. An easy place to start mixing drinks is using a Coca-Cola Freestyle. This super fabulous invention lets you pick just about any Coke product and add in a handful of different flavor options. Don’t be afraid, it’s really fun… and refillable so you can start all over if you don’t like what you’ve come up with. A lot of restaurants are getting them so keep your eyes peeled. I’ve seen them at Firehouse Subs, Double Dave’s Pizza, Wendy’s, Burger King and Five Guys Burgers.

Mixology Tip #3. My next recommendation would be to head to your local Sonic Drive-in. If you don’t have one… I’m really, really sorry. All drinks are better with nugget ice. I’m seriously coveting one of these beauties. Also at Sonic is a long list of quality flavors (this is where Sonic triumphs over the Coca-Cola Freestyle) and some are even sugar-free (WHAAA?). Also of note… you can add as many flavors as you want!  Oh, the possibilities. Some of my favorites are:

• Raspberry Vanilla Diet Coke — prepare yourself, this one is amazing


• Mango Sprite — refreshing and tropical, also my hubby’s fav


• Mint Sprite — think Mojitos


• Ocean Water — this is a Sonic original, but its pretty much just Sprite with Blue Coconut


• Cherry Limeade — this is another Sonic original, and it is not one to be missed

Mixology Tip #4. If you’re looking to take your drinks a step further, then you’ve come to the right place. Remember those delicious Italian Sodas OUO gave you, where they took club soda and added syrup and heavy cream? Holy yum! I decided to take my own leap into the Italian world of Mixology after inspiration from your very own Tracey. (Isn’t she fabulous in every way??) She offered up the suggestion after hearing it from your other very own Hey Megan. So really I must credit this stroke of genius to Hey Megan. Thank you for changing my world.

I took her fabulous idea and ran with it… to 7-11. Hellooooo Big Gulps! You may not know it, but 7-11 is a paradise for mixology. They have massive cups and coke machines and oodles of additives. But right now, it’s really important that you pay close attention or else you might hate me and it would discredit all my hard work and sacrifice. Do not use the added flavors they may have dispensed with the cokes. They ruin everything. Your Diet Coke will definitely not taste right. Dump it out and start again. Fill your cup with plain Diet Coke (or whatever coke) and back away from the dispenser.

Take your cup to the coffee counter. They usually have several syrup options. French Vanilla, Vanilla, Hazelnut and Caramel. Big Tip — never use the Hazelnut. I learned this one the hard way. It’s probably the one and only time I couldn’t even force Diet Coke down my throat. You could use vanilla and it would still be great, but I usually go for the caramel. It’s sultry and tasty and delicious in a coke. A few squirts and you’re on to the next step. Slide down towards the creamers. It might be scary, but just take my word for it. Grab a few of the half-and-half creamers and dump them on in. Slap on a lid, stir lightly with your straw and you’re set.

This option is delicious with Diet Coke, Diet Dr. Pepper and Coke Zero. Those are my big 3. There’s really no competing with them. And the fun thing about using DDP is that it sort of tastes like a sugar cookie… but with a lot less guilt. It’s also important to note that another of my favorites is Coke Zero with Almond Joy Creamer. You don’t need any additional syrup or creamer, it’s all built into the one. It’s like a little dessert, but with the easiest recipe ever.

A few other random 7-11 suggestions:

• Do not put the half and half in first. It makes fizz that equates to a root beer float. No one wants to spend 15 minutes sucking out that fizz.


• Some 7-11s may have the fresh half and half in a dispenser. This can also work well in your drinks, but it’s kind of hard to fit a Big Gulp underneath the dispenser so be warned.


• Save your big gulp cups. You can refills for 89 cents! Any size!


• Though it is tempting, the Double Gulp is really hard to hold. So unless you can palm a basketball, I recommend sticking with a Super Big Gulp. Also, the Double Gulp is super top heavy and may wreak havoc on your car interior if you take a turn too quickly.


• You can also implement these same tips for the best hot chocolate known to man. Also provided at 7-11.

So that’s the scoop. I really hope you find the time to try out at least one of my recommendations. They may leave you with a crippling addiction to 7-11 (my counter girls know me by name now), but in the end you’ll thank me.