Published on
Updated
Reading 2 mins.
Coca-Cola has always maintained the legend around its so-called secret recipe, which would be carefully hidden in a safe in Atlanta … But it was without counting on the TikTok community which would have found how to reproduce the drink of healthy way, with only two ingredients. But in practice, the miracle substitute of Tiktokeurs would contain the same calories and additives as the original.
Visually, it must be recognized that the beverage borrows the same codes as the famous cola: a brownish hue that reveals fine bubbles stuck to the walls of the glass. We could be mistaken if we only looked at it… With each video, the tiktokeurs are ecstatic to have discovered the secret of a Coca-Cola that would not make you fat. First, they fill a glass with ice cubes and then they grab the central element of this so-called miracle recipe: balsamic vinegar. They pour it generously.
For the rest of the recipe, everyone opts for sparkling water; some prefer it flavored with lemon, others with cranberry if not plain. When it’s time to taste what these tiktokers identify as a “hack” (a hack), it’s the same catchphrase: they are surprised to sip a sugary drink whose taste is strangely similar to their favorite cola. For some tiktokers, this healthy version could even be compared to diet Coca-Cola…
The same additive as Coca-Cola
However, this recipe, which can generate more than 8 million views with just one video, is far from recommendable from a nutritional point of view. The small online chemists indeed use mostly balsamic vinegar cream, in order to obtain this syrupy texture. Unlike the real balsamic vinegar of Modena, protected by an appellation, obtained after cooking the grape must then a fermentation period of at least twelve months in wooden barrels, this industrial version incorporates exactly the same coloring contained in a can of Coca-Cola . It is the famous E150d, this caramel-tasting additive that is also found in private label colas such as Jean’s cola from Marque marque or the Breton version, Breizh Cola. This alternative is therefore not at all a trick to drink Coke without gaining weight. All you have to do is check the proportion of calories in the balsamic vinegars listed by the Open Food Facts platform. For 100 ml, the portion varies between 100 and 200 kcal, depending on the brand. The dose of carbohydrates is between 30 and 45g.
Worse, some badly made balsamic vinegars also use glucose syrup, pointed out by nutritionists for its caloric intake. And this is probably the reason why tiktokers find the distinctive sweet flavor of Coca-Cola.