Best Substitutes for Coca-Cola

Out of Coca-Cola? Here are the best alternatives that work in cocktail recipes.

Coca-Cola — mixer used in cocktails

Original Ingredient

Coca-Cola

Mixer Caramelized cola nut nose with vanilla, citrus, and warm spice. Palate is sweet and effervescent with kola and cinnamon complexity. Bright, carbonated finish with lingering sweetness.

Recommended Substitutes

🔄

Pepsi Cola

Use as a 1:1 substitute unless otherwise noted.

🔄

Dr. Pepper

Use as a 1:1 substitute unless otherwise noted.

🔄

Carbonated soft drink

Use as a 1:1 substitute unless otherwise noted.

General Substitution Tips

  • Match the alcohol level: a 40% spirit needs a similarly strong replacement or adjust volume.
  • For liqueurs, dilute spirits + simple syrup can replicate sweetness and proof.
  • Citrus substitutions: lemon and lime are mostly interchangeable at a 1:1 ratio.
  • For bitters, Angostura is the most neutral substitute for most other aromatic bitters.