The official start of summer is just days away, and TikTok users are eager to find a refreshing drink for the season that's (relatively) nutritious and easy-to-make. Enter: "healthy Coke." As its name implies, this beverage is being billed as a healthier version of a classic can of Coca-Cola, but does it really deliver? We put the bubbly, viral drink to the test.
As Insider's Pocharapon Neammanee previously reported, there's a new viral trend on TikTok where users are mixing balsamic vinegar with any sparkling beverage to recreate a "healthy" version of Coca-Cola.

It started when creator Amanda Jones, who goes by @mandyvjones on TikTok and has over 50,o00 followers, posted a video on June 6 showing a recipe her pilates instructor shared with her for "healthy Coke." As of Saturday, the clip has amassed over 6.4 million views.

I'm no stranger to a TikTok trend relating to Coca-Cola. I previously tried the Diet Coke and creamer trend, a popular drink in Utah that caught my attention in May. I ended up being a fan, so I was curious to see whether I'd have a positive review of this new drink.

Jones' recipe calls for three simple ingredients that you probably already have at home.
According to Jones, her pilates instructor's daily beverage tastes "exactly like Coke." The recipe calls for:

A splash of balsamic vinegar
Ice
A sparkling beverage.
In the TikTok, Jones says that you can basically use any bubbly beverage with whatever flavor you'd like. She opts for a La Croix Guava Sao Paulo sparkling water. For my own taste test, I kept it simple with soda water from a local grocery store.

I started by pouring balsamic vinegar into a cup of ice. There was a level of trepidation about drinking a liquid I usually put on salad.
Maybe I'm not utilizing the full potential of balsamic vinegar, but the only time I ever really take the bottle out of the pantry is to make salad dressings. In my experience, it's a condiment usually reserved for savory dishes so it was hard to imagine it being able to recreate the sweet tanginess of Coke.

Putting my apprehension aside, I poured a splash of the dark liquid into my cup.
Let's face it: America is obsessed with Coca-Cola. It was invented in the late 19th century and has since been enjoyed in 50s diners by poodle skirt-clad guests, at music festivals in the 70s, at the Olympic Games in the 2000s, and still today—136 years after its debut.

As Coke grew in popularity, it lost its sustainability. What used to come in glass bottles is now mass-produced in virgin plastic. It also uses questionable ingredients, including high fructose corn syrup. And while Coca-Cola has goals in place—like reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2023 and moving toward 100% recycled plastic bottles—it still has a long way to go.

But what if you could get the great taste of Coke in a more eco-friendly fashion?

The 'Healthy Coke' Taking Over TikTok
A "healthy Coke" recipe is going viral on TikTok that can be created using ingredients you already have at home. And, long story short, it's left users feeling a certain way.

Last week, Amanda Jones of @mandyvjones posted a video about an alternative her Pilates instructor shared with her. One that gets its color from balsamic vinegar (yes, really) and its fizziness from sparkling water.

"My Pilates instructor makes this drink almost every day. It's a healthy alternative to a Coke," she says. "I'm not joking you—it takes just like a Coke, and you're going to think I'm insane."

https://www.tiktok.com/@mandyvjones/video/7106302944194071851?
Well, she was right: While the bubbly drink does look a lot like Coke, the responses have been very mixed. The #healthycoke hashtag now has 37 million views and thousands of response videos. Some people agree with Jones and her Pilates instructor, saying the combo is surprisingly refreshing and soda-like. Others... not so much.

Can Balsamic Vinegar and Sparkling Water Really Taste Like Coke?