hot pepsi ☕
a refreshing and comforting drink
Nothing cheers my spirit like a steaming hot mug of pepsi. Not kidding. It’s warm, the slight citric acidity collides with it, and the mouthfeel of carbonation at higher temperatures is really, really fun. Here’s how I make it:
- Get your favourite mug.
- Pour some Pepsi Max into it, or another zero-sugar soda. It has to be a zero-sugar soda, for an important reason I’ll get into in a minute.
- Put it in the microwave. 1m 30s at 800W works really well for me, although you might need to put it in for 30s or so longer if it’s right out of the fridge.
It is absolutely imperative that the soda you use is zero-sugar. This is because sugar is extremely chemically energy-dense, and in the microwave, this results in it heating up way hotter and way faster. The sugar then caramelises and forces the CO2 in the mixture out of solution, causing the drink to start foaming and spilling all over the inside of your microwave, before going flat. In contrast, a zero-sugar soda will bubble faster and release more of its gas, but it remains delightfully fizzy and non-spilled at the end of the heating process.
I highly recommend trying it out if you haven’t had it before, especially on a colder or rainy day. There’s something great about the warm steam coming off the top combined with tiny droplets flying out of the drink due to the carbonation that leave a pleasantly-contrasty cooling sensation on the lips just before you take a sip of the toasty liquid within. Drinking it and feeling the warm fizz is a little alchemical, and a little rebellious, with the net effect of overall feeling like you’re sneaking some of a wizard’s potion while he’s out gathering herbs.
You gotta try it.
