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Some time ago I ordered a Becardi Cola, I however received a Baileys cola. The cola and Baileys seemed to have reacted, it turned into something spongy. How did this happen? What reaction took place?

Jop Knoppers
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Cream liqueurs curdle because of their high dairy content. Dairy products (such as milk or cream) curdle in the presence of an acidic liquid. Acids have a very low pH, which lowers the overall pH of the mixture. As the pH drops below 5.5, the casein proteins in the dairy ingredients begin to curdle. That’s what you called “spongelike texture”. To safeguard against this avoid mixing cream liqueurs with high-acid mixers such as citrus juices and soft drinks (most soft drinks do not taste sour, but they do contain high levels of citric and phosphoric acids and they have the same effect due to the pH levels).   

If you enjoy a mixed drink with cream liqueurs try coffee, hot chocolate, other cream liqueurs, or milkshake-style cocktails (in which the dairy enhances the smooth mouthfeel of the ice cream). Cream liqueurs are also delicious served alone on the rocks.   

Eric S
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Elizabeth Orrick
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    I attempted to fix your formatting. Putting spaces at the beginning of paragraphs does odd things in markdown. Since just deleting those spaces and putting an extra return between paragraphs wasn't enough of an edit to be accepted, I added a few non-printing characters which are invisible. – Eric S Jul 17 '20 at 22:41
  • Nice answer, by the way. Welcome. – Eric S Jul 17 '20 at 22:42
  • Not sure the “curdling” answer covers it. Cola doesn’t actually curdle in milk. I know some people will be surprised by that, but try it and see! Cola and milk was actually a somewhat popular combination in decades past (anybody remember “Laverne & Shirley”?), and I’ve drank it many times myself. Works great! – Makeety Makondo Mar 17 '23 at 02:26
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Well, I mean, its different for everyone, right?

I tried the Bailey's Irish Strawberries & Cream with the Dr Pepper's Strawberries & Cream. It tasted amazing. It didn't curdle, per say [since the Dr Pepper is a Cream Soda]. It had an interesting texture and look to me that is reminiscent to an ice-cream soda float.

Bri
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  • Welcome! This post doesn't answer the question. Please read our [about] and [answer] pages to understand how this site works, and what we need an answer to be. – Rory Alsop Mar 21 '24 at 09:43
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The carbondioxide in the cola will react with the cream in the baileys, this results in the cream solidifying in your stomach which can suffocate you in high quantities. Tonic is even worse..

Rick Spamer
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    Can you explain a bit more about what happens in the reaction? – Jop Knoppers Jul 07 '20 at 13:42
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    Extreme answers such as this cry out for some sort of citation. I've had ice cream sodas which has carbon dioxide and cream and never had a hint of a problem. – Eric S Jul 07 '20 at 21:54
  • This answer is just wrong. It is not the CO2, as flat cola still curdles the cream. It doesn't solidify - it curdles. It does not suffocate you - it's in your stomach. – Rory Alsop Nov 01 '22 at 15:20