Coca Paulista (regular & Diet) Recipe

Chill glass

Place a tall (12–16 oz / 350–475 ml) glass in the freezer or fill with ice water for 5 minutes to chill while you prepare other components. Drain before assembling.

Cut and juice limes

Roll the limes on the counter with firm pressure to loosen juices. Cut 2 limes in half. Using a citrus press or reamer, squeeze the juice from those 2 limes into a small bowl, straining out seeds. Reserve the remaining 1 lime for garnish; cut 2 wheels or 4 wedges from it and set aside.

Optional sweetener

If you prefer a slightly sweeter drink with regular Coke, stir 1 tsp granulated sugar into the fresh lime juice until dissolved. For a diet-friendly sweet note, add 10 ml simple syrup (or liquid sweetener of choice) to the lime juice instead. If you want the pure lime-on-Coke flavor, skip this step.

Fill the chilled tall glass with 1 cup of fresh ice cubes, leaving about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of headspace at the top.

Pour the freshly squeezed lime juice (with sweetener if used) evenly over the ice. Swirl gently to distribute the juice across the ice.

Slowly pour 350 ml of cold Coca‑Cola or Diet Coke down the side of the glass to preserve carbonation. Pouring slowly minimizes foam and helps mix the lime juice without vigorous stirring.

Gently stir once or twice with a long bar spoon to integrate the lime with the soda — avoid over‑stirring to keep fizz.

Garnish with 2 lime wheels or 2 wedges on the rim and, if using, a light sprinkle of fresh lime zest over the top for extra aroma.

Serve immediately with a straw (optional). Encourage the drinker to squeeze the garnish wedge into the drink for extra brightness if desired.