and the winner is ...

Friday's Vanilla Coke taste test had three contestants and one clear winner.

Contestant #1: Coca-Cola Vanilla. It had a strong vanilla flavor, but it tasted more like vanilla extract. Add to that the tinny taste often found with canned Cokes and it was just okay.

Contestant #2: Regular Coke with vanilla flavoring added. We added one tablespoon vanilla flavoring to an entire can of Coke. The directions on the bottle said to add two tablespoons, but we were glad we stopped at one.

Contestant #3: Sonic vanilla Coke. I assume this is what #2 would have tasted like if we had added both tablespoons to the Coke. In other words, it was rather sweet.

The verdict: #2 was the clear winner, but that's not really a surprise. Mixing your own drink usually produces better results. Unfortunately, I'd rank Coca-Cola Vanilla last due to its vanilla extract flavoring. But considering I love Vanilla Cokes in any form or fashion, I'll still enjoy each version.