Cola

Cola in a barbecue sauce isn't a gimmick — it's chemistry. Since Coca-Cola's 1886 debut, brewers have leaned on a mix of caramelised sugar, phosphoric acid and kola-nut extract to do two jobs a plain sugar glaze can't: the acid cuts through fat and helps tenderise, while the caramel colour and high sugar load push a glaze toward a deep, mahogany lacquer faster than honey or brown sugar alone. That's why cola turned up in home kitchens long before it turned up in a bottle on a barbecue shelf — cola-braised hams and Dr Pepper pulled pork are old Southern tricks, built on the same logic: sweet, tangy, fizzy syrup that caramelises hard and balances rich, fatty cuts.

On the grill that means pork ribs, wings, pulled pork and a glazed ham are cola's natural home. Right now we stock exactly one cola-based sauce, and we're not dressing that up as a big range: BBQ Mafia's The Fix Bourbon & Cola BBQ Sauce is a sweet, smoky, boozy-sweet glaze built to lacquer ribs and wings in that deep, sticky finish — bourbon warmth through the middle, cola fizz up front, no heat at all. Brush it on late, the last 15 to 20 minutes, so the sugars set into a glaze instead of scorching.

What separates it from a bottled honey or maple glaze is that fizz-driven acidity — it stops the sweetness going flat, so it reads sticky and bright rather than cloying. One bottle, one job, done properly: sweet, smoky, and built for the last brush before it comes off the fire.

Explore more: our coffee and sweet collections.