Ingredients
- 4 oz Cranberry Juice
- 0.5 oz Orange Juice
- 2 tbsp Grenadine Syrup
- 1 tsp Honey
- Cola
Instructions
- Pour over ice and fill with cola. Stir and add honey. Garnish with a slice of lemon.
Estimated Nutrition:
Where it came from
A Walk on the Moon is a back-bar novelty cocktail from the late 1990s, named for the visual: cola and milk stirred together turn cloudy in the glass, a colour bartenders thought looked like a moon walk. The blackberry schnapps adds the colour layer that pulls the drink from cream to lavender.
It sits in the milk-and-soda family with the Brown Cow, the Mudslide, and the Black Cow shot. All four lean on a dairy-and-soda combination as the volume and use a single sweet liqueur for character. A Walk on the Moon picks blackberry schnapps as the colour-and-flavour anchor.
Best ordered as a slow sipper at a dive bar or as a curiosity at a college bar. Not a craft-cocktail pour and not a brunch cocktail.
What it tastes like
Blackberry sweetness up front, vodka in the middle, milk-and-cola softness on the finish. The cola adds bitterness that cuts the schnapps; the milk gives the drink its mouthfeel.
Around 9 percent ABV in the glass once the milk and cola dilute the spirits. Soft, easy and dangerous to drink fast because the milk hides both the alcohol and the sweetness.
The technique
In a tall glass, mix two ounces of blackberry schnapps, one ounce of vodka, three ounces of cola, and three ounces of milk. Stir gently with a bar spoon. Add ice if a cooler drink is wanted; the cocktail also works at room temperature.
Use cold milk and cold cola straight from the fridge. The cocktail is mostly mixer by volume and the temperature carries the drink's character. Skip the ice if a thicker, creamier finish is wanted.
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Ingredient Spotlight
The bottles that make or break this drink.
The blackberry schnapps
- Use
- DeKuyper Blackberry Brandy, Polar Ice Blackberry, or Bols Blackberry.
- Skip
- Blackberry syrup. Loses the alcohol weight.
- Why
- Blackberry schnapps is the colour and the headline flavour. Without it the drink is just a vodka-cola-milk that does not have a distinctive identity.
The cola
- Use
- Coca-Cola or Pepsi at full strength.
- Skip
- Diet cola. The artificial sweetener separates from the milk.
- Why
- Cola provides the bitterness that cuts the schnapps and the carbonation that lifts the dairy. The combination is what gives the cocktail its name.
The milk
- Use
- Whole or two-percent milk.
- Skip
- Skim milk. The cocktail loses its body.
- Why
- The milk gives the drink its texture and softens the alcohol read. Whole or two-percent has enough fat to hold against the cola and the schnapps.
Three Variations
Three real ways bartenders riff on this drink. Same idea, three different jackets.
The standard build
- A Walk on the Moon, in a tall glass
- Two ounces blackberry schnapps, one ounce vodka, three ounces cola, three ounces milk. Stirred in a tall glass.
The frozen build
- A Walk on the Moon, blended
- Drop the build into a blender with a cup of crushed ice. Blend smooth, pour into a hurricane glass. Drinks like a milkshake with a fruit edge.
The Aussie cream build
- A Walk on the Moon, with cream
- Replace half the milk with single cream. Drinks closer to a White Russian with a blackberry note.
What if I don't have…
Quick substitutions for when the bottle shop is closed.
Blueberry schnapps or raspberry liqueur. Both will work; both shift the colour. Chambord adds a more refined fruit profile.
Root beer or cream soda. Both work; both give a different finish. Skip Sprite, the lemon-lime fights the milk.
Half-and-half plus a splash of water. The cocktail loses the lighter texture but the flavour holds.
Skip the vodka and bump the schnapps to three ounces. The cocktail becomes a Berry Float, a different drink in the same family.
Frequently Asked Questions
Direct answers to what people search for after Googling this drink.
What is in A Walk on the Moon cocktail?
Two ounces of blackberry schnapps, one ounce of vodka, three ounces of cola, and three ounces of milk, stirred together in a tall glass.
How strong is A Walk on the Moon?
Around 9 percent ABV in the glass once the milk and cola dilute the spirits. Soft, easy and dangerous to drink fast because the milk hides both the alcohol and the sweetness.
What does it taste like?
Blackberry sweetness up front, vodka in the middle, milk-and-cola softness on the finish. The cola adds bitterness that cuts the schnapps; the milk gives the drink its mouthfeel.
Why is it called A Walk on the Moon?
The visual: cola and milk stirred together turn cloudy in the glass, a colour bartenders thought looked like a moon walk. The blackberry schnapps adds the colour layer that pulls the drink from cream to lavender-grey.
Will the milk curdle?
Not in a properly built drink. The cola is acidic and milk can curdle in extreme combinations, but the schnapps and the vodka dilute the cola enough to keep the milk stable. Use cold cola and cold milk for the cleanest result.
Should I add ice?
Optional. The cocktail also works at room temperature with cold mixers. Ice cools the drink further but dilutes the milk over time.
Can I use cream?
Half-and-half or single cream both work. The cocktail becomes thicker and reads closer to a White Russian. Heavy cream is too rich for the build.
Can I make a non-alcoholic version?
Skip the vodka and replace the schnapps with blackberry syrup. Add a splash of fresh blackberry juice if available. The cocktail becomes a non-alcoholic blackberry-cola-milkshake hybrid.
What glass should I serve it in?
A tall highball or a Collins glass. The cocktail is around nine ounces of finished drink and needs the volume.
What other cocktails are similar?
A Brown Cow, a Mudslide, a Black Cow shot, and a Berry Float. All four use a dairy-and-soda combination with a sweet liqueur.
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