This is Highly Recommend, a column dedicated to our very opinionated editors’ favorite things to eat, drink, and buy.

I don’t need to introduce you to Diet Coke. You’ve met. I won’t be blowing any minds by explaining what Diet Coke is or how popular it is across the globe (and around our office—Beggs, Jampel, you know what I’m talking about). But have you had a can of Diet Coke recently? Do you remember how wildly delicious it is? I have. And I do. I drink it all the time. (It’s been my soda of choice since I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 3.) Diet Coke is a perfect beverage, and I love it.

Sure, I know that Diet Coke’s color isn’t natural. That its sweetness comes from aspartame. That it has a chemical-y taste—especially when sipped straight from the can, the premiere Diet Coke delivery vehicle. But that’s actually why I find it so lovely. The flavor lands somewhere between the mineral flavor we prize in white wines like Chenin Blanc or Muscadet and the bitterness found in lemon zest. And when you take that flavor and mix it with baking spices and a hint of vanilla, well, you get a soda that sort of tastes like an amaro. A soda that the entire world has fallen in love with.

Yes, Diet Coke makes food taste better—banh mi, tacos al pastor, papri chaat, a slice of New York–style cheese pizza. On its own, though, that’s when you can mainline the pure potential of the beverage. In the depths of a mid-afternoon slump? Diet Coke is the answer. Hungover? Diet Coke, also the answer. Not in the mood to drink at the bar? The answer is...yeah, Diet Coke. It’s a wonderfully chilled breath of adrenaline and happiness packaged in a 12-ounce aluminum can that’s consistently good, every time. What more could you want?

All products featured on Bonappetit.com are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.