Some people give their moms flowers, chocolates, and cards for Mother’s Day. My son, Aaron, gave his a case of Mexican Coca-Cola.

Stephanie, his mom/ my wife, loves the sugar-sweetened version of the "Real Thing," and, apparently, she’s not alone. Friends, gourmands, and, of course, Mexican Coke salesmen have touted the stuff. Pepsi even recently starting selling – for a limited time, they say – a sugar-sweetened version of their cola called Pepsi Throwback. (Both companies also make a Kosher version of their colas for Passover that are sweetened with sugar.)

Being a curious lot – and the owners of a whole case of south-of-the-border Cokes – we decided we’d see just how different the sugar drinks were from the high-fructose ones. So, my wife, kid, and the latter’s buddy Heath, and I decided to administer a taste test to several friends this past Sunday. Participants blindly tasted Mexican Coca-Cola, which is sweetened with cane sugar; Pepsi Throwback, reportedly sweetened with sugar made from cane and beets; and Coca-Cola Classic and regular Pepsi, both of which are sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup. The results shocked us.