Of course it is about Coca Cola, the soft drink that has been on store shelves, on consumer tables and dominates advertising campaigns for decades. However, the history of the famous drink, as well as its ingredients, are not as well known as this.
It all started with a pharmacist
The history of Coca Cola began in 1886, when pharmacist John Pemberton tried to make a preparation to fight headaches and stimulate the body. So, by trying various combinations, he ended up with a caramel-colored syrup. Confident of the success of his recipe, the pharmacist demonstrated his creation to a colleague. The two added sparkling water to the syrup and began selling it for 5 cents a glass.
People, though at first found the syrup to taste strange, began to buy it, and by the end of the year Pemberton had sold a total of 25 gallons of syrup. Soon, the syrup acquired a name, known to this day as "Coca Cola", thanks to the pharmacist's accountant, who used the letter "C" from cocaine, which was originally one of the main ingredients of the syrup. Later, of course, cocaine was removed from the ingredients and the caffeine was quadrupled. An accountant wrote the signature by hand, using his own handwriting, and created the logo. The creator of the syrup could not manage the marketing, like the businessman who bought "Coca Cola". Three years later he sold the rights to his company to businessman Isa Kandler. He founded the Coca Cola Company and worked to promote the product. His efforts focused on making the logo familiar to consumers. Thus, he distributed various items with the soft drink's trademark everywhere, from clocks, calendars, posters to pharmaceutical scales.
The history of Coca-cola
One may have heard that Coca Cola once contained an ingredient capable of "igniting" a distinct addiction in consumers: cocaine. The word "coca" in the name referred to the coca leaf extracts that chemist John Pemberton mixed with sugar syrup.
At the time, in the late 19th century, coca extracts mixed with wine were a popular tonic, and Pemberton's sweet concoction was a way to get around local laws that prohibited the sale of alcohol. But the other half of the name represents another ingredient, less well-known perhaps, but just as uncannily powerful: the kola fruit.
The pod of the kola fruit, if one hasn't had the pleasure of seeing one up close, is about 5 centimeters long and green. Inside the shell are lumps of juicy flesh like the chestnut, but reddish or white in color. In West Africa, the natural habitat of the native kola fruit, people have long chewed it as a tonic. This was because the fruit contains caffeine and theobromine, substances that are naturally present in tea, coffee and chocolate. It also contains sugar and choline which are said to be heart-stimulating.
Kola cultivation in West Africa has a history of hundreds of years. Historian Paul Lovejoy claims that for many years the leafy, easily spreading trees were planted on graves and used in puberty rites. Although the fruits, which must be kept moist, are quite delicate to transport, traders carried them for hundreds of miles through the forests and African savannah. Their value can be seen in the way they were used: in 1581, the leader of the Songhai Empire in the western Sahel (the climatic and biogeographic zone that separates the Sahara from the Sudanian savanna in central Africa) sent to Timbuktu, on the occasion of the construction of a mosque, a luxurious gift of gold, sea shells and kola nuts.
Secret Formula of Coca-Cola | National Geographic
Europeans knew nothing of the fruit until about 1500 AD, when Portuguese ships reached the coast of what is now Sierra Leone, the historian continues. And while the Portuguese were involved in the trade, transporting the fruit along the African coast along with other goods, until 1620, when the English explorer Richard Jobson managed to reach Gambia, kola was still something strange in his eyes."When we were at the highest part of the river, the people brought us the fruits in abundance, which caused us wonder, but we did not value them, nor care to buy," wrote the explorer. Jobson was unable to return to England and carry kola nuts to his king, as they aged there or became food for African worms.
Of course, this ignorance did not last long. By the end of the 19th century, tons of kola nuts were being shipped to Europe and the US. In many cases they were used as stimulant drugs and intended to be a kind of energy drink. "Contains the combination of active substances of kola fruit and coca leaves" their labels trumpeted. "They alleviate hunger and prolong endurance." Users were to take one per hour "when under sustained mental strain or physical fatigue."
An extremely popular medicinal drink of the time was Vin Mariani, a French product containing coca extract mixed with red wine. It had been prepared by a French chemist, Angelo Mariani, in 1863, and Pope Leo XIII was a staunch follower. He even appeared on Vin Mariani posters. Queen Victoria, inventor Thomas Edison and "Sherlock Holmes" author Arthur Conan Dole are also said to have been fans of the concoction. But this was just another tonic drink among many others, at a time when similar "magic potions" for the nerves were reputed to produce brilliant results, according to the BBC.
How Has Coca-Cola Kept It's Formula a Secret for All These Years?
The Foundation of an Empire
In its first year on the market, Coca-Cola was served an average of nine times a day in Atlanta soda places, according to company statistics. When its popularity grew, the company sold the bottling rights to the soft drink, so it could more easily "travel" the product. The rights were secured by two lawyers, Benjamin Thomas and Joseph Whitehead. A little later, the well-known glass bottle of "Coca Cola" was released on the market, to avoid imitations. To this end, advertisements were also released, pointing out to consumers to demand the original 'Coca Cola'. Attempts to copy the soft drink never stopped, but the main competitor is always "Pepsi Cola". Today approximately 1.9 billion Coca Cola soft drinks are sold every day.
One of the biggest successes of "Coca Cola" was its provision to the American forces, during the Second World War. According to an official decision, every American in uniform had the right to buy a bottle for 5 cents, in whatever country he was. In this way, the soft drink crossed the borders of America and spread to many countries. Another "success" of Coca Cola was that it dressed Santa Claus in red to match the corporate color. Today, "Coca Cola" is identified with American culture, while its logo is recognizable by 98% of the population.
In Greece, the license to market the soft drink was given by the State General Chemistry in February 1964. However, "Coca Cola" appeared in stores five years later.
The product has become so iconic that attempts to change its flavor in 1985 – making it sweeter in a move to boost sales – proved disastrous with widespread consumer backlash and outrage. "Classic Coke" is back on store shelves just 3 months after the launch of "New Coke".
Urban legend has it that Coca Cola's recipe is a closely guarded secret. However, it is said to no longer contain kola fruit extract and instead relies on artificial imitations to achieve the same taste. Recipes for making a cola drink abound: if you mix peppermint oil, orange essential oil, caramel and vanilla among other colorings, the strong taste of the cola fruit can come close to the drink. The strong taste of caffeine will always be present, giving an idea of what attracted people in West Africa, Atlanta and around the world to this special fruit.
Coca-Cola Syrup - Coke's Secret Recipe
See how to make the original Coca-Cola recipe, published by NPR in 2011, This is a slight combination of both John Pemberton and RR Evans recipes.
1886 COCA-COLA RECIPE:
•••••••Syrup Recipe•••••••
• 2.4 lbs (1.1 kg) White Sugar
• 2 tsp (10 g) Citric Acid
• 26 oz (770 mLs) Hot Water
• 1/3 oz (10 mLs) Lime Juice
• 800 mg Caffeine
• 1 oz (30 mLs) Caramel Coloring
[DISCLAIMER] I am listing the Coca extract for historical purposes ONLY. Obviously cocaine is an illegal substance for personal use and should not be added to the drink
• 5.5 oz (160 mLs) coca fluid extract
• 30 Drops (1.5 mLs) 7x Coca-Cola Flavor
• 0.5 - 1 tsp (3 - 5 mLs) Vanilla Extract
•••••••7x Coca-Cola Flavor•••••••
• 8 oz (240 mLs) High Proof Neutral Spirit
• 20 Drops (1 mL) Orange Oil
• 30 Drops (1.5 mLs) Lemon Oil
• 10 Drops (0.5 mL) Nutmeg Oil
• 10 Drops (0.5 mL) Coriander Oil
• 10 Drops (0.5 mL) Cinnamon Oil
• 10 Drops (0.5 mL) Neroli Oil
TOOLS USED IN THIS VIDEO:
• Japanese Jigger https://amzn.to/3sAaUhu
INSTRUCTIONS:
1). Combine white sugar, citric acid, hot water, lime juice, caffeine, and caramel coloring in a large heat resistant mixing bowl. [DISCLAIMER] I am listing the Coca extract for historical purposes ONLY. Obviously cocaine is an illegal substance for personal use and should not be added to the drink.
2). In a glass jar combine a high proof neutral spirit, orange oil, lemon oil, nutmeg oil, coriander oil, cinnamon oil, and neroli oil. Swizzle or mix quickly with a wire whisk.
3). Add 30 Drops (1.5 mLs) of 7x coca-cola flavor to the syrup.
4). Add 0.5 - 1 tsp (3 - 5 mLs) vanilla extract to the syrup.
5). To make a drink combine 2 oz (60 mLs) Coca-Cola Syrup with 10 oz (300 mLs) Soda Water.
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