Americans have been enjoying Coca-Cola for 130 years, but the recipe has definitely changed over the years. A Confederate colonel named John Pemberton created the first recipe for Coke in 1885 when he needed to find a cure for his morphine addiction. It was first sold in Atlanta, Ga. in 1886 as a patent medicine, because Pembroke claimed that it cured morphine addiction, dyspepsia, neurasthenia, headaches and impotence.
This version of the drink contained two key ingredients: Cocaine and caffeine. The cocaine came from the extracts of the coca leaf and the caffeine was derived from the kola nut. This was how Coca-Cola got its name. The recipe has obviously been changed throughout the years. This original recipe called for five ounces of coca leaf per gallon of syrup, which resulted in a significant dose of cocaine. The coca leaf was removed from the drink in 1903. The company still used a different type of coca leaf for another year after this, so there were still trace levels of cocaine in Coke until 1904. Now a cocaine-free coca leaf extract is used in the drink, making it suitable for people other than those trying to cure morphine addictions.
While the original Coca-Cola flavor tends to be a classic favorite, there are tons of flavors that the company currently makes or has made in the past. Some were never even sold in the United States! Coca-Cola Cherry, Coca-Cola Vanilla, Coca-Cola with Lime and Diet Coke are pretty common. Some of the more abstract varieties include Coca-Cola Raspberry, which was only available in New Zealand for less than a year. Coca-Cola Black Cherry Vanilla was discontinued a few years back. Coca-Cola Orange was originally only released in the United Kingdom but is now sold in some European countries under the name Mezzo Mix.
While we all would love to have a Coke with every meal, this can start to pack on the calories. Each can contains 140 calories and 38 grams of sugar. In order to keep with the today’s growing health concerns, the Coca-Cola Company introduced Coca-Cola Life in 2013. This version uses stevia and sugar as sweeteners in order to cut calories by 40 percent. Coca-Cola Life was not brought to the U.S. until the summer of 2014 and has generally been accepted well.
We all that memory from elementary school of a kid from class coming up to us during recess and loudly saying, “Did you know that Coke used to have cocaine in it?” We would all gasp in shock. Learning about the original intention of Coke does make sense though. Many products that we use today were invented for other reasons very different from what we would think. Even though we are years past trying soda for the first time and drinking Coke on a play date, the red label still brings a smile to our faces. And yes, it does taste better in the glass bottle.
