It appears that a recipe that is potentially the original Coca-Cola’s formula has been uncovered in a photograph in a 1979 newspaper. Apparently someone had written it down in a journal, and someone snagged a photo and published it in the February 18, 1979 edition of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. And nobody paid attention to the photo.
But later, upon further inspection, it was discovered that this could potentially be the highly guarded Coca-Cola recipe that’s beens so highly sought after, including the so-called “secret 7x flavor”. Here’s this list, according to someone’s skills of deciphering the handwriting:
Syrup Recipe:
Fluid extract of Coca: 3 drams USP (this means 3/8th of an oz or 180 grains)
Citric acid: 3 oz
Caffeine: 1 oz
Sugar: 30 (undecipherable; oz, grams?)
Water: 2.5 gal
Lime juice: 1 quart
Vanilla: 1 oz
Caramel: 1.5 oz
2 oz 7x flavor for 5 gal syrup
7x Flavor:
Alcohol: 8 oz
Orange oil: 20 drops
Lemon oil: 30 drops
Nutmeg oil: 10 drops
Coriander: 5 drops
Neroli: 10 drops
Cinnamon: 10 drops
Now I’ve heard of a cola recipe using 1 drop of vodka as its secret ingredient before, but 8 oz of unspecified alcohol? Probably moonshine. Since it’s usually about 1 part syrup to 5 parts water, and there’s 2 oz flavor for 5 gallons (640 oz) of syrup, it looks like Coca Cola is approximately 0.05% alcohol. I knew it, we’ve been boozers all our lives. At least it’s still good to drive.
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
