On this Day, 1886

[Devil Doc]

On this day in 1886, John Pemberton perfected a headache and hangover remedy he had cooked up over a fire in his backyard. It contained coca leaves and extract of kola nut, and he advertised it as an "Esteemed Brain Tonic and Intellectual Beverage." He had been making something called "Pemberton's French Wine Coca," but Atlanta had just passed a prohibition law, and he had to come up with an alcohol-free formula. He sweetened the new elixir with sugar instead of wine, and his bookkeeper suggested he name the beverage "Coca-Cola." The following year, the prohibition law was repealed; and Pemberton decided Coca-Cola was a losing proposition. He sold off his interest in the formula and went back to making French Wine Coca.



Doc.

 

[bmd34202]

I think "DOH!" probably sums it up.

Great story!

-B

 

[AngryFishH]

Now there is mistake you only make once.

Good story.

 

[tomthirtysix]

Wow. Never knew that. Guess "sucks to be him" kind of sums it up.

 

[Martin2D]

So did this elixir contain the famed cocaine or not? I always wondered if that were true....

 

[smokelaw1]

It contained coca leaves. So, "sort of."

 

[Martin2D]

It contained coca leaves. So, "sort of."

Heh, I didn't even know thats where cocaine came from, thanks for the heads up.

 

[smokelaw1]

It contained coca leaves. So, "sort of."

Heh, I didn't even know thats where cocaine came from, thanks for the heads up.

Any time. Wiki has a decent amount of info on coca, as does the book "From Chocolate to Morphine" IIRC. It was a, uh, reference tool, for, uh..some friends in college.