A website now seems to have leaked the top secret recipe of one of the world's most popular beverages, Coca Cola. The formula is kept locked in a steel vault for over a century in Atlanta city and guarded 24-hours a day.
Coca Cola's secret ingredient -- Merchandise 7X --was created by pharmacist John Pemberton in 1886. Its recipe reportedly contains the exact measures of all the different oils needed for that taste. Despite making up only one percent of the drink's total formula, Merchandise 7X gives the popular soft drink its unique taste, the Daily Telegraph reported.
The radio program This American Life claiming that they have stumbled upon the original recipe, presented the complete list of ingredients.
The radio show said it chanced upon an article on the history of Coca-Cola in an old copy of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution published on Feb 8, 1979 that contained a photo of the hand-written copy of John Pemberton’s original recipe, jotted down by a friend in a recipe book. This book, which is now in a bank vault, was tracked by the producers of This American Life and contains the recipe to make the Merchandise 7X flavoring that gives Coke its legendary taste. thisamericanlife.org website has published the story.
To confirm their prized catch, the radio show got several experts and common people to taste-test the original formula, which came out to be quite close to the real thing.
The ‘secret’ recipe is as follows:
Fluid extract of Coca: 3 drams USP
Citric acid: 3 oz
Caffeine: 1 oz
Sugar: 30 (unclear quantity)
Water: 2.5 gal
Lime juice: 2 pints, 1 quart
Vanilla: 1 oz
Caramel: 1.5 oz or more for color
The secret 7X flavor (use 2 oz of flavor to 5 gals syrup):
Alcohol: 8 oz
Orange oil: 20 drops
Lemon oil: 30 drops
Nutmeg oil: 10 drops
Coriander: 5 drops
Neroli: 10 drops
Cinnamon: 10 drops
Coca-Cola, the most popular carbonated soft drink sold in the stores, restaurants, and vending machines of more than 200 countries, is produced by The Coca Cola Company of Atalanta, Georgia. A registered trademark in the United States since March 27, 1944, originally it was intended as a patent medicine when it was invented in the late 19th century by John Pemberton.
Coca-Cola was bought out by businessman Asa Griggs Candler, whose marketing tactics led Coke to its dominance of the world soft-drink market throughout the 20th century.The company produces concentrate, which is then sold to licensed Coca-Cola bottlers throughout the world. The bottlers, who hold territorially exclusive contracts with the company, produce finished product in cans and bottles from the concentrate in combination with filtered water and sweeteners. The bottlers then sell, distribute and merchandise Coca-Cola to retail stores and vending machines.
The Coca-Cola Company has, on occasion, introduced other cola drinks under the Coke brand name. The most common of these is Diet Coke, with others including Caffeine-Free Coca-Cola, Diet Coke Caffeine-Free, Coca-Cola Cherry, Coca-Cola Zero, Coca-Cola Vanilla, and special editions with lemon, lime or coffee.
In response to consumer insistence on a more natural product, the company is in the process of phasing out E211, or sodium benzoate, the controversial additive used in Diet Coke and linked to DNA damage in yeast cells and hyperactivity in children. The company has stated that it plans to remove E211 from its other products, including Sprite and Oasis, as soon as a satisfactory alternative is found
