The Original Coca-Cola Recipe Revealed

There is a feud going on right now that not very many people know about, and it’s centered around the city I live in, Atlanta. This American Life claims to have found the original recipe for Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola says that the recipe is still safe and sound right here in Atlanta in a bank vault where it’s been hidden for 125 years.

I’ve read both sides of the story. This American Life actually has compelling reasons to believe the recipe they found is the real thing. We all know that dozens of people have claimed to have found the recipe over the years, so let me back up and give you the short version of the story so you can decide for yourself.

This American Life found the recipe in an Atlanta Journal Constitution newspaper dated February 18, 1979. They are not claiming this is the recipe used now since Coke no longer uses the original recipe. They are saying this is the first recipe made by coke’s creator, John Pemberton or a recipe he used around 1886 which was when Coca-Cola was born.

Although representatives at Coke claim this is all false, they also won’t answer yes or no to the question of whether or not someone has actually gone into that bank vault to check to see if the recipes match. Why won’t they do that and just settle this all right now? Hmm… When asked if this could be the first recipe, Phil Mooney, a rep from Coke, said, “Yeah, absolutely. Is this the one that went to market? I don’t think so.”

You can check out the sequence of events by reading the first article about this published by This American Life on February 11, the press release which has even more information published on February 15, Coca-Cola’s denial published later in the day on February 15, and last but not least, you can get a copy of the actual recipe for your own cookbook. Since I’ve lived in Atlanta since the Olympics in 1996, I’ve been here a long time. Coca-Cola is an Atlanta tradition, and in some parts of town, just saying the word Pepsi makes people gasp. If nothing else, this is a fun story, and a piece of local history.

Via: [Street Couch]