Refresh Yourself!
May 08, 2012
Well, I just learned that on this day in 1886, the first glass of Coca Cola was sold! How very interesting ...
Here's some more information from China Bayles' Book of Days:
"In 1886, in a three-legged kettle in his Atlanta, Georgia, backyard, Dr. John S. Pemberton brewed a carbonated, nonalcoholic, herbal tonic that he called Pemberton's French Wine Coca. Pemberton's formula called for 5 ounces of coca leaf (the source of cocaine) per gallon of syrup. The coca's hefty kick was boosted by a generous does of the caffeine-rich kola nut; hence: Coca-Cola.
The first glass of Pemberton's tonic was sold to the public at Jacob's Pharmacy on May 8, 1886, for five cents. Originally advertised as "valuable brain-tonic and cure for all nervous afflictions," a glass of Coke contained about 60 milligrams of cocaine. After Asa Chandler bought the company and began distributing syrup for bottled Coke, the drink's popularity soared. But the dangers of cocaine were recognized, and public disapproval mounted. The drug was removed from the drink by 1903, the company insisting that the "spent leaves" of coca were used for flavoring only."
So first of all - yikes! Glad to hear the Coca-Cola company realized the dangers of its original brew (or at least, it responded to public concern). But secondly, and on a far less serious note, I must pose the inevitable question:
Which do you prefer? Coke ... or Pepsi?
To be honest, I try not to drink soda at all - but given the choice, I'd definitely choose Coke over Pepsi. And I will say, sometimes, if I get a headache, the best cure I've found is taking 2 Motrin with a glass of Coke. It almost always wipes my headache away. (Fortunately I hardly ever get headaches!)
Well, my friends ... hope your day's going well. See you here again very soon!
❤