You’ve heard the myth, and you’ve been kind of curious. But is it true? Has Coca-Cola ever contained cocaine? And if so, how did it morph into everyone’s favorite beverage during family-friendly pizza parties?
Let’s get one thing straight right off the bat. The “Coca” in Coca-Cola doesn’t stand for cocaine, but it does stand for something very, very similar. Snopes states that the “Coca” represents the extract of coca leaves. And if you’re unaware of how cocaine comes to be, it’s — well — through coca leaves. (Cola, by the way, was based on their use of kola nuts, which are a caffeine-containng fruit that’s used to flavor beverages.)
The beverage was concocted by John Pemberton. Asa Griggs Candler founded the Coca-Cola Company and Frank Mason Robinson joined up early on, as a marketer and advertiser.
Robinson is actually credited as the one who named the product, stating that the two Cs would look good together in a logo. He wasn’t wrong.
Frederick Allen — author of a book called Secret Formula: The Inside Story of How Coca-Cola Became the Best-Known Brand in the World — believes that yes, there were small amounts of cocaine in the original recipe from 1891. This was during a time when people were just starting to worry about the negative effects of cocaine.
“Candler and Robinson were anxious to continue promoting the supposed benefits of the coca leaf, but there was no reason to risk putting more than a tiny bit of coca extract in their syrup,” he wrote. “They cut the amount to a mere trace.”
The drink became cocaine-free in 1929, even though the amount of drugs in the drink had lessened prior to. While it was initially marketed as a nerve tonic, it’s unlikely that anyone drank a Coca-Cola solely for the drug.
But yes — it’s not an old wive’s tale. Coca-Cola really did contain a small amount of cocaine for a little bit. It’s probably a good thing they phased it out, since around 1.9 billion Cokes are enjoyed on a daily basis.
