The National Elixir

March 24, 2016  •  Leave a Comment

After the Civil War, Georgia pharmacist John S. Pemberton experimented with medicinal mixtures he hoped would provide an alternative to opiates. His own addiction to morphine, a result of his war service on the Confederate side, provided motivation. The exotic coca plant promised to deliver a cure. His first successful drink was coca mixed with wine, but in 1886 a new version with sugar syrup and carbonated water promised a more widespread appeal. Although Pemberton invented Coca-Cola, he had little to do with its success.

Federal agents seized a shipment of Coca-Cola in 1909 for violating the Pure Food and Drug Act for its dangerous ingredient: caffeine.


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