Coca-Cola Recipes
Added 2023-01-05 14:34:46 +0000 UTCThere have been many requests for a cola or Coca-Cola recipe so here are six variations of the recipe, some claiming to be the original.
The first formula, claiming to be the original Coca-Cola recipe, was available for a fee from the jilted wife of Asa Candler, the primary shareholder and CEO of Coca-Cola in the 1890s and onward. You will often see a handwritten version of this recipe from websites claiming it to be a "secret." The fact was this recipe could be had by anyone for a fee in the early 1900s, and eventually, it was published in The Bottlers' Formulary around 1910.
You may notice that many recipes use a "K" in the name. This was an attempt to avoid litigation by the Coca-Cola company as they were intensely litigious at protecting their trademark.
As you scroll through the recipes, you will note that there are variations in the recipe but a common thread is cinnamon (cassia), vanilla, orange (neroli) and lime which are the basis for most cola recipes.
An interesting fact is that the cinnamon and orange combination was well-known as a flavouring syrup by pharmacists and was called Syrupus Aromaticus. As John Pemberton, the inventor of Coca-Cola was a pharmacist, he would have known about Syrupus Aromaticus and its variations from pharmacy manuals and I assert that Coca-Cola is just an improvement of this generic flavouring syrup used by pharmacists for at least 75 years before Pemberton invented Coke.
Eventually, I'll put together a video on how to make these, they are more complicated than simple sodas, but you may have noticed my videos are slowly getting more complex, and that is by design. One cannot simply jump into making complex sodas without some background knowledge.
Additionally, there are many other cola recipes available, usually variations of the above version.
Comments
I have made both the coke and pepsi recipes below. I think the pepsi is the closest to current Cola taste. I have made a version of the coke recipe where I subbed the citric acid for acid phosphate in the same proportions as the pepsi recipe, as the coke recipe is overly citric in taste. I feel both could do with a bit more acid phosphate. Source for the recipes was https://www.youtube.com/@VintageAmericanCocktails 1886 COCA-COLA RECIPE: •••••••Syrup Recipe••••••• 1100 gr White Sugar 10 gr Citric Acid 770 ml Hot Water 10 ml Lime Juice 800 mg Caffeine 30 ml Caramel Colouring 160 ml coca fluid extract 1.5 ml 7x Coca-Cola Flavour 3 ml Vanilla Extract •••••••7x Coca-Cola Flavour••••••• 240 ml High Proof Neutral Spirit 1 ml Orange Oil 1.5 ml Lemon Oil 0.5 ml Nutmeg Oil 0.5 ml Coriander Oil 0.5 ml Cinnamon Oil 0.5 ml Neroli Oil 1893 PEPSI-COLA RECIPE: -------Pepsi Flavour Base------- 240 ml High Proof Alcohol 3 ml Lemon Oil 2.5 ml Orange Oil 2 ml Cinnamon Oil 1 m Nutmeg Oil 1 ml Coriander Oil 0.5 ml Petit Grain Oil -------Pepsi Syrup------- 400 ml Hot Water 600 g Granulated Sugar 5 ml Lime Juice 2.5 ml Acid Phosphate 10 ml Caramel Colour 1.5 ml Pepsi Flavour Base -------Pepsi Soda------- 60 ml Pepsi Syrup 300 ml Soda Water
Darran Ridley
2024-06-22 07:32:44 +0000 UTCHere in No. 64 in normal human measurements: Grain Alcohol: 5½ gal. = 20.82 liters Best Extract of Vanilla: 1.4 oz. = 39.69 ml Oil of Lemon: 1.4 oz. = 39.69 ml Oil of Sweet Orange: 0.7 oz. = 19.84 ml Oil of Limes: 0.4 oz. = 11.34 ml Oil of Cassia: 21 fl. drms. = 77.63 ml Oil of Nutmeg: 10 fl. drms. = 37.00 ml Oil of Neroli: 3 fl. drms. = 11.10 ml
Jan
2024-03-21 12:40:21 +0000 UTCPhosphoric acid is a really strong acid, you'll need to dilute it a fair amount (to about 5 to 10%, like vinegar) to adjust drinks properly and safely.
Darcy S. O'Neil
2023-03-31 13:42:31 +0000 UTCYou'd have to experiment with that, phosphoric acid is quite a strong acid and can drop the pH really low compared to citric acid. I'll eventually get to that in a future video.
Darcy S. O'Neil
2023-03-23 12:05:20 +0000 UTCAwesome thank you, oh and do you know if I can add a similar amount of phosphoric acid as you used citric acid in the sprite recipe for cola?
josh wells
2023-03-23 10:18:44 +0000 UTCIt will probably be sometime in April,
Darcy S. O'Neil
2023-03-22 12:57:57 +0000 UTCWhen you will make tye video
For Registration
2023-03-22 06:59:51 +0000 UTCYes, that is correct, or if you want metric, it is 3.7 mL
Darcy S. O'Neil
2023-03-15 12:40:36 +0000 UTCHi just wondering what a fl DRM is? I found a source claiming it's 1/8th of an ounce is that correct? Cheers Josh
josh wells
2023-03-15 02:16:25 +0000 UTCCool, thanks for the link. I'll check it out. And I'm hoping in about a month I'll have my first in a series of cola videos posted. I just order fresh ingredients and essential oils yesterday. Cheers
Darcy S. O'Neil
2023-03-03 00:50:32 +0000 UTCI am very much looking forward to your video/series on cola type products. I have been searching and searching for weeks trying to find a "legal" source for de-cocainized cola leaves/powder/extract to use just like Coca-Cola does. It has been difficult to say the least. The company that produces for Coca-Cola has yet to respond to my inquiry, and maybe never will? Anyway, I finally stumbled upon this companies website and thought I would provide it for your benefit while working on your cola video, maybe you already found it but I thought you may not have. It looks like they ship a de-cocainized extract at a reasonable price and it should be fully legal worldwide. Their information on lower sugar chocolate is super interesting as well. https://www.kukaxoco.org/index.html
Chris Robinson
2023-03-01 18:17:16 +0000 UTCI can't believe I missed that video! Thank you. The area of flavor combinations is of a huge interest to me.
Trey2099
2023-01-11 16:19:37 +0000 UTCI've done a video on cocaine essence already: https://youtu.be/OMcaYtOIbes check it out and if you have additional questions, let me know. Neroli is the distilled orange flower/blossom of bitter oranges so it is different than orange oil, and much more expensive. I suspect that Coca-Cola long ago quietly reformulated Coke to remove the neroli and replace it with something that tastes similar and less expensive.
Darcy S. O'Neil
2023-01-11 13:49:21 +0000 UTCI don't have a favourite combination at this point, I've only experimented with the first recipe, but there is a ton of potential in creating a unique cola. I am working on a rootbeer script, and rootbeer is diverse and spans hundreds of recipes.
Darcy S. O'Neil
2023-01-11 13:29:26 +0000 UTCI'm sure you'll address this in one of your videos on cola, but what is the general opinion on coca leaf usage? In your book you give the name of a US importer and state that Coca-Cola still uses coca leaf. The prices given by the US importer seem high, but I'm an uneducated consumer in this area. What does the coca leaf contribute to the drink? A bitter astringency? Idk, I've never tasted a coca leaf. Concerning neroli. Was this more readily available, historically, or is there something that differentiates it from other oranges?
Trey2099
2023-01-10 02:04:59 +0000 UTCThese are great! Do you have a favourite combination or standout from the recipes above? I’m also interested in tracking down some root beer recipes that leverage your technique for extracts!
Warren Johnston
2023-01-09 17:53:23 +0000 UTC
