Yeah. Orange juice concentrate. And the cocaine was in bags. Boring.
But this is interesting: Coca-Cola was originally considered an "intellectual beverage." But when it started coming out in bottles:
Anyone with a nickel, black or white, could now drink the cocaine-infused beverage. Middle-class whites worried that soft drinks were contributing to what they saw as exploding cocaine use among African-Americans. Southern newspapers reported that "negro cocaine fiends" were raping white women, the police powerless to stop them. By 1903, [then-manager of Coca-Cola Asa Griggs] Candler had bowed to white fears (and a wave of anti-narcotics legislation), removing the cocaine and adding more sugar and caffeine.
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Back in the early 1900's my mother, who grew up in NE Alabama, called them "dopes," not cokes.
My relatives from Tennessee always called it "dope," too. That was in the 1970's. But, yeah, that's what "Coca" stands for. From the coca leaves that give us the cocaine.
Still is an intellectual beverage, if you sip it in a tall glass with a bit of ice and a straw, and wear a monocle. It's all in the presentation.
Mais non. Coca Cola stands for a happy Santa Claus and all that is good in American life.
Make America Great Again. Deport Pepsi drinkers.
NYT is wrong, of course: "Across the nation, support for prohibition was often tied to the desire by native whites to control European Catholics, American Indians, Asian-Americans and, especially in the South, African-Americans."
Not really; it was an effort of religious feminists to control men. Temperance League, anyone?
Seriously, Coke is the #1 Branding home run in marketing history. And that is true all over the world.
"Still is an intellectual beverage, if you sip it in a tall glass with a bit of ice and a straw, and wear a monocle. It's all in the presentation."
I absolutely loathe straws. The only reason for them is to piece those plastic lids on take out cups.
I especially hate seeing a man drinking from a straw.
"I absolutely loathe straws. The only reason for them is to piece those plastic lids on take out cups."
Have you ever tried drinking a root beer float without a straw? Sometimes it's absolutely necessary.
Also, sometimes you need to be able to drink without blocking your vision, like when driving, and a straw is very useful in that.
I won't bring up the image of a man in shorts drinking from a straw.
"negro cocaine fiends"
That phrase doesn't appear in ngram. "Cocaine fiends" does appear.
Racism got drugs out of the nation's soda? Is there anything racism CAN'T do?
I just googled pics of men in shorts drinking from straws. Thought about sharing, but it's best left unseen.
I'd like to teach the world of negro cocaine fiends to sing in perfect harmony and thereby advance intellectual understanding of the public, by means of moral responsibility, altruism, and solidarity, without resorting to the manipulations of populism, paternalism, and incivility.
The Professor hates seeing strawmen. Could it be from memories of bad arguments, past.
And no straws means no crushed ice use in Coca Colas. And surely the world famous McDonalds Frozen Mocha Frappes will be an exception. Otherwise there would be no way to drink them. Unintended consequences suck.
"And no straws means no crushed ice use in Coca Colas. And surely the world famous McDonalds Frozen Mocha Frappes will be an exception. Otherwise there would be no way to drink them. Unintended consequences suck."
That's true--without straws, there are a number of cold beverages you just couldn't drink. And I don't know if I want to live in a world without cold beverages.
We've found a way to claim removing cocaine from cola was racist.
People are such tools.
"Coke for me, please. I understand it comes in bottles in your country." - Hemlock Stones, The Tale of the Giant Rat of Sumatra
I'm all in favor of the so-called war on sugary drinks.
Tax the living crap out of it.
The sooner we get the kids hooked on beer the better.
We've all heard that Coca-Cola once had cocaine in it, but is there an authoritative source anywhere that describes how much cocaine was in it? Are we talking about less of a stimulant effect than a cup of coffee, or enough that one would actually feel wired after drinking a few of them?
From the The New York Times:
"NEGRO COCAINE FIENDS ARE NEW SOUTHERN MENACE
Murder and Insanity Increasing Among Lower Class Blacks Because They Have Taken to 'Sniffing' Since Being Deprived of Whisky by Prohibition"
The idea behind Coca-Cola was to replicate the experience that workers in South America got by chewing Coca leaves. That would be the concentration of the original formula. Whatever that is.
Brando said...Have you ever tried drinking a root beer float without a straw? Sometimes it's absolutely necessary.
Yeah, or if you want to sip a malt from the mix machine cup with your best gal at the diner, you both need straws.
Let's all pump the brakes on any potential Coca Cola bashing, by the way. It's a beverage many of us take seriously!
I heartily recommend this book to all: For God, Country, and Coca Cola. Very well written and a good history of both Coke, American big business, and American life (consumerism, etc).
Peter said...
We've all heard that Coca-Cola once had cocaine in it, but is there an authoritative source anywhere that describes how much cocaine was in it? Are we talking about less of a stimulant effect than a cup of coffee, or enough that one would actually feel wired after drinking a few of them?
It's a bit complicated, Peter, since the formula changed over time. If you really want to look at the history of cocaine and booze you have to go back the old coca wines, some of which did contain quite a lot of cocaine (or at least coca extract). Allegedly the combination of ethanol and cocaine produces a unique high, said to be quite pleasant and long lasting. A very popular brand was Vin Mariani From that Wiki page:
It originally contained 6 mg of cocaine per fluid ounce of wine, but Vin Mariani that was to be exported contained 7.2 mg per ounce, in order to compete with the higher cocaine content of similar drinks in the United States. Vin Mariani was imported to the US around the 1870s so that should give some idea of how much cocaine was in those products.
Pemberton was inspired by Vin Mariani and made "French Coca Wine" using his own recipe, and recipe included kola nut. Kola nut has caffeine, which is important! When Prohibition came to Atlanta Pemberton took out the booze and added some other stuff (like sugar) and boom--Coca Cola. If I remember correctly they continued to sell the Coca Wine at the same time as Coca Cola for a while and the Coca Wine sold better--no big surprise.
I It originally contained 6 mg of cocaine per fluid ounce of wine, but Vin Mariani that was to be exported contained 7.2 mg per ounce, in order to compete with the higher cocaine content of similar drinks in the United States.
I think it's the case that Coca Wine and similar beverages were marketed as fancy import-type products for high minded intellectuals, not that Coca Cola itself was. Early Coca Cola was sold through soda shops, and those were definitely segregated (by race) but weren't really for only high-class people. But, you know, I'm not a writer for the Atlantic so they probably know more than me about it.
HoodlumDoodlum said...
But, you know, I'm not a writer for the Atlantic so they probably know more than me about it.
The Atlantic writer knew that the NYT is a "southern newspaper".
According to the Coca Cola company there was NEVER any cocaine in Coca Cola.
Well, THAT settles it.
Not really; it was an effort of religious feminists to control men. Temperance League, anyone?
This. Progressives have been busily rewriting history to emphasize the racial aspects. Just because things happen at the same time doesn't mean there exists a causal relationship.
I heard, quite a while ago, that there is still coca leaf in Coca-Cola. They have a deal with the government whereby the government extracts the cocaine from the leaf, for the limited legal market (eye doctors, etc.) and the rest is used to flavor the beverage.
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