A 19th century recipe recently found in the pharmacy of Saint Mark’s Monastery in Florence describes a drink that may be a precursor to modern cola beverages, according to monks in the Italian city.
The discovery was made while cleaning out the archives. The yellowed recipe outlines the ingredients, which include 30 grams of kola nuts, 10 grams of Bolivian coca leaves and one litre of an alcoholic mixture.
Dominican friar Manuel Russo explained that the recipe is written on a faded advertisement for a “fortifying wine elixir” made from coca leaves and kola nuts.
The advertisement promotes a “fortifying wine elixir” designed to alleviate physical and mental exhaustion, headaches and the weakness that can accompany ageing or extreme exertion.
According to him, this drink was one of the pharmacy’s bestselling products at the time. Missionaries are known to have brought both coca leaves and kola nuts from South America to Tuscany.
If you’re interested in making the drink at home, your ability to obtain the ingredients will depend on your location. While you might be able to find coca leaves, they are not readily available everywhere.
Additionally, in many countries outside South America, laws do not differentiate between coca leaves and other substances containing cocaine, making the possession of coca leaves illegal.
Where does Coca-Cola come from?
Today’s Coca-Cola is generally recognised as having been invented in 1886 by US pharmacist John Stith Pemberton. He initially created a tonic called Pemberton’s French Wine Coca, which contained coca leaves and kola nuts.
However, when alcohol prohibition made the original formula impractical, Pemberton replaced the alcohol with water and sugar syrup, ultimately creating what we now know as Coca-Cola.
The recently discovered Tuscan recipe predates Pemberton’s invention by several decades. But Russo emphasised that there is no evidence of a direct connection between the monastery drink and Coca-Cola.
Meanwhile, the exact recipe for Coca-Cola has long been and continues to be one of the world’s most famous trade secrets.
The company states that only a limited number of employees are aware of the complete formula, and strict confidentiality agreements bind these individuals. Their identities are kept confidential as well.
There is even a popular myth that only two people know the recipe and that they are never permitted to travel on the same aircraft. The company claims this story is false.
According to Coca-Cola, Pemberton did not personally write down the original formula. The formula was first documented in 1919 and is now kept in a secure vault.
Saint Mark’s Monastery, also known as Convento di San Marco, is one of Florence’s most famous landmarks, renowned for its early Renaissance frescoes by Fra Angelico.
The monastery houses the Antica Farmacia di San Marco, founded in 1436 and one of Florence’s oldest pharmacies. For centuries, Dominican monks provided local residents with medicinal herbs, essences, elixirs, and scented waters.
Today, the pharmacy operates differently.
Why is Coca-Cola bad for health?
A single 330ml can of cola contains 35.3 grams or about eight teaspoons of added sugar. This exceeds the World Health Organization’s recommended limit of six teaspoons per day. Drinking too much Coca-Cola and other sugary sodas can harm your health (see graphic).
If you want to drink less soda and stay healthy, try these simple tips.
1. Fill your cup with ice first
When you fill your cup with lots of ice, there is less room for soda. This means you drink less sugar in one cup. Just remember to save the rest of your can or bottle for another day instead of finishing it.
2. Choose sports drinks with little or no sugar
Check the nutrition label on the bottle to find drinks without added sugar. You can also try unflavoured bottled water with added electrolytes. These usually have zero sugar.
3. Drink sparkling water
If you like the fizzy, bubbly feeling of soda, sparkling water is a great replacement. If you buy flavoured sparkling water, check the label to make sure it has no added sugar. A better alternative is to buy plain sparkling water and add fresh fruit or real fruit juice.
