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Monastery Recipe Hints at Cola's Ancient Origins
29 Jul
Summary
- A 19th-century recipe for a fortifying wine elixir was discovered.
- The elixir was made from coca leaves and cola nuts by monks.
- The Tuscan recipe predates Coca-Cola's invention by decades.
A recipe for a "fortifying wine elixir" discovered in Saint Mark's Monastery in Florence may be a precursor to modern cola drinks. Monks found the mid-19th-century formula during archive cleaning, describing it as a tonic made from coca leaves and cola nuts.
This Tuscan discovery predates Coca-Cola's 1886 invention by pharmacist John Pemberton by several decades. Pemberton's original tonic was later modified into Coca-Cola by replacing alcohol with water and sugar during prohibition.
While the monastery's elixir offered relief from exhaustion, headaches, and weakness, researchers stress there's no proven connection to Coca-Cola. The recipe's ingredients, including Bolivian coca leaves and cola nuts, were reportedly brought to Tuscany by missionaries.
