Coca-Cola drinkers left stunned over revelation about popular soft drink

Fans of Coca-Cola have been left shocked after discovering the origins of the soft drink’s iconic name.

The drink, which was founded in 1886, continues to make billions around the globe and saw revenue rise by 3 per cent to $12.4bn for the April-June period of 2024 – even higher than Wall Street anticipated.

However, earlier in 2024, stocks of the product that had been distributed in the UK had to be urgently recalled as they were found to contain higher levels of a chemical called chlorate, the Food Standards Agency said.

There is one other ingredient, which was originally used in the drink, that would cause significantly more alarm if it was included today.

On the IsItBulls*** subreddit, as per The Express, one user asked: “I've heard this, along with claims that early Coke bottles had cocaine in them. How true is this?”

The question was soon flooded with answers, all claiming that the query was indeed true. One person said: “The drink undeniably had some cocaine in it in the early days, and it’s not bulls***, the coca stands for coca leaf which is the source of alkaloid, cocaine.”

Another added: “Not bulls***. In fact, Coke still uses a coca (the leaf cocaine comes from) extract in the Coke formula. They get it from the only company in the US that’s legally allowed to import coca.”

A third wrote: “Coca-Cola is Coca (the South American plant cocaine is derived from) and Kola (kola nut, a stimulant from West Africa). Coca-Cola used to contain cocaine but not anymore, it still contains coca leaf extract though.”

In case you don’t believe the good people of Reddit, cocaine was truly once an ingredient in Coca-Cola. Upon its launch, the two main ingredients in the drink were indeed cocaine and caffeine. The cocaine was extracted from the coca leaf and the the caffeine from the kola nut, which was spelt “cola” at the time). Put them together and you get the name Coca-Cola.

In the 1890s, nine milligrams of cocaine were estimated to be in every glass of Coca-Cola. By 1903, however, fresh coca leaves were removed from the recipe. Since then the company has used a cocaine-free coca leaf extract.

In January, the company launched a new flavour, adding a nostalgic twist to its classic cola.

Hitting shelves in the US and Canada on 10 February, the new Orange cream drink will be available in both regular and zero sugar options.

The company says the blend of cola, orange, and vanilla flavours is a direct response to growing consumer demand for comforting, familiar tastes.

Orange cream, a classic flavour profile popularised by the 1937 Creamsicle ice cream bar, has seen a resurgence in recent years.

From probiotic sodas like Olipop’s 2021 orange cream flavour to Carvel’s reintroduction of its Orange Dreamy Creamy ice cream last year, the flavour is clearly having a moment. Even fast-food giant Wendy’s jumped on the trend with its Orange Dreamsicle Frosty last spring.