CULLED FROM BBC.COM

You may have heard that Coca-Cola once contained an ingredient capable of sparking particular devotion in consumers: cocaine.

The “coca” in the name referred to the extracts of coca leaf that the drink’s originator, Atlanta chemist John Pemberton, mixed with his sugary syrup.

At the time, in the late 19th Century, coca leaf extract mixed with wine was a common tonic, and Pemberton’s sweet brew was a way to get around local laws prohibiting the sale of alcohol.

But the other half of the name represents another ingredient, less infamous, perhaps, but also strangely potent: the kola nut.

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