Coca-Cola was first prepared in the spring of1886 by Dr. John S. Pemberton. Before the making of Coca-Cola, he made and marketed many different products including "French Wine Cola". He named it this because Bordeax wine and extract of coca were the two main ingredients. In 1886, because of unpopularity of alcoholic beverages, he tried to make French Wine Coca by taking out the French wine. That plan didn't seem all that bad, but it had a very unpleasant taste to it. He then added extracts of lemon, orange, vanilla, nutmeg, coriander, cinnamon, ect. This mixture was sold as an over-the-counter medicine to be used a teaspoonful in a glass of water.
During World War I, Coca-Cola was rationed because one of the main ingredients was rationed. Sugar. The production wasn't the only thing that was running low, advertisement as well. The first drop in Coca-Cola history was 1917 to 1918, dropping two million gallons in just one year. After the rations decreased, sugar became more available and sales to a huge rebound to just about 19 million gallons in 1919. Coca-Cola has been thriving ever since and going on strong for more than one-hundred years. It is the most sold soda in the world. BACK