The Wall Street Journal this morning lets us in on a big secret: two new cola drinks, Paris Cola and rival ParisGo Cola.
But it shouldn't be a surprise. What we think of today as "the" cola, Coke, was concocted in Atlanta in the 19th century by a pharmacist who was copying a French tonic called Vin Mariani, a debt that's acknowledged by the WSJ.
Some French cola makers say their drink has roots in French soil. They point to Corsican-born businessman Angelo Mariani, who in the 19th century infused Bordeaux wine with coca leaves to create a drink dubbed Vin Mariani. In advertisements, Mr. Mariani claimed that the drink was a "tonic-stimulant" endorsed by Pope Leo XIII.
And France has about a dozen "regional" cola drinks. The cola plant contains caffeine, hence the tonic effects of beverages made from the kola nut (and the cocaine made from its leaves). In the 19th century, pharmacists were able to procure these exotic ingredients; they also had the knowledge and wherewithall to produce tinctures, infusions and distillations.
Today, it's a question of producing a specific flavor and mouthfeel; sweetness and bubble size count for more than any medicinal effect. The French and the Italians are big on slightly bitter flavors (in Alsace they add Picon Amer to their beer); one of the women in the WSJ video echoes a common complaint: "It's too sweet," she tells the interviewer.
It's kinda heartwarming to know that France--a country smaller than California (but with twice the population) nonetheless manages to support a dozen independent, regional cola brands. We've got Coke, trailed by the likes of Pepsi and Dr. Pepper. Pretty much it. One real thing.
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