The story
John Pemberton, a Confederate veteran and druggist hooked on morphine after war wounds, first sold an alcoholic coca wine from his shop in Columbus, Georgia, in 1885. When Atlanta voted for prohibition the next year, he reworked it into a nonalcoholic syrup of coca leaf and caffeine-rich kola nut, sold as a temperance drink and health tonic. It was first poured at Jacobs' Pharmacy in Atlanta on 8 May 1886, at five cents a glass. After Pemberton died in 1888, Atlanta businessman Asa Candler bought up the rights and built the Coca-Cola Company, which turned the drink into one of the world's best-known brands.
Rival claims
Its inventor first made an alcoholic coca wine in Columbus, Georgia, in 1885, but Coca-Cola itself was created and first sold in Atlanta.
Also known as Coke, Coca Cola.
On the Meridish menu
Coca-Cola was the aperitif course on menu No. 30 on October 30, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
A pharmacist's syrup of coca leaf and kola nut, first sold for five cents a glass at a drugstore here in 1886, just as local prohibition kicked in.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
