Revealed at last: The secret recipe for Coca-Cola

COCA-Cola is dismissive of a US radio show's claim it has discovered the secret recipe for the popular soft drink.

The photo published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 1979
that reportedly shows the recipe for Coca-Cola: Picture:
This American Life

Coca-Cola South Pacific's public relations manager Susie Crumpton declined to comment on whether This American Life's recipe, which it claimed it had found in a 32-year-old newspaper, were genuine.

But she said the main ingredients used in the popular soft drink are no secret.

"The ingredients used in our beverages are listed on the product labels and many people have tried over time to crack the secret formula of Coca-Cola," said Ms Crumpton.

"That secret combination of ingredients holds a special place in the history and mythology of Coca-Cola – something we continue to celebrate as we mark our 125th anniversary this year."

See the "secret recipe" below

The US website today posted a photo of a book it said contained a hand-written replica of the original recipe for Coca-Cola. 

The photo was first published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 1979.

The recipe, which can only be mixed by two Coca-Cola Amatil executives in the world, reportedly contains the exact measures of all the different oils needed for Coca Cola’s secret ingredient, "Merchandise 7X".

Despite making up only 1 per cent of the drink's total formula, Merchandise 7X is what gives the popular soft drink its unique taste.

The recipe is said to be similar to previous lists made by people who have tried to uncover the secret ingredients in the past.

Rumoured to be guarded 24 hours a day in a vault, the official Coca-Cola recipe has been one of the most closely guarded trade secrets since the popular soft drink was concocted by medicinal chemist John Pemberton in 1886.

The drink can now be bought in more than 200 countries around the world.

The secret recipe

Fluid extract of Coca 3 drams USP

Citric acid 3 oz

Caffeine 1oz

Sugar 30 (it is unclear from the markings what quantity is required)

Water 2.5 gal

Lime juice 2 pints 1 qrt

Vanilla 1oz

Caramel 1.5oz or more to colour

7X flavour (use 2oz of flavour to 5 gals syrup):

Alcohol 8oz

Orange oil 20 drops

Lemon oil 30 drops

Nutmeg oil 10 drops

Coriander 5 drops

Neroli 10 drops

Cinnamon 10 drops