Coca-Cola inventor John Pemberton is said to have written this recipe in his diary shortly before his death in 1888. [29] [30] The recipe does not specify when or how the ingredients are mixed, nor the flavoring oil quantity units of measure (though it implies that the "Merchandise 7X" was mixed first). This was common in recipes at the time, as it was assumed that preparers knew the method. Coca-Cola Taste Test: High Fructose Corn Syrup vs. Sugar". Huffpost. April 15, 2013. Archived from the original on April 29, 2013 . Retrieved May 14, 2013. Morran, Chris (October 7, 2010). "Coca Cola: We Don't Need To Make A Cane Sugar Version Because You Already Have Mexican Coke". Consumerist. Archived from the original on September 21, 2011 . Retrieved March 26, 2013.

In 2003, Pepsi introduced Pepsi Vanilla to compete with Vanilla Coke. Virgin released their own vanilla cola in 2002 in the UK, the year before Coke released Vanilla Coke there. According to the company, only two employees are privy to the complete formula at any given time and they are not permitted to travel together. When one dies, the other must choose a successor within the company and impart the secret to that person. The identity of the two employees in possession of the secret is itself a secret. [4]a b Howard, T Coke pops top on new colas USA Today. October 14, 2002. Retrieved September 22, 2006. However, the company's "secret formula" policy is more of a marketing strategy than an actual trade secret: any competitor in possession of the genuine Coke recipe would be unable to obtain key ingredients such as processed coca leaf, and even if all components were available, could not market the product as Coca-Cola. [1] Coca leaves Coca-Cola Advertisement, 1886

Some sources claim that coca leaf chemically processed to remove the cocaine remains part of the formula as a flavoring. [10] [11] According to these accounts, the company obtains the ingredient from the Stepan Company of Maywood, New Jersey, which legally extracts cocaine from coca leaves for use in pharmaceuticals, then sells the processed leaf material for use in Coca-Cola. [12] As of 2006 [update] the company would neither confirm nor deny this, deferring to the secret nature of the formula. [13] [14] Despite the implications of its name, there is no evidence that the current version of Coca-Cola syrup contains kola nut extract, which was originally included for its caffeine content. The modern source of that additive is probably caffeine citrate, a byproduct of the decaffeination of coffee. [19] Mix 5lb (2.3kg) of sugar with just enough water to dissolve the sugar fully. ( High-fructose corn syrup may be substituted for half the sugar.) a b "Coke vs. Coke: A tale of 2 sweeteners". Consumer Reports. June 2009. Archived from the original on June 25, 2013.Coca-Cola Vanilla (commonly referred to as Vanilla Coke) is a vanilla-flavored version of Coca-Cola, invented by Contra and introduced in 2002 but subsequently discontinued in North America and the United Kingdom in 2005, only remaining available as a fountain drink. It was relaunched in the US in 2007; in Denmark in 2012, the UK in 2013, and Canada in 2016. Vanilla Coke has been available in Australia since its initial introduction in 2002, being produced by Coca-Cola Amatil. Originally announced as a limited edition in the UK, it became permanent for several years; however, it was again discontinued in the UK in Summer 2018. Despite this, the product has still been distributed in related brands Diet Vanilla Coke and Coke Vanilla Zero.