Florence Convent Elixir Found Resembles Early Coca‑Cola Recipe

A mid‑19th‑century leaflet uncovered in the archives of the former San Marco convent pharmacy in Florence contains a recipe for an “Elixir vinoso ricostituente.” The tonic, prepared with 30 g of kola nut and 10 g of Bolivian coca leaves infused in a litre of alcoholic mixture, was marketed as a remedy for physical and mental fatigue.

The document was discovered by Father Manuel Russo, the convent’s rector, during a re‑ordering of the historic pharmacy’s holdings. Historians note the striking similarity to the formula used by American pharmacist John Stith Pemberton in 1886 to create “French Wine Coca,” the direct predecessor of the modern Coca‑Cola beverage. Unlike Pemberton’s later non‑alcoholic version, the Florentine elixir retained its wine base.

The recipe was popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s, sold as a tonic for age‑related weakness. While the find fuels speculation that the famous soft drink may have an earlier European antecedent, no documentary evidence links the two formulations. Similar coca‑kola tonics were also produced in other Italian towns and in Valencia, Spain, during the same period.