可口可樂能治療性功能障礙? 每周一文學英文長知識。Coca-Cola's secret recipe...

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大多數人都知道含糖的碳酸性飲料多喝無益，這種冰涼的氣泡玩意兒，充其量就是喝了爽，不過大家曉得嗎?可口可樂一開始原來是一種酒精飲料，當時在歐洲非常流行一種用可可葉提煉的coca wine，所以藥劑師John Pemberton 在1886年便調製出了一種可可酒，裡面的成分竟然還包含古柯鹼，後來因為亞特蘭大政府通過了禁酒令Prohibition legislation，可口可樂才有了無酒精類的版本non-alcoholic version。

當初問世的可樂，不是拿來喝好玩的，而是用來治療身體病痛的，從頭痛 headache、嗎啡癮 morphine addiction、消化不良 dyspepsia、到性功能障礙 impotence 據說都可治療。當時碳酸氣泡被視為是對健康有益的東西，所以喝可樂治病強身也沒啥稀奇了。

不過當年發明秘方的人沒賺到什麼錢，可口可樂經過時間的洗禮，在口味與配方權都穩定之後，誓死捍衛秘方就成了可口可樂公司最重要的任務。

可口可樂的秘密配方向來不公開，過去雖然屢次傳出秘方被找到，不過最後無法被證實是不是真的，大家大概不知道。這種看起來黑黑的液體，裡面的學問還真不小，教練整理出作者提到的可樂內含原料。除了糖啊、 水啊這些碳酸飲料該有的東西，竟然還有很多不同風味的油。以下面是我整理出的原料：

1. coriander oil 胡荽油

2. orange oil 柑橘油

3. vanila 香草精

4. caramel 焦糖

5. lime juice 青檸油

(黃色的檸檬叫做Lemon綠色的檸檬叫做Lime)

6. Cinnimon oil 肉桂油

7. Nutmeg oil 肉豆蔻油

這還不包括一些人造香料artificial flavoring 的東西，秘方到底有多重要?據說百年來只有極少人被告知完整的秘方，當初開啟可樂事業的家族，死守秘方的堅毅程度更是令人肅然起敬
就連少數被授予秘方內容的兩個人，按照規定也不能一起搭飛機(是為了防止發生意外時秘方失傳?)這些規定真是超級嚴格啊!

不過最近幾年又傳出可口可樂配方流出，不同的是，這次按照史學家與研究可樂專家Mark Pendergrast的說法，這次的流出的秘方內容，可信度極高。上面列出的那ㄧ堆香料油，就是秘方的一部份，欲知詳情，可以閱讀下面的報導。

Coca-Cola secret recipe revealed

GRACE MILLIMACI,

Alcohol, coca, caffeine, coriander oil胡荽油(類似香菜的一種香料), orange oil柑橘油, vanilla, and caramel焦糖 are believed to be among the many secret ingredients that make up組成 one of the world's most popular soft drinks: Coca-Cola.

An American radio show claims to have found a recipe detailing the secret ingredients and method for making Coke. When curiosity got the better of某某某被強烈的好奇新驅使Atlanta pharmacist藥劑師John Pemberton in 1886, little did he know that完全不知道 his creation would become such a massive hit大受歡迎的產品 around the globe.

"A century later, The Coca-Cola Company has produced more than 10 billion gallons of syrup. Unfortunately for Pemberton, he died in 1888 without realizing the success of the beverage he had created," the company says.

"Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery模仿是最誠摯的讚美, but The Coca-Cola Company was none too pleased about the proliferation激增 of copycat模仿者 beverages taking advantage of its success. "Coca-Cola has grown to the world's most ubiquitous無所不在的 brand, with more than 1.4 billion beverage servings sold each day."

Now, This American Life says it has found the original recipe.

"The formula for Coca-Cola is one of the most jealously guarded trade secrets因為大家都覬覦，所以得小心保管的秘密 in the world. Locked in a vault倉庫 in Atlanta. Supposedly unreplicable無法被複製," the radio show says.

"To see if the formula actually might be Coke, we made a batch一批. Or, anyway, we asked the folks at Jones Soda and Sovereign Flavors to whip up製作 some up, to see if it tastes like Coke."

This American Life says staff員工(這個字雖是複數型態但是不加s的，所以後面記得用were) were surprised to find a 1979 newspaper article "with what looked like the original recipe for Coke正港的可口可樂配方".

"Talking to historian Mark Pendergrast, author of For God, Country and Coca-Cola, we were even more surprised when we found reasons to believe the recipe is real," the show says.
Other ingredients in the recipe include sugar, water, lime juice, Cinnamon Oil肉桂油, Nutmeg Oil肉豆蔻油 and lemon oil.

Asa G. Candler transformed Coca-Cola from an invention into a company in 1893.

His son Charles Howard Candler wrote a book in which he detailed詳述 how protective his father was of the secret formula - known as Merchandise 7X - including checking the mail himself and removing invoices發票/發貨單 detailing ingredients, This American Life presenter Ira Glass said.
"There was no written formula and the labels had been removed from all the containers of the ingredients," Candler said of the Coke lab. 
為了保護祕方不外流，工廠裡面的配方瓶罐全部都沒有標示，祕方也沒有文字版本。

"They were identified only by sight, smell and remembering where each was put on the shelf." 
經驗老到的調劑人員單靠視覺、味覺與記憶去操作，以防止秘方外流。

It is understood that only two people at any given time know how to mix the 7X ingredients. They don't even travel on the same plane together.
一次只有兩個人被告知神秘的可樂配方，這兩人也不能一起坐飛機(以防發生意外之後秘方失傳)。