Pemberton added to this brew the fluid extract of coca leaves. Exactly how much cocaine went into the inaugural batch of Doc Pemberton’s new soft drink syrup is impossible to calculate more than a century later, but even a touch of the drug, in combination with the sugar and caffeine—four times the amount in today’s Coke, or about the same as a strong cup of coffee—made Pemberton’s concoction quite a stimulating beverage.
