The story of Jack and Coke is intertwined with the histories of two iconic American brands: Coca-Cola and Jack Daniel's. While it's difficult to pinpoint a single inventor of this simple yet popular cocktail, understanding the origins of each component sheds light on its rise to prominence.
The Genesis of Coca-Cola
The Coca-Cola Company stands as one of the largest American corporations, with its flagship beverage holding the title of the world's best-selling soft drink. The company's success stems from memorable advertising campaigns across various media, cutting-edge technology, and an efficient production and distribution system.
On May 8, 1886, Atlanta pharmacist John Stith Pemberton concocted Coca-Cola syrup and mixed it with carbonated water to create a soda fountain drink. Pemberton's bookkeeper, Frank Robinson, named the drink and designed the trademark, registered in 1893. They sold the syrup to local soda fountains.
Before his death in 1888, Pemberton sold his business to several partners. By 1891, Atlanta pharmacist Asa G. Candler acquired sole ownership for $2,300 and formed The Coca-Cola Company on January 29, 1892. Candler expanded manufacturing plants and implemented marketing strategies such as coupons and souvenir merchandise.
In 1899, Candler granted Benjamin Thomas and Joseph Whitehead exclusive bottling and distribution rights, leading to the development of high-speed bottling and a model distribution system.
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In 1919, investors led by Ernest Woodruff and W. C. Bradley purchased the company for $25 million. Ernest Woodruff’s son Robert Woodruff became president in 1923 and introduced merchandising tools like the six-bottle carton and open-top cooler. He envisioned Coca-Cola as an international product.
Throughout the 20th century, Coca-Cola expanded globally, adapting its marketing and product lines to changing consumer preferences. The company introduced various bottle sizes, diet versions like Diet Coke and Coke Zero, and even experimented with healthier options like Coca-Cola Life.
Coca-Cola has been known for its advertising slogans, including "It’s the Real Thing" (1942, 1969), "Coke Is It!" (1982), "The Coke Side of Life" (2006), "Open Happiness" (2009), "Taste the Feeling" (2016), and "Real Magic" (2021). By the early twenty-first century, the company produced and distributed more than 3,500 beverage products among hundreds of brands available in more than two hundred countries.
John Pemberton: The Pharmacist Behind the Syrup
When John Stith Pemberton was born on July 8, 1831, in Knoxville, Georgia, few could have predicted that he would invent one of the most recognizable products in the world. His life was a complex tale of ambition, pain, and a relentless pursuit of a legacy that would only fully bloom after his death. This is the story of how a wounded Confederate soldier, battling addiction and financial ruin, stumbled upon the formula for Coca-Cola and unwittingly set the stage for the creation of a global empire.
John Pemberton grew up in rural Georgia at a time when medicine was a blend of science and tradition. Drawn to the burgeoning field of pharmacy, he enrolled at the Reform Medical College of Georgia in Macon. By 1850, at the age of 19, Pemberton had earned his pharmaceutical license, equipping him with the skills to experiment with chemical compounds and botanical remedies.
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In 1853, he married Ann Eliza Clifford Lewis, the daughter of a well-off planter, and the couple welcomed their only child, Charley, a few years later. Life seemed promising for the Pemberton family as John established himself as a respected pharmacist, eventually opening his own drugstore.
The outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861 drastically altered Pemberton’s life. He joined the Georgia State Guard, a unit of the Confederate Army, and served throughout the conflict. In April 1865, during the Battle of Columbus-a skirmish often considered the Civil War’s last major engagement-Pemberton was severely wounded by a sabre slash to the chest. This injury would prove to be a turning point in his life. To manage the chronic pain from his wound, Pemberton, like many veterans of the era, was prescribed morphine. What began as medical necessity quickly spiralled into addiction, a burden that would shadow him for the rest of his days.
Determined to find a way out of his morphine dependency, Pemberton turned to his expertise in chemistry and pharmacology. By the 1880s, he had become interested in coca leaf extracts, which were then gaining popularity for their stimulant and pain-relieving properties. At the time, coca was widely touted as a miracle ingredient and was even used in products like Vin Mariani, a French coca wine that inspired Pemberton’s early experiments.
In 1884, Pemberton developed his own coca wine, “Pemberton’s French Wine Coca,” which he marketed as a tonic for “nervous prostration” and other ailments. However, when Atlanta enacted prohibition laws in 1886, Pemberton was forced to revise his formula, removing the alcohol but retaining the coca leaf extract. He replaced the wine with a sugary syrup and experimented with adding kola nut extract, which contained caffeine.
After much trial and error, Pemberton arrived at a syrupy formula that struck a balance between sweetness and stimulation. When carbonated water was added to the syrup, it created a refreshing beverage unlike anything else on the market.
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Pemberton’s concoction debuted at Jacobs’ Pharmacy in Atlanta in May 1886. It was sold as a medicinal beverage, marketed to cure headaches, fatigue, and even impotence. At five cents a glass, the drink became a modest success at local soda fountains.
The name “Coca-Cola” was coined by Frank Mason Robinson, Pemberton’s bookkeeper and an astute marketer. He also designed the now-iconic flowing script logo, believing it would stand out in advertisements. The name highlighted the beverage’s two key ingredients: coca leaf extract and kola nut.
While Coca-Cola showed early promise, Pemberton’s personal struggles clouded his vision. His morphine addiction remained unbroken, draining his finances and forcing him to sell off shares of his company to fund his habit. By 1887, he had sold two-thirds of his stake to various investors, including Atlanta pharmacist Asa Candler. Reports suggest that Pemberton sold his remaining interest in Coca-Cola to Candler for as little as $1,200, though some estimates place the total value of the deal at around $2,300-a paltry sum given the brand’s future potential.
Despite selling the rights, Pemberton insisted on retaining a small share in the business for his son, Charley, whom he hoped would continue his legacy. Unfortunately, Charley, like his father, battled substance abuse issues, and the family’s hopes for Coca-Cola faded.
By 1888, Pemberton’s health had deteriorated due to his long-standing addiction and a battle with stomach cancer. He died on August 16, 1888, at the age of 57, reportedly penniless and deeply in debt. Charley, plagued by his own demons, died six years later in 1894. The Pemberton family’s connection to Coca-Cola ended in tragedy and obscurity.
After acquiring full control of Coca-Cola, Asa Candler began transforming the brand. Through aggressive marketing, mass production, and strategic distribution, Candler established Coca-Cola as a household name by the turn of the century. By 1892, he had officially incorporated the Coca-Cola Company, and within a decade, the drink was being sold across the United States.
Candler’s vision propelled Coca-Cola into international markets, and the company eventually became the world’s largest manufacturer of soft drinks. Today, Coca-Cola generates billions in revenue annually, with its logo and red-and-white branding recognised in virtually every corner of the globe.
John Pemberton’s life was marked by contradictions. He was a skilled pharmacist and a creative entrepreneur, yet his personal struggles with addiction and financial mismanagement overshadowed his accomplishments during his lifetime.
The Rise of Jack Daniel's
Jack Daniel's, a brand of Tennessee whiskey, has a rich history dating back to the mid-19th century. While the exact origins are debated, Jasper Newton "Jack" Daniel is credited with establishing the distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee.
The Unofficial Union: Whiskey and Coke
The combination of whiskey and Coca-Cola is a classic highball cocktail with no definitive origin story. It's likely that people began mixing the two shortly after Coca-Cola became widely available. The sweetness of the cola complements the oaky and caramel notes of the whiskey, creating a balanced and easy-to-drink beverage.
Jack and Coke: A Specific Variation
The specific pairing of Jack Daniel's and Coca-Cola, often called "Jack and Coke" (or JD and Coke, Jack Coke), gained significant popularity, particularly in the American South. The exact reasons for this affinity are unclear, but it may be attributed to the shared American heritage and distinct flavors of both brands.
According to Massachusetts Beverage Business in 2005, the popularity of the Jack and Coke combination was on the rise among 21- to 34-year-olds.
Jack and Coke Recipe
Jack and Coke is a highball cocktail made by mixing whiskey, typically bourbon or Tennessee whiskey, with Coca-Cola or other colas.
- Base spirit: Whiskey
- Standard drinkware: Collins glass
- Served: On the rocks: poured over ice
- Preparation: Pour whiskey into a Collins glass filled with ice. Fill to desired level with Coca-Cola.
Coca-Cola Enters the Alcohol Market
Coca-Cola has remained cognizant of the public's interest in alcoholic beverages, particularly as the market for ready-to-drink cocktails grew. As soda consumption had continued to decline, the year 2018 had seen the company's experimentation with a ready-to-drink alcoholic beverage sold in Japan.
By the 2020s, the company had made further moves into the alcohol industry, particularly with the release, in partnership with the major whiskey maker Jack Daniel's, of the canned Jack and Coke cocktail. First for sale in Mexico in 2022, the cans became available in other countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom in 2023. By that point, Coca-Cola had also introduced alcoholic versions of its Fresca brand as well as a line of hard seltzers. At the same time, its attempt to enter the energy drink market with the launch of its own brand in 2020 had proven unsuccessful.