Did Coca-Cola originate in Corsica?

Published: January 30, 2025 by Gill Harris 967

A Corsican restaurateur claims to have uncovered the original recipe that inspired Coca-Cola and is seeking global recognition for his discovery. Christophe Mariani, based in Ajaccio, relaunched his version of Coca Mariani in 2014, reviving a tonic wine that was first created in 1863 by Corsican chemist Angelo Mariani (no relation). Christophe believes this 19th-century concoction was the precursor to the globally renowned Coca-Cola.

Angelo Mariani developed his ‘medicinal’ Vin Tonique Mariani in Bastia, infusing wine with coca leaves – and it was a hit. Back in Paris, he expanded production and sales went through the roof, with admirers including Pope Leo XIII, Thomas Edison, Émile Zola and Jules Verne. By the start of the Great War, he was selling 10m bottles a year.

However, the drink’s original formula, which included cocaine from the coca leaves, had to be modified following the 1915 ban on cocaine. Despite this, the rebranded Tonique Mariani remained in demand and was sold in French pharmacies until 1963.

During its heyday, Vin Mariani’s influence extended far beyond Europe. In the United States in 1885, pharmacist John S. Pemberton created his own version, called Pemberton’s French Wine Coca, which included kola nuts and caffeine. When Prohibition outlawed alcohol, Pemberton changed his product, replacing the wine with soda and sugar syrup. The result was Coca-Cola, the drink that went on to become a global icon.

The 2014 relaunch of Coca Mariani sparked renewed interest and, predictably, legal disputes. Coca-Cola sued Christophe Mariani after he attempted to register Coca Mariani as a trademark in Europe in 2021, arguing against his use of the word ‘coca’.

Christophe’s case, however, gained momentum with the discovery last year of a bottle of Vin Mariani dating back to 1880. Found in a private collection in Castagniccia, a rural area of Haute-Corse, the bottle is said to contain the original formula.

“This bottle contains the formula copied by Mr. Pemberton,” Mariani said. “It proves once and for all that Mariani wine existed 25 years before Coca-Cola.” Scientists are set to investigate the liquid and reveal its secrets once and for all.