Two American symbols are celebrating their 125th birthdays this year. The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France that originally symbolized the friendship established during the Revolutionary War. The unveiling took place October 1886 on Liberty Island has been the permanent home for Lady Liberty. Thousands of spectators were on hand to witness this page of history. In Atlanta, Georgia, some 800 miles away from Lady Liberty, the unveiling of another American symbol was taking place. In contrast to the unveiling of Lady Liberty amidst great fan fare, this unveiling was so subtle and understated, it could have gone unnoticed. A pharmacist, John Pemberton, whipped up a batch of an amber-colored syrup, took it to Jacobs’ Pharmacy where the syrup was mixed with carbonated water and served to a few lucky customers who liked the concoction very much. So much, in fact, Jacobs’ Pharmacy began selling it for 5 cents a glass. It was customary for pharmacies to have during this time period so selling a carbonated beverage in a pharmacy was common. Frank Robinson, a bookkeeper for Mr. Pemberton, named the concoction Coca-Cola. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Commonly known as Co-Cola by folks in the rural South, I have grown up with this iconic beverage. It wasn’t served at mealtimes nearly as much as sweet tea. Coke was a special treat. A visit to my grandparent’s home usually elicited, “Go look in the refrigerator drawer and git you one of them li’l Co-colers.” The “li’l Co-colers were 6 1/2 ounce glass bottles with the familiar curvy shape which you just don’t see anymore. My grandparents would punch holes in the cap with an ice pick and make a rustic “sippy” cup. The Cokes just seemed colder and more flavorful than any I can remember in my recent history. I’m not much of a soft drink drinker anyway except when I’m nauseated. That’s when I want a Coke. My mother used to buy the syrup, upon the recommendation of the family doctor, to give to us when we had upset stomachs. That recommendation has fallen completely out of favor. I’m not sure why because it seems to be an effective therapy.
Coke was definitely the pause that refreshes when traveling by car on a long trip during an Alabama summer prior to air conditioning. Stopping at a service station to get a “cold Coke” was like Christmas morning. Those were the days when you were promptly greeted by an attendant who filled your car with gas, washed your windows and put air in your tires. Opening the soft drink cooler and feeling the rush of cold air was heavenly. You just wanted to jump in the cooler and close the door. My mother would pour a small bag of shelled salted peanuts into her bottle of Coke. I guess that was one of those salty sweet flavor combinations that was popular then.
Coca-Cola was so much a part of our lives in the South that coke became generic for soft drinks just like zerox for copy machines and kleenex for tissues. I love to hear my son-in-law, a non-Southerner, talk about how confused he was when a waitress in a small Southern restaurant asked him what kind of coke he wanted to drink. He wasn’t sure how to answer that question. Did they only serve Cokes and was she asking what size he wanted? Or, was there some variety of Coke that just wasn’t familiar to him? I wasn’t around when this happened but I would have paid $10.00 to see the look on his face.
If you’ve read many of my blog posts, you know I have wonderful memories involving my grandparents. The memory of that little 6 1/2 inch ice cold curvy Coke bottle with the holes in the cap is a “Hall of Fame” memory for me. I want my grandchildren, Jackson and Ella, to hold the little bottles and suck the sweet elixir from the holes in the cap and have the same magical experience. I keep on the lookout for the little bottles. I’m afraid their parents won’t approve of them drinking a Coke. Maybe we can say their stomach is upset. Or, better yet, we can hide in one of my big closets. I would have to swear them to secrecy. The more I think about it, the more I think hiding in the closet would add to the whole experience. And it will be a grand experience. I have the ice pick that belonged to my grandparents that they used to puncture the holes in my Coke caps. It waits patiently in a special drawer for the day it’s called into action. And when that day comes, I will tip my Coke bottle to Heaven. It will be the sweetest Coke I’ve ever had. It makes my stomach, and my heart, feel good just thinking about it.
Happy birthday, Co-Cola and thanks for the wonderful memories!
Y’all come see us.
********************
Coca-Cola Cake
In honor of Coke’s 125 th birthday, it’s only fitting I bake them a cake…a Coca-Cola Cake. Thanks to Southern Living, I found a recipe for a Coca-Cola Cake and Coca-Cola icing. This cake is sort of like Mississippi Mud Cake meets Texas Sheet Cake. The marshmallows remind me of Mississippi Mud Cake and the ingredients are about the same as a Texas Sheet Cake. You don’t bake this in a jelly roll pan like you would a Texas Sheet Cake but I guess you could if you wanted to. The consistency of the batter is thick but it rises nicely and makes a soft moist cake. Noticeably absent was salt which I found surprising since we are using all-purpose flour and not self-rising. I suppose there’s enough sodium in the coke.
For cake:
1 cup Coca-Cola
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup butter, softened
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa ( I used Dutch processed)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
Garnish: 3/4 cup pecans (I left of the pecans because my grandchildren can’t eat them).
Combine Coca-Cola and buttermilk. Set aside. Does this remind you of Laverne and Shirley’s Milk and Pepsi?
Mix butter until creamy.
Gradually add sugar and beat until blended.
Add eggs and vanilla. Beat until blended.
Combine flour, cocoa and soda. Sift with your grandmother’s green sifter. If you don’t have her sifter, than just do the best you can. It will be alright.
Add flour mixture alternately with cola mixture. Begin and end with flour mixture. When completely mixed, throw in the marshmallows and stir.
Pour into a greased and floured 13×9 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.
Now here’s the weird thing. It looks like the marshmallows all migrated to the center of this cake while it was baking. I did not instruct them to do that. When you stop and think about it, the Coke, buttermilk and soda was probably producing some serious gas action. I guess they were all shoved to the center. Poor things.
For the icing:
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup Coca-Cola
3 tablespoons cocoa ( I used Dutch processed)
1 (16-ounce) package powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Put butter, Coca-Cola and cocoa in a pan and bring to a boil. Stir until butter melts.
Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla and powdered sugar.
After the icing is smooth and the cake has cooled for 10 minutes, pour icing over cake. The surface of my cake wasn’t smooth after I added the icing. That might have been a good reason to garnish with roasted pecans which I left off because my grand children can’t have them. Don’t make your icing in advance of you cake coming out of the oven. The cake needs to be warm and the icing hot.
Enjoy your slice of birthday cake.
Ewenique says
I grew up in California, but my family was from Mississippi, Okla, and Texas. I didn’t know we were different from everyone else till I went to school and found out that everyone else had milk for dinner instead of sweet tea! We always called everything a coke…well except Dr. Pepper which was our soda of choice. I make Coca Cola Cake too! My recipe doesn’t call for marshmallows, but the icing is the same. I so enjoy reading your posts, reminds me of visiting my Grandparents and having dinner (lunch) with them!
Margaret Hall Diggs
Jackie Garvin says
I love having you as reader, Margaret!
Ann says
I too grew up with co-cola in the little bottles. Best if they have a little ice in them!!! My friend in Pensacola has an old fashioned cooler that still works, it is so neat!!
However, my husband, who is from Northern Alabama (is that an oxymoron??) always drank Dr. Pepper and so now we are big fans of Diet Dr. Pepper and that is what we usually drink cause Diet Coke is not anywhere like real Coke!! still gotta have my sweet tea too!!!
Jackie Garvin says
Ann,
You are so right about Diet Coke being nothing like real Coke. I’ve always felt that. It shouldn’t even be called Coke as far as I’m concerned.
Janice Marra says
Hi Jackie,This is my drug of choice.I am hooked on this stuff.We just came back from vacation and friends we stayed with asked me if I brought my “RED CRACK”.I don’t go anywhere without it.How about I bake this cake without the coke in it and drink it with the cake.Them good eat’s right there.Janice
Jackie Garvin says
Janice,
You are too funny! I hope you enjoyed your vacation.
Adeline Terry says
Oh, this cake is “to die for”. It’s just about my favorite.
Jackie Garvin says
Adeline,
It is a good cake!
Holly says
Ooooh this sounds wonderful! New to your blog and facebook page : ) I love it!!
Jackie Garvin says
Welcome to Syrup and Biscuits, Holly! I’m heading over to your blog now.
Paula says
Oh, such memories! I too, remember thinking a coke tasted better on a road trip or at Grandpa’s. It was a treat for us too. When I was older, my neighbor always had Pepsi, and it just didn’t cut it for me.
Thanks for a wonderful post and bringing back some awesome memories. I’m off to find some salted peanuts. I wonder if it’s the same in a can of diet Coke? I have a feeling it’s not.
judydee says
My aunt and uncle in Mobile called them “short cokes”. I had completely forgotten about punching the hole in the cap with the ice pick. We were old enough not to need sippy cups, so I don’t know why we did, but I remember shaking the coke bottle and letting it fizz up into my mouth through the hole. But only if Mama wasn’t looking!!
Jackie Garvin says
Judy, thank you so much for your comment. We didn’t need sippy cups either but we still got holes punched on the caps! What great fun! I hope you visit again.
Nancy says
Try to find Mexican Coke. It is made with real sugar instead of HFCS, and tastes much more like the original. It comes in glass bottles too with metal bottle caps that you open with a bottle opener. They aren’t the small bottles though.
Jackie Garvin says
Thanks for the tip, Nancy! I will certainly see if I can find Mexican cokes. We have a rather large Hispanic population here so I bet they are around somewhere.
Jane Bonacci - The Heritage Cook says
What a wonderful story, full of beautiful memories. I think grandparent memories are the sweetest! Love your post and blog. Great job!!
Jackie Garvin says
Thanks for the sweet comments, Jane! I hope you visit us again.
TheProDiva says
Mmmmmmm! This looks so good! And thanks for sharing the information on the birth of Coca Cola! I lived in Atlanta for 4 years and never went to the factory. I will definitely try the cake!
Jackie Garvin says
Thanks for visiting, ProDiva! I hope you come back again.
Mika says
Now, I am from the South (Alabama) and have never heard of a Coca Cola cake until today. Oh mercy to my southern roots. This cake looks delicious!!! I might have to give it a try when I bake again.
Jackie Garvin says
Mika,
I didn’t grow up knowing about Coca-Cola cakes either! Don’t worry. Thanks for visiting Syrup and Biscuits.
Olga Lucía says
I live at at farm in the middle of the coffee region in Colombia, S.A. Back in the 80´s my family and lived in Atlanta and of course we still love ice tea an coca cola. Love your blog.
Jackie Garvin says
Olga,
Thank you so much for leaving me the comment and for your support. It sounds like part of our Southern lifestyle has stayed with you all the way to Columbia! I wish you the best that life has to offer. Please stay in touch.
SweetSugarBelle says
I found you by accident via FB, and have REALLY enjoyed browsing through. It may be because I am a Texan but this is one of my favorite cakes and seeing it here made me smile!
Jackie Garvin says
Welcome to Syrup and Biscuits, SweetSugarBelle! I’m so glad you found us tucked away over here in the corner. I can see you smiling and I LOVE it!
Michele says
I DEARLY love this, Jackie! Brings back so many memories! And yes – nothing out there tastes the same as those little bottles of Co-Cola! Since I spent a lot of years working for Delta Air Lines, I’ve spent a good deal of time in Atlanta for one reason and another. To this day when someone says “Atlanta”, I automatically think of Delta and Co-Cola. I have no idea how it is now, but back in the day folks used to say, “Well y’all know Delta and Co-Cola are in bed together doncha?” By which they meant they has a very close relationship… like Barnes & Noble and Starbucks.
I had a boss one time in Delta’s Military and Government Marketing Dept. in Frankfurt, Germany who was trying to get a promotional deal involving Pepsi approved by Atlanta. When he showed it to me I replied that it would never fly because Pepsi was involved. I got the raised eyebrow, emphasizing his look of disdain. He sent the proposal anyway, of course… Guess what. They called him and asked him whose leg he thought he was pulling! That may not be as funny to most folks as it is to me, but it cracked me up. It definitely says something significant about business relationships in the Deep South! People don’t belive me when I tell them that one of Delta’s founders, C E Woolman, had a reputation for buying aircraft from Douglas Aircraft (now McDonnell Douglas) on his word and a handsharke. My, my, my, how times have changed…
The Delta – Coca-Cola relationship even survived the Delta-Northwest merger, but apparently it was quite a battle (http://blog.delta.com/2009/07/29/official-still-serving-ice-cold-coca-cola/). Love ya, Jackie!
Jackie Garvin says
Michele,
I still don’t think you can get a Pepsi anywhere in Atlanta, can you? I’m tickled that you seem to recognize the name “Co-Cola”. I had several comments on that post with people asking me, “What does Co-Cola mean?” Did you ever drink the Co-Cola from the little bottle with holes punched in the cap? I’ve already warned Amy that Jackson and Ella “might” have that experience.
Loved you story about Delta, Coca-Cola and Southern relationships. It speaks to the heart of how we value and appreciate loyalty and integrity.
Love ya back, Michele!
SaraBella says
I absolutely loved this post. While I’m a western gal, those coke bottles play a big part in my childhood memories. Our bottles were longer and green but nothing..absolutely NOTHING tastes like that liquid heaven from glass. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe and your story. Put a big smile on my face. All the best!
Jackie Garvin says
SaraBella,
While Coca-Cola originated in the South, it’s a true American icon. Thank you so much for taking time to comment on this post. Please visit us again.
Welcome home! 🙂
Debi says
Love the post and the recipe once again, dear! I had totally forgotten about getting the ice pick with the wooden handle, to poke holes in the top of the bottle. Nothing better than to get a ice cold coke out of the cooler and fill it with a bag of peanuts! Can’t wait to make the cake! Thank you for sharing on Thursday’s Treasures Week 35. I hope you will join again next week. <3 and hugs! http://www.recipesformyboys.com/2012/05/thursdays-treasures-week-35.html
Jackie Garvin says
Debi,
Aren’t those the best kind of memories?? I am craving a cold little Coke with holes poked in the top right now! 🙂
Carol says
This recipe looks awesome and I plan to try it! However, the Statute of Liberty is not on Ellis Island; it’s on Liberty Island. Ships carrying immigrants would pass the Statute of Liberty on their way to Ellis Island to disembark and enter the country after rigorous and often painful medical testing. My Mom’s best friend came here from Scotland when she was about 5 years old, at the beginning of the 1900’s. The doctors used shoe button hooks to turn their eyelids inside out to check for pink eye! I’m sure they weren’t gentle. Your recipe with the chocolate, peanut butter and marshmallows looks amazing too!
Jackie Garvin says
I made the correction. Thanks.