No story that good is worth it unless you find the recipe.
Here it is.


Introduction:

Contained hereunder is a HOW-TO for brewing up kitchen-sink OpenCola.
Amazingly enough, every soft-drink vendor we spoke to acted like the
preparation of cola was some kind of deep, dark trade-seekrut(tm). With
much reverse-engineering and creative shopping, the research kitchens at
OpenCola have coopered together the following makefile for brewing up
The Black Waters of Corporate
Imperialism(tm) in the privacy of your own home.

The basis for the whole thing is the 7X, Top-Seekrut(tm) formula. Our
sources tell us that 7X is the internal Coca-Cola codename for their
syrup. You'll note that the 7X formula contains eight ingredients: still
more evidence of the deviousness of the Soda Gnomes.

As it turns out, mixing up a batch of cola's pretty easy. Finding the
ingredients is damned hard. Most of this file is about finding and
handling ingredients so as to produce a tasty bevvy without blowing up
your kitchen, melting your flesh off your bones, or poisoning yourself.
As with all undertakings of great moment, read and understand the
instructions before attempting to commit cola on your own. Pay special
attention to the "Warnings" section.

This recipe is licensed under the GNU General Public license. It is
"Open Source" Cola, or, if you prefer, "Free" Cola. That means you're
free to use this recipe to make your own cola, or to make derivative
colas. If you distribute derivative colas, you're expected to send email
to the recipe's author, Amanda Foubister (
[log in to unmask])
with your updates. In the future, we expect to have a CVS server up to
handle additions, bug-reports, etc.

The Formula

7X (Top SeekrutTM) flavoring formula:

3.50 ml orange oil
1.00 ml lemon oil
1.00 ml nutmeg oil
1.25 ml cassia oil
0.25 ml coriander oil
0.25 ml neroli oil
2.75 ml lime oil
0.25 ml lavender oil
10.0 g gum arabic
3.00 ml water

OpenCola syrup:

2.00 tsp. 7X formula
3.50 tsp. 75% phosphoric acid or citric acid
2.28 l water
2.36 kg plain granulated white table sugar
0.50 tsp. caffeine (optional)
30.0 ml caramel color

Preparation

7X Flavoring:

Mix oils together in a cup. Add gum arabic, mix with a spoon. Add water
and mix well. I used my trusty Braun mixer for this step, mixing for 4-5
minutes. You can also transfer to a blender for this step. Can be kept
in a sealed glass jar in the fridge or at room temperature.

Please note that this mixture will separate. The Gum Arabic is essential
to this part of the recipe, as you are mixing oil and water.

Syrup:

In a one gallon container (I used the Rubbermaid Servin' Saver Dry Food
Keeper, 1.3 US Gal/4.92 l), take 5 mls of the 7X formula, add the 75%
phosphoric or citric acid. Add the water, then the sugar. While mixing,
add the caffeine, if desired. Make sure the caffeine is completely
dissolved. Then add the caramel color. Mix thoroughly.

Cola:

To finish drink, take one part syrup and add 5 parts carbonated water.

Scavenging and Handling Ingredients

7X flavor:

Measurement: I used a dropper purchased at a Shoppers Drug Mart
(normally used to measure infant portions of medicine, I believe).

Oils: Oils can cause skin irritation. Wear latex food-prep or surgical
gloves. If oils come in contact with skin, wash with soap and water.

I purchased all oils from health food stores and the herbalist store,
Thuna's (see notes on gum arabic).

Everything could have come from the herbalist's. Try for 100 percent
pure, undiluted oils. I used oils from the following companies: CK
Solutions, Ft. Wayne, IN 46825 Aura Cacia Oils, Weaverville, CA 96093
Aromaforce Essential Oils Frontier Natural Flavors, www.frontiercoop.com
Karooch, Peterborough, ONT K9J 7Y8

When I purchased the oils, I specifically asked whether they were food
grade or not. All persons said that they were, one person said she used
them internally all the time.

Neroli is a very expensive item, be prepared (US$48.52 for 5.00 ml).

All others were a more reasonable price (US$2-9.30).

Gum Arabic: It is very important that you get only food-grade Gum
Arabic. There is also an art-grade, which is readily available at art
supply stores
-
never use art-grade Gum Arabic! Art-grade Gum Arabic is toxic. It will
make you ill. You'll be sad. We'll be sad.

I found food-grade Gum Arabic at an herbalist store in Toronto called
Thuna's (416) 461-8191. I purchased 112g for US$12.46, which will make
more than 11 batches of flavoring formula.

Syrup:

Water: good old tap water will do, if you trust your tap. I used spring
water.

75% Phosphoric Acid: Due to its acidity, this product is corrosive to
the eyes and skin. Handle with gloved hands, and use extreme caution. If
comes in contact with the eyes or skin, immediately flush with plenty of
water for at least 15 minutes. Get medical attention. Rinse any spills
on clothing or other surfaces thoroughly. Store in a secure area. Do not
store more than 50.0 ml.

Try finding phosphoric acid at a compounding pharmacy in your area.
There are pharmacies that still mix their own individual compounds and
still stock phosphoric acid.

Citric acid: Very easy to find. I found mine at a Shoppers Drug Mart
(Rougier Pharma Inc, Quebec, Canada J7J 1P3). Says right on the label,
"For the preparation of acidulous drinks and effervescing draughts, and
preservation of jams and jellies." According to the Coke history book,
citric acid was used first in the formula, but they now use the
phosphoric.

Sugar: Basic granulated white table sugar found everywhere. Buy from a
bulk store to save some money.

Caffeine: It's best not to store caffeine in any amount. Caffeine can
kill people in relatively small doses. The median lethal dose for an
adult human is around 10 grams, or approximately one third of an ounce.
You can find out more by reading the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)
for caffeine at http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/c0165.htm.
Don't yeild to the temptation to create a "Super-Jolt(tm)," adding tons
and tons of the white stuff to your cola, our you'll be in a world of
hurt. If stored, store in a secure area away from children. Toxic by
inhalation and
ingestion: If inhaled, remove to fresh air, If ingested, call a
physician. Possible teratogen and mutagen. If product comes in contact
with the eyes, flush with plenty of water. There is some great
information on caffeine and it's over-consumption at
http://www.thecaffeinepage.com.

Caffeine is completely optional. I used part of a caffeine pill (MVP,
www.mvpnutrition.com), ground up in a pestle with a mortar. According to
information on the pill bottle and on the Web site, the pills are 100%
caffeine. As an extra safety precaution, I strained all of the syrup
through a 4-ply of cheesecloth, in case any of the caffeine wasn't
dissolved.

Caramel color: I found mine at a bakery supply store (World of Cake
Decorating, 1766 Weston Road, Toronto, Ontario, Canada 416-247-4935). I
was originally told to use double strength caramel color, but couldn't
find it anywhere (retail or wholesale). It really only adds color, so it
makes it a bit paler than we are used to coming out of a can or bottle.
No other difference that we could discern during our taste-testing.

Cola:

Soda Water: I purchased a soda charger and CO2 cartridges at Nikolaou's
(629 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario, Canada 416-504-6411) to
deliver the soda charge needed to make the cola fizzy. At testing, no
one was impressed. What worked best was adding canned sodium-free (very
important!) soda water to the syrup.

If you would like to make soda water yourself as well, here is a recipe
from a great Web site on beverages (
http://www.upl.cs.wisc.edu/~craft/bar/section7.html):

Soda: Carbonated Water
5 U.S. gallons of water
1.5 cups sugar (or sugar syrup)
1 teaspoon dry bread yeast (rehydrated)

I fill each bottle 2/3 full, screw on the top, and leave for one or two
weeks. Each weekend I measure and add the syrup to a few bottles, top
them off with water and stick them in the fridge.

This is a very quick operation. I had experimented with adding dry
sugar, but this caused an excessive amount of foaming.

Warnings:

These are all associated with each of their ingredients, but they're
repeated here just to make sure. We're not making this stuff up. Cola is
a harsh mistress, and she is quick to anger. Heed the warnings below or
proceed into certain peril.

Oils: Can cause skin irritation. If oils come in contact with skin, wash
with soap and water.

Gum Arabic: It is very important that you get only food-grade Gum
Arabic. There is also an art-grade, which is readily available at art
supply stores
-
never use art-grade Gum Arabic! Art grade Gum Arabic is toxic. It will
make you ill. You'll be sad. We'll be sad.

75% Phosphoric Acid: Due to its acidity, this product is corrosive to
the eyes and skin. Handle with gloved hands, and use extreme caution. If
comes in contact with the eyes or skin, immediately flush with plenty of
water for at least 15 minutes. Get medical attention. Rinse any spills
on clothing or other surfaces thoroughly. Store in a secure area. Do not
store more than 50.0 ml.

Caffeine: It's best not to store caffeine in any amount. Caffeine can
kill people in relatively small doses. The median lethal dose for an
adult human is around 10 grams, or approximately one third of an ounce.
You can find out more by reading the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)
for caffeine at http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/c0165.htm.
Don't yield to the temptation to create a "Super-Jolt(tm)" adding tons
and tons of the white stuff to you cola, our you'll be in a world of
hurt. If stored, store in a secure area away from children. Toxic by
inhalation and
ingestion: If inhaled, remove to fresh air. If ingested, call a
physician. Possible teratogen and mutagen. If product comes in contact
with the eyes, flush with plenty of water. There is some great
information on caffeine and it's over-consumption at
http://www.thecaffeinepage.com.

Thanks, Acknowledgements and Afterward:

The 7X that I experimented with comes from the great Coke history book,
For God, Country, & Coca-Cola, by Mark Pendergrast, Basic Books, 1993,
2000, ISBN 0-465-05468-4. I know, I know. I list 8 oils, not 7. It notes
in the book that many believe lavender to be part of the 7X formula, so
I tried it. We liked it in testing.

Special thanks to Pharmacist David at the IDA (Queen West near Jameson,
Toronto) for advice on phosphoric acid and chemistry.

Thanks to Barb Holland and Rose Murray from Foodland Ontario for advice
on various ingredients and general soda making.

Contributors:

The following people have contributed refinements to the formula. Thanks
to: Cory Doctorow (
[log in to unmask])

Tom Swulius (
[log in to unmask])

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