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“I don’t want to attract a lawsuit from Coca-Cola or something like that,” he joked. “Mr Pemberton invented his own recipe, and without alcohol … Plus at that time other people were producing this kind of medicine with coca leaves. It was quite common in Italy and France. The only thing I can say is that San Marco’s pharmacy had its own recipe.”
Kola Coca, an alcoholic syrup made in 1885 by distillers in Valencia, Spain, has also been held up as a potential inspiration for Coca-Cola.
Other documents found by Russo showed that the Florence friars’ concoction, the price for which ranged between 2 and 6 Italian lira – less than a cent in today’s euro currency – was wildly popular among customers.
“Because it had fantastic properties that fought against fatigue, and the fatigue that came with ageing,” said Father Russo. “Up until Bolivian coca leaves were banned – because by that point it was understood that cocaine was a problem more than a cure – I would say that it was one of our bestsellers.”
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San Marco convent was founded in 1436 on Via Cavour in Florence, with the pharmacy opening in 1460 to serve the neighbourhood’s poor community.
Russo said the pharmacy, which he describes as “one of the most beautiful things we have at the convent”, still operates – although in 1995 its location was transferred to a different part of the Tuscan city.
However, the original premises are intact, including the remains of a crocodile brought from the Nile River, which has been hanging from the ceiling since the 1600s. Chemists in 19th-century Europe often hung crocodiles and other reptiles from the ceilings of their shops as a way of indicating to customers that they had access to rare, exotic ingredients.
Russo also found labels for pure oxygen, cognac and rectified petroleum spirit. “The inventory in the pharmacy’s archives is incredible,” he said.