“Coca would also get an endorsement from an unlikely place: Vatican City. During the Great Binge, one notable drink in circulation was the Vin Mariani, an alcoholic beverage that combined both wine and cocaine and received endorsements from not one, but two popes. The popular concoction contained about 6 milligrams of cocaine per ounce, and Pope Leo XIII even allowed his face to be used in Vin Mariani’s marketing campaign. He was very much a brand ambassador, citing that it strengthened him “when prayer was insufficient”. The Papal endorsement led it to become many a religious leader’s drink of choice. In the secular world, the Belle Epoque’s most famous names, Sarah Bernhardt, Jules Verne and even Queen Victoria were all fans of the drug-infused cocktail that would spend the following century cleaning up its act to become the world’s most iconic household brand: Coca Cola (more on that here).”
More on Messy Nessy… (CW: images in the post contain nudity)
Original: https://toots.dgplug.org/@jason/111032729056224311