OPEN COLA

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OpenCola is a brand of cola unique in that the instructions for making it are freely available and modifiable. Anybody can make the drink, and anyone can modify and improve on the recipe as long as they, too, license their recipe under the GNU General Public License.

Although originally intended as a promotional tool to explain free software / open source software, the drink took on a life of its own and 150,000 cans were sold. The Toronto-based company Opencola founded by Grad Conn, Cory Doctorow and John Henson became better known for the drink than the software it was supposed to promote. Laird Brown, the company's senior strategist, attributes its success to a widespread mistrust of big corporations and the "proprietary nature of almost everything."

Flavouring formula

• 10.0 g food-grade gum arabic

• 3.50 mL orange oil

• 3.00 mL water

• 2.75 mL lime oil

• 1.25 mL cassia oil

• 1.00 mL lemon oil

• 1.00 mL nutmeg oil

• 0.25 mL coriander oil

• 0.25 mL neroli oil

• 0.25 mL lavender oil

Concentrate formula

• 2.36 kg plain granulated white table sugar

• 2.28 L water

• 30.0 mL caramel colour

• 3.50 tsp. 75% phosphoric acid or citric acid

• 2.00 tsp. flavouring formula

• 0.50 tsp. caffeine (optional)

Beverage formula

Mix the concentrate with 5 parts filtered water and force carbonate the beverage, or use a soda fountain that will combine the concentrate with carbonated water at the tap.

In Italy

Some FLOSS ethics activists have started an Italian OpenCola project, but without any commercial purpose. The only thing the Italian OpenCola and the "official" OpenCola have in common is the name. The Italian version is clear and has never been sold.

Other Opendrink projects

There is also an "open source" beer called Vores Øl.

LINKS:

• SoftDrinkGuide.com

• OpenCola recipe (originally published by Cory Doctorow)

• Straight Dope article about caffeine levels on soft drinks

• Cola Myths

• OpenCola soft drink

• Italian OpenCola

• Cube Cola Bristol UK

• OpenBeer

A taste for adventure capitalists

Solar Cola - a healthier alternative

This website is Copyright © 1999 & 2006  NJK.  The bird logo and name Solar Navigator and Solar Cola are trademarks. All rights reserved.  All other trademarks are hereby acknowledged.  Max Energy Limited is an educational charity.

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