Vin Mariani

Mariani marketed Vin Mariani for a number of ailments, touting its ability to increase energy, appetite and mood. It was promoted as a performance enhancer for creatives and athletes alike, and was endorsed by many notable people of its time. Pope Leo XIII and later Pope Pius X were both Vin Mariani drinkers. Pope Leo appeared on a poster endorsing the wine and awarded a Vatican gold medal to Mariani for creating it. Jules Méline, the French prime minister, drank the wine despite being otherwise anti-alcohol. == Inspiration for Coca-Cola ==

Vin Mariani was apparently an inspiration for John S. Pemberton's 1885 coca wine drink, Pemberton's French Wine Coca. Pemberton's recipe was very similar to that of Vin Mariani, including the coca leaves. It was differentiated only by the inclusion of the African kola nut, the beverage's source of caffeine. Later that year, when Atlanta and Fulton County, Georgia, passed prohibition legislation, Pemberton responded by developing a carbonated, non-alcoholic version of his French Wine Coca. He called the reformulated beverage Coca-Cola, for its stimulant ingredients coca leaves and kola nuts. == Modern developments ==

Angelo Mariani failed to pass his recipe down to subsequent Mariani family generations, so Vin Mariani went out of production after his death. The product was relaunched in 2014 by Christophe Mariani (no relation). Christophe Mariani subsequently met the Bolivian president, Evo Morales, in Rome to discuss the commercialisation of Mariani cocaine in Bolivia. == Gallery ==

Mariani pope.jpg|Pope Leo XIII purportedly carried a hipflask of Vin Mariani with him, and awarded a Vatican gold medal to Angelo Mariani. Médaille Coca Mariani avers O.Roty.JPG|Vin Mariani medal by Louis-Oscar Roty Médaille Coca Mariani revers O.Roty.JPG|Medal of Coca Mariani wine L'académicien français Louis Duchesne (1843-1922) faisant la publicité du Vin Mariani, précurseur du Coca-Cola..jpg|French historian Louis Duchesne and Vin Mariani == See also ==