The reason for the removal of alcohol in the recipe was due to prohibition. But the reason for the removal of cocaine was even more shocking than the fact it was in there in the first place. In 1899, Coke started selling their product in bottles, which became popular among Africa-Americans. Middle and upper class white people started to panic as they were concerned that black people would be empowered by the drink and attack them, so Coke started to take it out of the recipe.
