Introduction: Fakola (cola Clone)
Cola isn't actually kola nut flavored. As far as I can tell, it's mostly vanilla and cinnamon. Here's a formulation I'm currently working on. It uses ingredients found in most grocery stores. No exotic oils or hard-to-get chemicals. It's not quite right yet but it's a decent first pass.
Note: This formulation is caffeine-free. I haven't tried adding caffeine yet. It looks like a 20oz cola contains about 58mg of caffeine. That looks to be equivalent to about 1/4 of an over-the counter caffeine pill. I'm not sure how well it dissolves in water, though.
Note: This formulation is caffeine-free. I haven't tried adding caffeine yet. It looks like a 20oz cola contains about 58mg of caffeine. That looks to be equivalent to about 1/4 of an over-the counter caffeine pill. I'm not sure how well it dissolves in water, though.
Step 1: Materials
- Water
- Sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Cinnamon extract
- Orange extract
- Lemon juice
- green and red food coloring (optional)
Other ingredients that might come in handy are:
- Glycerin - The local pharmacy should have this. A couple drops should help keep the ingredients mixed. The bottle says "for external use only". Go figure.
- Cream of tartar - Found it in the spice section of the grocery store. Mildly acidic. Can be used instead of lemon juice if you'd prefer a less citric taste.
- Phosphoric acid. This was the one ingredient I couldn't get in a grocery store or pharmacy. I had to order it online from The Science Company. $20 for 16oz, which will do about 800 bottles of cola. Note: Very corrosive.
Step 2: Formulation
Here's what I came up with on my first try...
Attempt #1
Water - 2 cups
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Cinnamon extract - 1 tsp
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Orange extract - 1/2 tsp
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Red coloring - 8 drops
Green coloring - 4 drops
This came out a bit too sweet. I'd recommend trying less sugar. Might be a bit too vanilla-heavy too.
It's also missing the acidity associated with cola. By the looks of it, sodas typically use phosphoric or citric acid. Maybe more lemon juice would help.
The color's not too bad. Could maybe stand to be a bit darker.
Attempt #2
Water - 2 cups
Sugar - 2 Tbsp (dissolve in 2 Tbsp very hot water)
Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon extract - 1/4 tsp
Orange extract - 1/4 tsp
Lemon juice - 1/4 tsp
Cream of tartar - 1/4 tsp
Glycerin - 1/4 tsp
Red coloring - 8 drops
Green coloring - 4 drops
...and to make it a cherry cola, add 1/4 tsp of almond extract
Not as strong as #1. Maybe a bit too thin. Seems closer to the "real" flavor, though.
Attempt #3
Water - 1 3/4 cups
Sugar - 1/4 cup (dissolve in 1/4 cup Tbsp very hot water)
Vanilla extract - 3/4 tsp
Cinnamon extract - 3/4 tsp
Orange extract - 1/4 tsp
85% phosphoric acid - 1/8 tsp
Glycerin - 1/4 tsp
Red coloring - 8 drops
Green coloring - 4 drops
A nice compromise between #1 and #2. The phosphoric acid makes a big difference too.
Attempt #1
Water - 2 cups
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Cinnamon extract - 1 tsp
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Orange extract - 1/2 tsp
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Red coloring - 8 drops
Green coloring - 4 drops
This came out a bit too sweet. I'd recommend trying less sugar. Might be a bit too vanilla-heavy too.
It's also missing the acidity associated with cola. By the looks of it, sodas typically use phosphoric or citric acid. Maybe more lemon juice would help.
The color's not too bad. Could maybe stand to be a bit darker.
Attempt #2
Water - 2 cups
Sugar - 2 Tbsp (dissolve in 2 Tbsp very hot water)
Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon extract - 1/4 tsp
Orange extract - 1/4 tsp
Lemon juice - 1/4 tsp
Cream of tartar - 1/4 tsp
Glycerin - 1/4 tsp
Red coloring - 8 drops
Green coloring - 4 drops
...and to make it a cherry cola, add 1/4 tsp of almond extract
Not as strong as #1. Maybe a bit too thin. Seems closer to the "real" flavor, though.
Attempt #3
Water - 1 3/4 cups
Sugar - 1/4 cup (dissolve in 1/4 cup Tbsp very hot water)
Vanilla extract - 3/4 tsp
Cinnamon extract - 3/4 tsp
Orange extract - 1/4 tsp
85% phosphoric acid - 1/8 tsp
Glycerin - 1/4 tsp
Red coloring - 8 drops
Green coloring - 4 drops
A nice compromise between #1 and #2. The phosphoric acid makes a big difference too.
Step 3: Carbonate
I used my CO2 generator to pressurize a 20oz bottle containing the mixture to about 40psi, then shook it up to dissolve the CO2. Seems to be a lot harder to get a decent fizz with this compared with plain water. The sugar's probably the culprit there.
Note: Let the bottle sit for a while before opening. Open very slowly and retighten if it starts to foam.
Cap and refrigerate.
As I said, this is a first attempt. I think next time I'll try more lemon and less sugar. I'll post updates if and when I come up with better formulations. I'm trying to stick to ingredients typically found in grocery stores, which limits the possibilities a bit.
Note: Let the bottle sit for a while before opening. Open very slowly and retighten if it starts to foam.
Cap and refrigerate.
As I said, this is a first attempt. I think next time I'll try more lemon and less sugar. I'll post updates if and when I come up with better formulations. I'm trying to stick to ingredients typically found in grocery stores, which limits the possibilities a bit.
