Five Cents a Cup
From his Marietta Street home, the pharmacist began various experiments on the drink and even used an industrial-sized mixing and filter machine. It ran from the second story of the building down to the ground floor. He sent pharmacies in and around Atlanta samples of his new alcohol-free rendition of the beverage.
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Pemberton put his nephews in charge of getting feedback and recording customer reactions, which ultimately led the physician to a key breakthrough in developing the final concoction. To even out the intense sweetness of the syrup, he added citric acid. By May 1886, the drink was sold at the Jacob Pharmacy and in syrup form. It cost 5 cents per portion, and it would be mixed with water on the spot for customers.