LONG LONG AGO
AND FAR FAR AWAY,
(Central America [CA], mid '80s)
I was a prince of the Coca Cola universe.
While I was serving as a military liaison in Honduras, the Coca Cola Corp. had stopped producing its traditional cola and substituted reformulated New Coke back in the USA. It wasn't popular; so, a premium was placed on remaining stocks of old Coke which ultimately sold/traded for over US $100. per case. There were still stockpiles of old Coke in CA warehouses which supplied my local sources at a cost to me of just pennies per can. My fellow princes and I were drinking old Coke
Cuba Libres (
Nicaragua Libres if one wanted to joke at the time), using indigenous
Flor de Caņa, as though it was as common as water. Eventually, the Coca Cola Corp. reintroduced the old Coke formula as Coke Classic and my brief tenure as a prince of that realm became a footnote in history. As for the debate between Coke and Pepsi, I don't know how anyone can stand to drink either of them without rum in it!
