Franklin & Sons 1886 Original Cola
Franklin & Sons 1886 Original Cola is a soft drink, without alcohol, that Franklin & Sons’ UK site builds on West African kola nut and Colombian coffee beans; its barley malt extract puts gluten in it. The maker’s UK site gives 9.9g of sugar and 40 kcal per 100ml, in 275ml bottles. It is the cola in The Expedition Serve, our Rum and Coke variant made with Expedition Spiced Rum.
Essential Ingredient
A staple for any well-stocked bar
Quick Facts
Cool and sealed; refrigerate before service. One small bottle per serve.
Contains: cereals containing gluten. Recipes change: check the bottle.
About Franklin & Sons 1886 Original Cola
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Cola with its botanicals audible: spice and citrus over a drier-than-standard sweetness, built to leave room for a spirit.
Kola nut and coffee in a cola
Franklin & Sons make it from West African kola nut, Colombian coffee beans and sparkling water, and describe it as an adult soft drink. Their tasting notes give kola nut, caramel, toffee and vanilla on the nose, with roasted coffee lingering after the chocolate and spice fade. Phosphoric acid supplies the familiar cola bite.
Partly fermented, and not gluten free
The ingredients list a ferment of water, sugar and ginger extract alongside barley malt extract, caffeine in the flavouring, phosphoric acid and caramel sugar syrup. Barley means gluten, and Franklin & Sons say plainly that the cola contains it. It is vegan and vegetarian.
Its sugar is close to a standard cola’s
Franklin & Sons’ UK product page, read on 10 October 2026, gives 40 kcal and 9.9g of sugar per 100ml; the regular Coca-Cola sold in the UK lists 10.6g. The difference in the glass is flavour rather than sweetness: coffee and kola nut where a standard cola leans on caramel. It comes in 275ml bottles.
Franklin & Sons 1886 against the colas it is compared with, per 100ml (Fever-Tree’s, Franklin & Sons’ and Coca-Cola’s UK sites, read 17 October 2026)
Franklin & Sons 1886 Original Cola
- Sugar
- 9.9g
- Flavour led by
- Kola nut and Colombian coffee
- Contains gluten
- Yes, barley malt
- Bottle sizes
- 275ml
Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Madagascan Cola
- Sugar
- 4.4g
- Flavour led by
- Vanilla, cassia and lime
- Contains gluten
- Yes, roasted barley malt
- Bottle sizes
- 200ml, 500ml
Coca-Cola Original Taste
- Sugar
- 10.6g
- Flavour led by
- Natural flavourings, not named
- Contains gluten
- None declared
- Bottle sizes
- Various
| Cola | Sugar | Flavour led by | Contains gluten | Bottle sizes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin & Sons 1886 Original Cola | 9.9g | Kola nut and Colombian coffee | Yes, barley malt | 275ml |
| Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Madagascan Cola | 4.4g | Vanilla, cassia and lime | Yes, roasted barley malt | 200ml, 500ml |
| Coca-Cola Original Taste | 10.6g | Natural flavourings, not named | None declared | Various |
The cola in our IWSC Silver serve
Expedition Spiced Rum with this cola won IWSC 2026 Silver in the Rum & Cola awards, and the rum on its own took IWSC 2026 Bronze. Our Rum and Coke carries the pairing as a variant, The Expedition Serve, poured at one part rum to three of cola, on ice.
Using Franklin & Sons 1886 Original Cola
Usage
Over a 50ml measure of Expedition Spiced Rum, 150ml goes into a highball packed with ice, run gently down the glass and given a single stir, no garnish: the variant of our Rum and Coke called The Expedition Serve. It works in any rum and cola at three measures of cola to one of rum.
Pro Tip
Taste the cola by itself before mixing. The coffee and chocolate notes Franklin & Sons describe are easy to find neat and harder once ice and rum are in, which tells you how much of the drink the cola is carrying.
Top Tips
- Keep to 150ml for 50ml of rum: one part to three.
- If you avoid gluten, choose another cola: barley malt is in this one.
- Serve it cold, add it slowly and stir just once.
- Taste it neat first; the coffee note is easier to find before rum and ice go in.
Possible Substitutions
- Fever-Tree Madagascan Cola: Vanilla and spice in place of coffee; also contains gluten
- Cola: A standard cola: sweeter and simpler
Production Method
Sparkling water, sugar, a ferment of water, sugar and ginger extract, barley malt extract, natural flavouring including caffeine, phosphoric acid, caramel sugar syrup and natural extracts; West African kola nut and Colombian coffee beans lead the flavour.
History & Context
Franklin & Sons’ history page dates the founding to 1886, when the Franklin brothers began bottling mineral waters and making flavoured soda from a confectionery shop in Rickmansworth. The cola carries the same year in its name.
More to explore
Common Questions
What is Franklin & Sons 1886 Original Cola?
What does 1886 mean?
Does Franklin & Sons cola contain gluten?
How much sugar is in Franklin & Sons 1886 Original Cola?
Is Franklin & Sons 1886 cola vegan?
Does Franklin & Sons 1886 cola contain caffeine?
What can I use instead of Franklin & Sons cola?
Sources.
Correct as of 17 October 2026.
- Franklin & Sons, “1886 Original Cola”.
- Franklin & Sons, “Our story and history”.
- Fever-Tree (UK), “Refreshingly Light Madagascan Cola”.
- Coca-Cola Great Britain, “Coca-Cola Original Taste”.
Made with Franklin & Sons 1886 Original Cola
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Guide by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 17 October 2026