Once sold as a 19th century cocaine-laced medicinal remedy, Coca-Cola swiftly became an iconic American brand, savored around the world and celebrated in countless ads featuring some of history’s most famous faces.
More than just a sugary sweet soft drink, Coca-Cola is a representation of all that makes America a legend in its own right. No wonder it has inspired a wide array of tattoo ideas.
Coca-Cola evokes a number of memories and nostalgic sensations, some of which may not even pertain to our own lives.
Who could forget the many images of Marilyn Monroe greeting her fans with a bottle of Coca-Cola in hand, or the first heralding of Christmas thanks to the Coca-Cola polar bears? With so much of our culture directly connected to the #1 soda in the world, it’s only natural for the tattoo world to take notice as well.
A Coca-Cola tattoo is a time-honored classic, and the man who honors it finds himself in the same place of honor. You’re no fly-by-night soul who latches onto any trend that seizes the public’s fancy for a second; you stick to your tastes and tip your glass to what has stood the test of time and continuous reintroductions.
Coca-Cola is more than just a popular soft drink, but a way of life. America may be an ever-evolving entity, but our true identity lies in the details. Your Coca-Cola tattoo means so much more than meets the eye — but then again, like all great things, does it really need explaining?
Coca Cola tattoos range from the mere logo and crown to the old 330-ml cans and iconic contour bottle. Mostly, you’d see tattoos of the uniquely shaped bottle.
A tattoo artist may experiment with the style and improvise on the design, but the bottle is so distinctive you’d recognize it even without the logo. It also doesn’t matter whether the tattoo is done in color or simple black ink, or whether it’s done in the old style, new school, neo-realism, or watercolor.
Complementary tattoos adorn this person’s arms. There’s the unmistakable Coca-Cola bottle on one arm and a bottle of Jack Daniel’s whiskey with a glass of ice cubes on the other. People who love cocktails have been mixing Jack and Coca-Cola and, in fact, such cocktail drink is being served in most bars in the US.
This boozy drink is the inspiration for a ready-to-drink cocktail in can that Jack and Coca-Cola will jointly launch in late 2022. To be simply called Jack Daniel’s and Coca-Cola, the new alcoholic drink will debut in Mexico, but will be rolled out worldwide.
This tattoo design, which is done in black and gray, could not be more timely in paying homage to such a popular cocktail drink. A similar tattoo design that’s done in full color may be found further below.
To say that Coca-Cola is a cultural icon is an understatement. This tattoo design seems to say the soft drink brand, represented by its distinctive bottle, is at the center of this person’s universe.
The Coca-Cola bottle did not always come in this shape. According to the company, its bottlers came up with a distinctive shape to make it hard for other soft drink manufacturers to copy. Coca-Cola was such a favorite among the vast majority that other companies always copied it, causing confusion among consumers.
In 1915, up to 10 glass companies in the US were challenged to develop a bottle so distinct you’d recognize it by feel in the dark or even if it’s lying broken on the ground.
The Root Glass Company in Indiana came up with the design based on the elongated shape and distinct ribs of a cocoa bean. The original design was fatter than the bottle manufactured and distributed later.
It was patented a few months after it was designed and was chosen a year later as the new Coca-Cola bottle. For some bottlers, it became the most expensive portion of the business. The king and family-sized bottles were introduced in 1955.
In 1961, almost 50 years after the first patent was issued, the Coca-Cola contour bottle was granted a trademark status.
