©1966 Coca-Cola television commercial

Only in the shrinking days of our ostensible summer can we really appreciate the little joys of this leisurely season: days refreshed by the cooling waters of a pool, laid-out on the green at the park; those toasty, warm sunsets in the backyard, maybe on the stoop or on the patio spent with family, friends, good company…

Of these seasonal comforts, every single one has been complemented by that good ol’ American soft drink, Coca-Cola, for well over a century. So what that it’s gone global and everyone likes themselves a taste of the “bubbly”? You might find an empty can strewn about in some dingy, Far East slum, or served graciously as the quintessential mixer in some Caribbean rum, but that carbonated, caramel-colored elixir is, plainly, at home here in the States.

So camp-out a spot underneath your favorite tree in the daylight, or take-in a ballgame under the twilight, but either way, take a swig of that drink that makes us uniquely great. Summer may be almost gone (and, if you’re not in Florida, so goes you’re beach season too), but don’t fret: anytime is a good time for a Coke, that patriotic classic.