The Cornelius Deluxe Draft Arms was the name for a compact pre-mix soft drink dispenser, designed for use in upscale bars and restaurants. They were produced exclusively for the Coca-Cola Company in the late 1950s. The dispenser was available as a single draft arm, two-, three- or a four-draft arms unit. It was designed to be elegant “to harmonize with the finest stainless or chrome fixtures in the best establishments”. The draft arms had a slim design to use a minimum of counter space. The melamine valve handles had large labels to promote Coke sales and to identify the product easily. One of the arms would naturally be reserved for dispensing Coca-Cola while the others were most likely used for mixers. This dispenser came with a drip tray and mounting base that could easily clamp onto counters and bars. It was a remote soft drink dispenser since the product was fed to the valves through refrigerated product lines from the canisters like the “Remote Super-Serve 200”.

Manufactured by:
The Cornelius Company
2727 North Ferry Street
Anoka, MN 55303

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The Cornelius Slim-Lite Ambassador was the same machine as the Cornelius Ambassador. The only difference being that it had a smaller lighted top. It was offered along side of the Ambassador, for anyone who may have required a smaller machine with “just the right amount of point-of-sale display”.

Manufactured by:
The Cornelius Company
2727 North Ferry Street
Anoka, MN 55303

Weight: 21 lbs.
Dimensions: 17 3/4”H x 11”W x 9”D

In the 1960s Coca-Cola and other soft drink manufacturers put a lot of emphasis on making their beverage available at popular venues like bowling alleys, restaurants and drive-ins. Soft drinks were now dispensed premixed and cold as a result of advances in technology.

The Cornelius Co. has now been in business for almost 70 years making coolers and beverage dispensers. They manufactured the Diplomat for the Coca-Cola Company from 1962 to 1969. It is classified as an electric, self-contained, over-the-counter soft drink dispenser. This catalog page states that the “Crisp, clean lines and a bold, lighted sign on each side give the Diplomat styling that attracts costumers, adds prestige to any location!” It also adds the promise of “ice cold refreshment” due to the “Cornelius Ice-O-Matic design”. The cooling device was self-contained within the machine, so there was no need to add ice. The design and illuminated logo served as point of sale advertising and as an enticement to have some refreshment.

The dispensing unit could be mounted on a counter or bar, taking up a minimum amount of space. The dispenser could serve as many as 4 different products and up to 150 cold drinks, figuring on 6 drinks dispensed per minute. There was a cooling recovery rate of 1 drink per minute.

Manufactured by:
The Cornelius Company
2727 North Ferry Street
Anoka, MN 55303

Weight: 110 lbs.
Dimensions: 24 ¾”H x 18”W x 22 ¼”D