Cronk (drink) facts for kids
Dr. Cronk's Compound Sarsaparilla Beer, often called simply Cronk, was a special American drink from the 1800s. It was a flavored small beer, which means it had very little alcohol, like some old-fashioned root beers. Cronk was made with interesting ingredients such as sassafras, sarsaparilla, ginger, green tea, and molasses. People thought it tasted like a "spicy root beer."
A man named Warren Cronk is believed to have invented this drink. Records show it first appeared around 1840 in Syracuse, New York. During the 19th century, Cronk was sold across the United States and Canada through a system where different companies could make and sell it.
The original recipe for Cronk was thought to be lost for a long time. However, it was found again in June 2020! This happened after Cronk became very popular on Twitter. Later that year, breweries in Calgary and Ottawa even made their own versions of Cronk. Today's Cronk drinks are described as tasting like a light herbal liqueur, which is a sweet, flavored alcoholic drink.
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The Story of Cronk Beer
Warren Cronk, who lived in New York City but worked in Albany and Auburn, New York in the 1840s, is credited with creating Cronk. His Compound Sarsaparilla Beer was seen as a "temperance" drink. This meant it was popular with people who wanted to avoid strong alcoholic drinks. While it was brewed like a beer, it had a very low alcohol content, making it a "small beer."
Cronk was also advertised as having health benefits. This was because sarsaparilla, one of its main ingredients, was believed to be good for you at the time. The drink became very popular and was even a sign of wealth for many people.
How Cronk Spread Across North America
Warren Cronk sold the rights to make, bottle, and sell his beer in different areas to various partners. This was like a "franchise" system. Because of this, Cronk was sold in many parts of the Northeastern United States and Canada.
One historian, Thomas Kanalley, wrote in 2010 that it might be impossible to know all the places Warren Cronk's "Compound Sarsaparilla Beer" reached. It had a very wide influence!
Why Cronk Disappeared
Cronk likely became less popular during the economic downturns that happened in North America in the 1800s. Many other soda companies also struggled during these times. Another idea is that its franchise system might have led to its end as people lost interest over time. After the 1910s or 1920s, there are no more mentions of Cronk.
Cronk in Court
In the 1880s, during a time when alcohol was restricted in Canada (called Canadian Prohibition), Cronk was part of a court case in Ontario. The court had to decide if Cronk was an alcoholic drink or not.
Cronk's Comeback in Modern Times
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Cronk became popular again in June 2020. This happened when old newspaper advertisements for the drink from the 1880s were shared on Twitter by a researcher named Paul Fairie. These "bizarre" ads caught a lot of attention and became a trending topic in Canada.
Someone on Twitter even found an old recipe for Cronk from 1860! It was in a book called Hand Book of Practical Receipts; Or, Useful Hints in Every Day Life. This recipe listed ingredients like sassafras, sarsaparilla, hops, chamomile, cinnamon, ginger, green tea, and molasses. People also found old documents about the fancy bottles used for Cronk and the court cases about whether it was alcoholic.
Making New Cronk Drinks
The Cold Garden Beverage Company, a small brewery in Calgary, Canada, started trying to brew Cronk in June 2020. Blake Belding, a brewer there, thought the old Cronk recipe would "taste like a spicy root beer." On August 19, 2020, Cold Garden released their first batch of 1800 bottles of Cronk.
Around the same time, the Nita Beer Company in Ottawa, Canada, also tried to bring Cronk back. They called their version 'Dr. Ferguson's Sarsaparilla Ale'. A customer praised it for its strong "molasses and cinnamon flavors." Nita Beer plans to make more after making some small changes to the recipe.
The Cold Garden version of Cronk had to change one ingredient: sassafras. Sassafras is now not allowed in food and drinks. So, they used mint and burdock root to get a similar flavor. Trevor Cox from Cold Garden said their drink tasted like a watered-down, bubbly herbal liqueur. Nita Beer thought their Cronk tasted like a "botanical-blend," which gave it "herbal, almost medicinal, characteristics." Both Cox and Nita compared their final drinks to the popular herbal drink Jägermeister.
