Vernors facts for kids
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| Type | Ginger ale |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Keurig Dr Pepper |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Introduced | 1866 |
| Color | Golden |
| Variants | Diet Vernors, Black Cherry |
Vernors is a popular American brand of ginger ale. It is owned by a company called Keurig Dr Pepper. This special drink was first made in 1866 by James Vernor, who was a pharmacist (a person who prepares and sells medicines) in Detroit.
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The Story of Vernors
Vernors is the oldest ginger ale still being made in the United States. The company says it was first served to people in 1866.
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James Vernor opened his own drugstore in Detroit, Michigan. He sold his ginger soda there at a special counter called a soda fountain. At first, you could only buy Vernors at these soda fountains. In 1896, Vernor closed his drugstore to focus only on making ginger ale. He opened a new soda fountain closer to the city center.
Later, Vernor also let other businesses sell his ginger ale. These businesses had to follow his exact recipe.
James Vernor passed away in 1927. His son, James Vernor Jr., took over the business. The company kept growing, even during a time called Prohibition when alcohol was banned. Before World War II, Vernors built a very large bottling plant and main office in Detroit. This plant was a popular place for tourists to visit.
The drink was first called "Vernor's" with an apostrophe. But in 1959, the apostrophe was removed, and it became "Vernors." In 1962, a sugar-free version was introduced, which is now called Vernors Zero Sugar.
In 1966, the Vernor family sold the company. Over the years, Vernors was owned by several different companies. Today, it is owned by Keurig Dr Pepper. The main bottling plant for Michigan is now in Holland, Michigan.
In August 2022, Vernors released a new black cherry flavor. This was the first new flavor in over 50 years! It was only sold for a short time in Michigan and the Toledo, Ohio, area.
What Makes Vernors Special?
Vernors is a sweet, "golden" ginger ale. It gets its golden color from caramel. It has a strong, rich flavor with a hint of vanilla. Before Prohibition, this type of sweet ginger ale was common. After Prohibition, lighter, less sweet ginger ales became popular for mixing with other drinks.
Vernors is also known for being very bubbly.
Some people describe the original flavor as "mellow yet perky." The mellow taste is said to come from aging the syrup in oak barrels. The "perkiness" comes from using more ginger than other ginger ales.
The Secret Recipe
There's a fun story about how Vernors was created. The legend says that before the American Civil War, James Vernor was working at a drugstore. He was trying to make a ginger ale like one from Ireland. When he had to go fight in the war, he stored his syrup base (made of 19 ingredients like ginger and vanilla) in an oak barrel.
When he came back four years later, he found that the syrup had changed from being aged in the wood. The drink he made from it tasted amazing and different! He supposedly said it was "Deliciously different," which is still the drink's motto today.
However, James Vernor Jr. later said that his father actually developed the recipe after the war was over. This was also confirmed by a former company president and a trademark application from 1911. The trademark showed that Vernor's ginger ale first started being sold in 1880.
Where Can You Find Vernors?
For most of its history, Vernors was mainly sold in certain areas. At first, Vernor sold his drink in Michigan and other big cities nearby. It was also available in Ontario, Canada. In the 1970s and 1980s, you could even buy Vernors-flavored ice cream!
Vernors was not sold all over the country for many years. By 1997, it was available in 33 states. But even then, Michigan bought 80% of all Vernors sold! Ohio and Illinois were the next biggest buyers. It was also very popular in Florida, where many people from Michigan moved or retired. In 2015, the company said it sold over 7 million cases of Vernors. A large part of these sales were still in Michigan.
How Vernors Is Advertised
Vernors has used many different slogans over the years. In the early 1900s, ads called it "Detroit's Drink." Since 1921, the slogan "Deliciously Different" has been used.
The labels used to say "Aged 4 years in wood." This was later changed to "Flavor aged in oak barrels," then "Barrel Aged, Bold Taste," and now it says "Barrel Aged 3 Years • Bold Taste."
The gnome mascot, named "Woody," was used from the early 1900s until 1987. Then, a new company took over and removed Woody from the packaging. But Woody returned to the labels in the 2000s! Today, Vernors still features Woody with the slogan "A Michigan Original Since 1866."
There has been some debate about the gnome's name. The Dr. Pepper company says his name has always been Woody. But a Vernors historian named Lawrence L. Rouch says he found no proof that the gnome was called "Woody" in the past.
However, many people agree that Ronald Bialecki played the gnome in real-life appearances during the 1970s. He even designed a gnome costume and a "gnome mobile" for public events!
150th Anniversary
In 2016, the Detroit Historical Society and Museum celebrated Vernors' 150th birthday. They teamed up with the Vernors Collectors' Club to show off old Vernors items and signs. This special exhibit was held at the Detroit Historical Museum in June 2016.
How People Use Vernors
Some people drink warm Vernors as a home remedy for a stomach ache. Others, especially people from Detroit, use it to add a sweet and spicy flavor to their food. For example, the famous soul singer Aretha Franklin was known for making a Christmas ham with a glaze made from Vernors. It has also been used in glazes for salmon and in batter for onion rings.
The Boston Cooler
A Boston Cooler is a special drink made with Vernors Ginger Ale and vanilla ice cream. It's blended together like a milkshake. Sometimes, people just put a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a glass, add Vernors, and call it a Boston Cooler.
Some people think it's named after Boston Boulevard in Detroit. However, that street wasn't built when the drink got its name. The name "Boston Cooler" has been around since the 1880s. The Sanders family, who owned a popular candy shop on Woodward Avenue, helped make the drink famous in Detroit. They later built a house on Boston Boulevard, which might have made people think there was a connection.
See also
