Vernor's

 Jan and I were having dinner with my friends, Mark Smith and his fiance' Sarah Quiggly a few weeks ago. They spend a good bit of time figuring out new and exciting dishes to try out and they like to share what they've discovered. Because they experiment with new recipes, our conversations often revolve around food. During the course of our discussion, the subject of Cream of Wheat came up. I'm not sure why, but it did. Well, one thing led to another, and I think I commented on the old fellow on the box. We discovered that his name was Frank L. White. He was a chef who was originally from Barbados. He has a very pleasant appearance and I guess whoever was in charge of marketing at the company thought he would be a good representative. I did a little research and discovered that he lived in Michigan and passed on in I believe, 1938. For a number of years he didn't have a proper grave marker, but a few years back his story was told on one of the major news networks and he was given a granite stone with his name and I believe his affiliation with Cream of Wheat. Then the conversation turned to Uncle Ben's rice. The guy on that box looks like a friendly sort as well. As it turns out, his name was Frank also. Frank Brown. He was a Maitre d' at a Chicago restaurant. I asked about Aunt Jemima also, but she was just a figment of someone's imagination apparently. While we were on the subject of food and drink, I happened to mention one of my favorite soft drinks, Vernor's Ginger Ale.  I guess it's called ginger soda now. In any event, we can't seem to get it up here. For awhile the Northern Sales Company in Juneau distributed it, but I haven't seen it for years. However, that didn't hamper Mark. He discovered that he could get a case sent up from Target, with free shipping, and ordered a case before the end of dinner. Well, it arrived the other day, and Mark and Sarah made a special trip to the house to deliver me a few cans. I know that Sarah had never had it, and I don't believe Mark had either, so to celebrate, we took out some frosted wine glasses from the freezer and poured ourselves a few drafts. It's really bubbly, and both Mark and Sarah, as well as Jan  all started coughing when they first brought the glasses up to drink. I knew what to expect and was spared. It was funny to watch though. Vernor's is described as  deliciously different, and the taste is declared both bold and bracing. When I was a kid I was attracted to the bottle originally because it had a green and gold label that was eye- catching. However, once I tasted it, I was sold on the flavor. It was very hard to get, even in my home town in Ohio, though it was manufactured in Michigan. However, whenever I could find it, I made sure to stock up. Vernor's  was created by James Vernor, a pharmacist in Detroit. He sold it in his soda fountain. If I recall correctly, he was called up during World War I and stored the ingredients in oak barrels for four years. When he returned, he tried some and found the aging in the barrels enhanced the flavor. For a number of years it was advertised as being aged in oak barrels, now I believe it may say it's aged in wood, but there isn't a specific time mentioned as I recall. Apparently the drink was so popular that he sold the pharmacy and just opened a soda fountain. He eventually sold the formula to other soda fountains with strict orders that the formula had to be followed carefully. In time it was sold to a bottling company and now I think it's owned by the folks at Dr. Pepper.  It's said that it can be used for cooking, and according to an article I read, the late, great Aretha Franklin used to make a glaze for her Christmas ham with it. So there you have it. Personally, I highly recommend you give it a try. It's caffine free, and as they say, it's deliciously different. Enjoy.