Tired of Beer? Become a Soda Connoisseur
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“Soda is a good combination of chemistry and art.” ~ Chris Webb
When your grandpa took a young lady on a date, chances are they ended up at their local soda fountain. There, they flirted and sipped on delicious and refreshing fizzy beverages. When he went off to fight in the Big One, chances are the ship that took him over there had a soda fountain on board where your grandpa would grab a nice cold soda after baking in the hot sun on deck.
While beer is considered the quintessential man drink, soda also has a history of being the beverage of choice for men.
As you will see, in the early days, many soda fountains were all-male hangouts where guys would fraternize. And later on, fountains became the go to place for a guy to take a date. Nowadays becoming a soda connoisseur can be a fun hobby you can share with your family. And what’s manlier than spending time with your family?
The Manly History of Soda
The Rise of the Soda Fountain
For centuries people were intrigued by and believed in the healing powers of naturally effervescent waters. In the 18th century, scientists began to experiment with ways of artificially “impregnating” regular water with CO2. Selling this bubbly water as a cure for a variety of ills, “soda” fountains began appearing in pharmacies and apothecaries. Pharmacists mixed various “medicines” with soda water and flavoring to help them go down easier. While many Europeans had tinkered with the idea of soda water, the concept would truly take off in America.
From pharmacy novelties, soda fountains soon became a central part of American culture and transformed into community gathering places where people would meet and socialize over a delicious effervescent beverage. The soda shops were often classy places, anchored by a grandiose fountain made of marble, gilded with metal piping and spigots, and ornamented with figurines, gas lights, and mirrors.
The soda shops often drew single sex crowds, with ones located in the shopping district drawing all females, and those situated in the business district all males. At these all-male hang outs guys would sip a bubbly beverage and chew the fat. For example, Hudnut’s, a popular soda fountain in New York City attracted a luminous crowd. Located on “Newspaper Row,” the fountain was a male-hang out frequented by journalists and editors who needed a pick me up to meet a deadline or some refreshment after the paper had gone to press. Movers and shakers like Grover Cleveland, Ulysses S. Grant, Elihu Root, John Jacob Astor, and members of famous families like the Vanderbilts, Goulds, and Van Rensselaers were frequent customers as well.
“The bottle is an art form. It’s tactile; it feels like somebody cared more about the product. It’s the physics of it: the soda stays colder longer so you get a crisper drink — and the whole ritual of popping the cap.” ~Chris Webb
People loved soda fountains but also wished to consume their new favorite beverage while on the go or lounging at home. With technological advances in bottling, by the turn of the century hundreds of independent bottlers were selling their effervescent fare in a portable form. Soda was well on its way to becoming America’s favorite drink.
Fun with Flavors
While soda water originally started out unadulterated, people soon went crazy for the taste of that water mixed with flavored syrups. People loved to experiment with new and flavor combinations, and soda fountains began to offer a 100 or more. The menu at a large soda fountain might include:
almond, anise, apple, apricot, banana, birch beer, blackberry, blood orange, Catawba, celery, champagne cider, cherry, chocolate, cinnamon, cognac, Concord grape, coriander, crabapple, cranberry, cream soda, crushed violets, currant, egg chocolate, egg cream, egg phosphate, ginger, ginger ale, gooseberry, grape, green apple, grenadine, hoarhound, java, lemon, lime, maple, mead, mint julep, mocha, mulberry, nutmeg, orange, orris root, peach, peach along, peach cider, pear, pear cider, peppermint, pineapple, pistachio, plum, quince, raspberry, root beer, rose, sarsaparilla, strawberry, Valencia orange, vanilla, walnut cream, wild cherry, and wintergreen.
Men particularly enjoyed the heartier raw egg drinks- concoctions which usually consisted of egg, soda water, phosphate, and flavored syrup. Comparing this list to what is currently found on our grocery shelves gives a clear indication on how far soda as devolved.
The flavor of many brand name sodas that we are familiar with today like Dr. Pepper and Coca-Cola were created by chemists and pharmacists who were looking for the next big flavor hit. These and other sodas continued to claim health benefits especially as a tonic to restore vitality (the coca in coca-cola surely proved effective). Flavors like birch beer and root beer grew out of the penchant of America’s earliest colonists for making brews out of all sorts of roots in order to avoid drinking the sometimes unsafe water.
Soda and the Temperance Movement
The popularity of soda fountains was given a tremendous boost by the temperance movement. This movement, active in the decades before the Civil War, picked up steam as America headed into the 20th century. Temperance advocates advocated moderation or abstinence in drinking alcoholic beverages. But they knew that quitting drinking involved a large lifestyle change, especially since much of men’s social lives revolved around the saloon during this time. Therefore, the soda fountain began to be pushed as a wholesome alternative to saddling up to the bar. Getting men to socialize at the fountain instead of the bar proved successful. According to “Sundae Best:”
In the early 1890s the number of soda fountains surpassed the number of bars in New York City and more men were frequenting fountains in the business district. In the early 1900s, drug stores or confectionaries with soda fountains replaced saloons on many of Chicago’s busiest street corners. In 1908, the Windy City boasted more than 3,500 fountains. By 1906, whiskey sales were declining even in New Orleans, a city noted for its bars, and men in unprecedented numbers were patronizing the Crescent City’s fountains.
With such astounding growth, the soda fountain soon became every community’s social hub. Kids and adults, women and men, everyone enjoyed stopping in for a refreshing drink and some conversation. Men took their dates to the fountain, and though it has become a cliché, truly did order one glass with two straws. For many people, the soda fountain replaced the bar as their social center.
This trend only accelerated when Prohibition became the law of the land in 1920. Sales of sodas skyrocketed as former booze drinkers looked to alternatives to quench their thirst. Soda fountains adapted to appeal to men who once frequented saloons. The sodas got manlier names, the décor became more masculine, and seats were reserved just for men during the lunch hour. Many fountains added a lunch counter to their offerings and served hearty meals to men who once dined on the free lunches offered by saloons.
The End of a Soda Era
Even after Prohibition ended, soda fountains continued to enjoy a central place in American culture. During World War II, soda, along with tobacco and toiletries, was considered an item essential to soldiers’ morale. Thus soda fountains frequently accompanied Army post exchanges, service clubs, USO clubs, Red Cross posts, and naval training stations. As was the case in WWI, soda fountains were even installed on navy ships. While there are certainly exceptions to the rule, American troops in general were praised during the war for their humane and honorable behavior. Some believed this was due to American GI’s love for the soda fountains and preference for non-alcoholic drinks.
After the war, several factors began to spell the demise of the soda fountain. Americans began their obsession with automobiles, and used them to drive away from the cities and into new homes in the suburbs. People began to favor even quicker lunches than the soda fountain’s lunch counter offered, and took their businesses to newly established drive-in restaurants and road stands. Drugstores moved towards being entirely self-service, and paying a soda jerk to dispense drinks became cost prohibitive.
The popularity of bottled soda was also on the rise. During the 1950’s major brands like Pepsi and Dr Pepper decided to focus their advertising on selling the bottled versions of their drinks. Soft drink vending machines also began to appear, making soda consumption all the easier. Soda fountains began to die a slow death and disappear from American culture.
Soda manufacturers began to replace bottled sodas with cheaper cans. A few large corporations came to dominate the soda market and squeezed the little guys out. Stripped of its traditions and sense of craft, soda became thoroughly homogenized.
But some smaller bottlers have hung on and still offer their delicious beverages to those who diligently seek them out. Those who do so will be rewarded.
Why Become a Soda Connoisseur?
In recent years, it has become fashionable to have a discerning palate when it comes to coffee, tea, chocolate, and beer. While these products had become ubiquitous and mainstream, people became aware of the differences in these categories between quality, independently made products and those watered down for mass consumption by big corporations.
People may be surprised to learn the same is true of soda. While soda has an interesting history, a refreshing taste, and intriguing flavors, it has been reduced to the cheapest and blandest of commodities. Any variations in flavor and form have been pushed off grocery shelves and replaced with a small selection of focus-group tested choices. In the war between Coke and Pepsi, it has been the unique, independently bottled sodas that have been the real causalities.
Demonized by nutritionists as “liquid candy” and cheapened by big corporations, soda has seemingly been stripped of any cache. But there is a world of difference between a watered down Big Gulp from 7-11 and a well-crafted, cane sugar sweetened, wonderfully fizzy, long neck bottle of real soda. It’s time to get back in touch with the soda your grandpa enjoyed.
Here are a few reasons why you might want to become a soda connoisseur:
Soda is a great option for those looking for a refreshing, but non-alcoholic beverage. It can be enjoyed by the young and the old alike.
Enables you to give your non-drinking friends a choice of more sophisticated beverages. At any given time, a wide swath of the population abstains from alcohol. At parties and social functions these people are usually relegated to enjoying water or a boring can of pop. By becoming a soda connoisseur, you can fill up a tub with ice at your next party and offer a wide variety of interesting and tasty beverages to your teetotaling friends.
Soda is conducive to temperate living. As we have learned, temperance is one of the manly virtues according to Ben Franklin. Soda allows you to enjoy a refreshing beverage, without worrying about getting plastered.
Soda enlivens any occasion. Unlike beer, soda can be enjoyed as a pick me up at work and for refreshment and energy while driving.
Smaller, independently owned soda makers simply create more delicious soda. It truly tastes better for several reasons:
- Independent bottlers are owned and operated by people who are passionate about the craft of soda making. Instead of creating their brews with the goal of saving money and appealing to the masses, they take a more creative and grassroots approach. This freedom allows independent bottlers to come up with stronger and more interesting flavors.
- Unlike soda manufactured by big corporations, which uses high fructose corn syrup, independent bottlers sweeten their soda with pure cane sugar. This results in a far more delicious and clean tasting brew.
- Soda that comes in bottles tastes better than soda in cans. As opposed to tinny tasting aluminum, the thick, clean walls of the bottles keep the flavor pure and fresh.
- Once you discover the delicious flavors being produced by independent bottlers, you’ll enjoy tasting them and finding your favorite. After you stop gulping down cheap bland soda, and start sipping the quality kind, you’ll enjoy tuning in to the interesting characteristics of each brew and discover your likes and dislikes. You’ll notice the amount of fizz and foam and pick up on the hints of flavor like vanilla, molasses, cola, and licorice.
Soda is really not that bad for you despite what the nutritionist fear mongers proclaim. Temperance involves the principle of moderation. Soda was intended to be a delicious treat. It was never intended to be gulped from a 64 ounce mug. It was not intended to wash food down your gullet. Nor was it intended as such a cheap beverage that free refills were a possibility. It was meant to be tasted, savored, and enjoyed. When used that way, soda can be enjoyed regularly. If anything should be blamed for the rise in American obesity, it’s high fructose corn syrup. There is a striking relationship between the growing use of HFCS and obesity. Stick to the real stuff and savor every sweet drop.
How to Become a Soda Connoisseur
Hunt down sodas made by smaller, independently owned companies. These are not always easy to find. Many mainstream groceries do carry Jones Sodas and they are a good place to start-especially since they recently made the decision to switch back to sweetening their sodas with pure cane sugar. Smaller, locally-owned groceries and organic food stores also often carry a wider variety of sodas.
There are few stores around the country that just sell sodas. You may be lucky enough to live near one or you can plan to visit while taking a trip:
Real Soda, Fremont and Los Angeles, CA
Pops on Route 66-Arcadia, OK
Pop the Soda Shop-Scottsdale, AZ
GALCO’s Old World Grocery Shop-Los Angeles, CA
If no “gourmet” sodas can be found in your area, you can also order soda online. Pop the Soda Shop will ship your sodas to you. Of course glass bottles are heavy, so be prepared to pay a lot for shipping.
For the original soda experience, try to stop by a soda fountain during your travels. While most fountains went extinct decades ago, some still linger on.
Sources:
Soda Pop
Sundae Best: A History of Soda Fountains
Special thanks to Danny Ginsburg founder of Real Soda in Real Bottles and passionate soda sommelier for sharing his enthusiasm for soda and interesting insights into the world of soda.
Awesome reminder of non-alcoholic fun. Towards the end, I was sorely disappointed that GALCO’s Old World Grocery Shop was left out. Though it has 300 different brands of beer, it has 500 different brands of soda, most if not all from small breweries, and all without high fructose corn syrup.
Website is http://www.sodapopstop.com
It’s located in Highland Park, an old part of Los Angeles. The owner is an awesome, friendly and warm guy who’s a must-converse for all things nostalgic. He’ll readily tell tales of the old days in Los Angeles and will even give a history lesson of the nearby area, when this-or-that place was a horse feed station, etc. He’s getting old, so better visit him soon.
@Justin-
I only knew personally of a few soda shops in the country. But I know there’s more out there. I hope this post can be a place for other guys to share their favorite places to buy a delicious soda and their favorite brands and flavors.
Loved the article!
I also had to add my own favorite soda to my blog.
Dublin’s 10-2-4 Dr. Pepper FTW!
I always go to popsoda.com to drink and hang out in Scottsdale, AZ
rs
You can always visit a Sonic Drive-In. It’s not a true soda fountain by any means but they have a MESS of different drink combinations and flavor mix-ins.
Rootbeer with two shots of vanilla. Lord I am in hog heaven.
Gotta check out both Cheerwine and Patio Red Cherry Soda. Jewels of the South they are.
Ah the great time of sharing a cold soda. Thanks for bringing back the good memories. Used to go to a soda fountain with my grandfather for ice cream and cold soda. Love it.
What about coffee? Not the Starbucks kind, but real grinded and brewed coffee bean that’s not enhanced with sugar and added flavor. That’s a man’s drink.
I was in Florida a few days ago, and in Dania Beach there is Jaxson’s Ice Cream Parlor. Not only does it have the same spelling as my 21 month old sons name, they also make all soda in-house, and ice cream.
I am a big soda (and beer) drinker, and I do have to say that the soda I had at “Jaxson’s” was by far the best I have ever had.
http://www.jaxsonsicecream.com/
Hrm, I was not aware of this pecularily American tradition. I’d love to try out a Soda Bar, but I don’t think we have any in London. A quick google search revealed nothing except that there is a soda part in London, Kentucky…which doesn’t help me at all!
If you’re looking for an interesting soda, that still tastes like the medicines they were supposed to be, check out Moxie. I remember my Grandfather always had them around when we came to visit, and I don’t think I’ve had one since his death in the mid-90’s but its still out there and now I’m going to have to track some down.
@Ryan- Dublin Dr. Pepper is definitely the way to go. We’re going to be doing a taste test between Dublin and high fructose corn syrup Dr. Pepper to see if people can tell the difference.
@ Marcel- I didn’t know there was a London, KY. You can always try ordering some old fashioned independently bottled soda from the internet, although international shipping would be a beast I imagine.
@ Brent- Good old Moxie. I remember the first time I tried it I thought it tasted like carbonated cough syrup, but the taste definitely grew on me.
At all- It looks like people know where some good soda fountain/bars are. Would you all be interested in a soda fountain locator where people can post the locations of different soda shops?
Jones soda is awesome and widely available in the US. They have recently switched to sweetening with cane sugar.
how interesting, just yesterday I stumbled upon a sodashop in oak cliff, in dallas. I have a bit of a fancy for rootbeer. I walked away with a sampler 6-pack and I never have been happier.
Great article….but I’m afraid I am not “tired of beer” Soda, don’t hold your breath
Brett, I’d love to see a soda fountain locator. The list at http://www.prairiemoon.biz/sodfounneary.html is a good start, but even they say that it is “very incomplete”.
And sadly, there aren’t any on their list in my neck of the woods.
Extremely interesting article Brett. Excellent job as usual.
Great article idea.
A lot of the small soft drinks are regional — Ale 8 1 in Kentucky and Cheer Wine in the Carolinas, Georgia, and east Tennessee, for instance. Also, please pardon those of us from the South if we still insist on calling even small-label carbonated beverages “coke.”
Wow, you’ve really done your research. Astoundingly good article, Brett. What fun! Beer sucks, soda rules!
Good idea, I always prefer non-alcoholic drinks myself.
A few years back, I went on a Jones kick, but unfortunately fell back to my old standby Coke. While at the beach this year, a friend gave me a Jones sweetened with pure cane sugar and I haven’t looked back since! Great article.
Cool article, guys. Very informative. My knowledge of soft drink (as it’s known in Australia) is mostly limited to the mass-produced variety, but I am aware of a few independent brewers that distribute to small stores. Maybe it’s time I gave soft drink another chance.
By the way, the link to the temperance article is broken. You doubled up on your http://s.
I love glass bottled real sodas. I try not to drink them too often though (once per week), because even if they aren’t that bad, they still contain a lot of sugars, and even the carbonation itself isn’t great for you.
I go to college right by Pop the Soda Shop, and usually end up making a run there about once a month. My friends and I never leave without a few cases full, and I probably have tried one of everything in their store.
I believe Pop the Soda Shop is even getting a soda fountain! (that’s what one of their employees told me awhile ago, I haven’t seen any progress) When they do I will definitely go there more often.
I am not a fan of Dr. Pepper, but the “Dublin” version with pure cane sugar is to die for. There is a gas station here in Dallas that stocks it regularly. Fresh from a glass bottle it is perfect on a hot Texas day when getting out of work for the drive home. Roll the windows down, sip from the glass bottle, and relax.
Haha, great article! I’m a lover of sodas myself, always looking for new kinds – can’t beat that cane sugar.
I’m lucky enough to live just down the road from POPS in Arcadia, OK. Great selection of hundreds and hundreds of soda!
Great article.
I just wanted to add one more name to the list, and I was just there not two hours ago. The place was packed, probably due to the heatwave we’re currently experiencing in Philly. Franklin Fountain at 116 Market Street.
http://www.franklinfountain.com
@Nolaphilly-
Thanks for sharing that link. The Franklin fountain looks totally sweet. It is exactly the kind of place I dream of building here in Tulsa.
for those in Canada (like me)
Jones Soda has a bunch of different/interesting flavors. (such as vanilla, blue berry etc. check em out, and they have fun little sayings under the caps)
Also, just about your little section on root beer. (and i could be wrong on this).
Did it not come about during prohabition because well.. beer and other booze couldn’t be sold? (or failing that I believe thats when it at least become popular).
@Tron-
America’s earliest colonists were the first brewers of root beer, along with sarsaparilla, ginger beer, and birch beer. The brews were made from roots, berries, and bark, and were mildly alcoholic. As mentioned in the post, alcoholic drinks like these were popular because they killed the bad stuff often lurking in the regular ground or well water.
Charles Hines introduced the first commercial root beer in 1876. At first the temperance people actually disliked it because it had the word “beer” in the name and their experience with it had been in alcoholic form. But Hines’ drink was non-alcoholic and caught on.
But you are right, drinks like root beer surged in popularity during Prohibition.
We in Australia really are lucky when it comes to soda (called soft drink, as previously pointed out). There is none of this high fructose crap. Right now while I’m typing, I’m sipping a Coca-Cola, made with real sugar. Beautiful. There is also a wide variety of specialty soft drinks to enjoy. From the very popular Bundaberg Ginger Beer (best GB in the country, made in the same town famous for its sugar and rum), to the lesser known, small-time companies, there really is a great choice that can be found in lots of cafes and bakeries.
Take a small company called Crows Nest Cordials, made in Crows Nest, Queensland. They make some champion soft drinks. I live just 40 mins from the factory, so for my brother’s wedding they ordered 24 cases of the stuff. Best idea I’ve seen at a wedding for a long time.
If ever you’re in Aus, stop by a bakery (especially a country bakery) and pick up an Aussie meat pie, and a nice specialty soft drink.
Cheers!
Amazing – informative, funny and inspirational article. Btw. I’ve read Wikipedia article, which states some phosphate compounds are toxic. Which phosphate was used in soda – and why, that’s what i’d like to know.
I live down in Houston, home of St. Arnold’s Brewery. Not only do they make good beer, they make FANTASTIC root beer.
http://www.saintarnold.com/beers/rootbeer.html
On Saturday’s, they have tours of their brewery in NW Houston. $5 will get you 4 1/2 pints of beer, but more importantly….unlimited root beer!
I agree with the sugar over HFCS point. Microbreweries that also make their own root beer and/or cream soda are also checking out.
Tired of beer?………..no
Great article and very illuminating for someone moderating and limiting there alcohol intake, such as myself. I am adopting the philosophy of temperance in my life as part of a strong, concerted effort to succeed at the goals I have in life. Alcohol is such a damaging drink – lifestyle even – and it is hard to find alternatives without loosing social grace. Like Marcel though, I simple cannot find the options and varieties in London, UK, where I live. Anyone have any suggestions, other than ordering online? It would be great to see an article on alternative drinking that catered for Londonites.
Your site is priceless guys. So enjoyable and done with great humor. I have just started a similarly named site that you might want to take a peek at.
Good luck to you.
Thought you’d like to be aware of another soda of historical and taste significance. Fentimans Botanically Brewed Beverages were established in 1905 in Northern England when Thomas Fentiman acquired a ginger beer recipe from a fellow tradesman that gave it as a security to a failed loan. The Ginger Beer was sold in stoneware jugs called “gray hens” for years, delivered door-to-door for decades until 1992 when Eldon Robson, Thomas’ great-grandson introduced the first custom bottle for the beverage. Over the next 10+ years he introduced other varieties using the same 7-day fermentation and brewing process that resulted in beverages with layers of flavour and aroma, unlike any other. Perhaps you’ve heard of the slow food movement? Well, these were the some of the first slow sodas. They have less then 1/2% alcohol, having been fermented, but these can still be consumed by persons of all ages and bought in every type of store and restaurant. Other varieties beyond the original Ginger Beer include Curiosity Cola (much like what you’d find at an apothocary decades ago), Victorian Lemonade, Madarin & Seville Orange Jigger, Dandelion & Burdock and Shandy. A Tonic Water, Ginger Beer and Curiosty Cola are also available in 125 ml mixer sizes. No HFCS, just all-natural ingredients and flavours.
In the quest for sodas of substance, these are truly worth checking out. You can firnd more information on them at http://www.DrinkFenimans.com or http://www.fentimans.com. Check out the link to Furtling, too. Real Victorian era humor and real hoot!
Cheers!
Unfortunately up here (In Toronto) There’s really no independent soda manufacturers anymore. they all either went bankrupt or moved away…a pity.
I’m stuck drinking Jones’ Soda, which is fine but still I’d like to have variety than just being stuck with the same old sodas (Pepsi , coke, et al. ad infinitum)