Idea for Iconic Ginger Ale Brand Was Started in New York

Vernors is a very popular brand of soda and the company has some big connections to New York.

Most kids have memories of ginger ale being the magic cure for the stomach bug and for when you're just not feeling well. However, not all are the same and there's one brand that is pretty delicious.

I have some pretty big connections to a few states and one of them in Michigan. Whenever I go, there are somethings I need to get and I call them my "Michigan Staples". One of them is an iced coffee from Bigby Coffee, a black bean burger from Basement Burger Bar and an iced cold Vernors Ginger Ale.

Ginger ale can be a bit harsh in taste, but Vernors goes down nice and smooth and tastes like a softer version of the popular soda.

A Vernors soda is probably the most popular beverage choice in Michigan, everyone drinks it and has it in their home and it's pretty much sold everywhere there. It can be hard to find them once you leave Michigan....

I recently found out that idea for Vernors started right here in New York.

What idea for a popular soda brand was started here in New York?

Yes, the idea for Vernors has some pretty big connections to Albany, New York.

Let me explain more, James Vernor Sr. was a pharmacist and druggist was born in Albany and eventually moved to Detroit with his parents. He began experimenting with ginger ale and noticed that if you stored ginger ale syrup in an oak cask it tasted better. It's funny because he declared it "deliciously different" and that has been the drink's motto for a while now.

Vernor and his son eventually opened a soda fountain on Woodward Avenue in Michigan for everyone to enjoy and the beverage really took off. In 1915, they expanded their operations and that included a bottling plant which manufactured the soda. So Vernors was able to get even bigger and more popular.

So in a way, the whole brains behind the operation has been connected to New York.

Where can you find Vernors here in New York?

It's very hard to find. it around here, ironically. However, if you check out Hudson & Packard on 29 Academy Street in Poughkeepsie you can get some amazing Detroit style pizza and THEY SERVE VERNORS. I always go there for my Michigan fix and you can crack a nice cold Vernors and a yummy slice of pizza and it's like your transported back there.

Thanks you James Vernor for the awesome drink and your legacy lives on in Michigan and in New York.

Since are are talking about cool and yummy things, here are some of the best sweet shops to check out in the Hudson Valley. If you have family and friends in other states you can take them here when they come to visit: