All That Glitters

the story of soda

Depending on where you are in the United States, you probably refer to certain carbonated drinks as soda, or as “pop,” or simply as a soft drink, although the latter technically applies to any beverage void of dairy or alcohol, like iced tea. Soda pop, as it is also called, might conjure images of a frosty glass served with a burger and fries at the local “greasy spoon,” but the first naturally carbonated drink was made from mineral water and sold as soda water by street vendors in England in the late 13th century. Some producers infused these early club sodas (aka soda waters) with bitter herbs like dandelion and burdock or sweet birch bark and sarsaparilla, while others produced them with honey and lemon. The man-made carbonated soda that we know today was accidently invented in the mid-1700s by Joseph Priestly, the same guy who discovered oxygen and photosynthesis.

Ginger ale is one of the most popular carbonated sodas and is commonly used to make mixed cocktails. This celebrated beverage started out as ginger beer first made in Yorkshire, England and later lightened into ginger ale in Ireland in 1851 using carbon dioxide to provide the fizz. A more recent adaptation, known as Belfast Style Ginger Ale, was the invention of John McLaughlin, a Canadian pharmacist. After a few years of refining his formula, McLaughlin introduced the world to Canada Dry Pale Dry Ginger Ale in 1907. Also known as “The Champagne of Ginger Ales," McLaughlin’s soda was a real boon to Americans during prohibition because its spicy aroma helped to disguise illegal spirits.