Exploring the World One Drink at a Time since 2005
These old newspaper articles about soda fountain provide a glimpse into the period and city they were written. This article comes from the Rocky Mountain News in Denver circa 1886. Reporters would just report on the happening of the local soda fountain and the new drinks being served. Cocaine, again, makes an entrance to a new city via the soda fountain, […]
This is a great article from the June 7th, 1885 Atlanta Constitution detailed the state of affairs at the local soda fountains. The reporter interviews a local soda proprietor and gets all the goods. One of the great things about this article is that it mentions Coca-Cola for the first time, though the reporter spells it “coco cola”. If you […]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6cs6at18QQ The most popular drink in the world was once made using Acid Phosphate. Today, Coca-Cola no longer uses this unique ingredient, instead, they have simplified their formulation by using phosphoric acid, which still makes it a phosphated soda, but not the classic version. The “phosphate drink” was the most popular drink at soda fountains for over 70 years, but […]
A good name for a cocktail is essential, especially if you want to get it into a bar or publication. Part of the fun, if you can call it that, is creating a name with a meaning. The problem with that is people just don’t get the connections and then the name gets lost to time. Well, the Internet has […]
When you think about the fortified wine called sherry, the soda fountain probably doesn’t come to mind, but it should. People have done a great job sanitizing the evils of the soda fountain from our collective mind, but just like bars, soda fountains in the 1800s had a large repertoire of drinks including spirits and fortified wines. I’m sure you […]
The Phosphate was the defining category of drink during the soda fountains golden era (1875 to 1906) and the Wild Cherry Phosphate was the most popular, but not far behind in popularity was the Chocolate Phosphate. That’s right, chocolate soda. This wasn’t an egg cream or chocolate milkshake this was a carbonated drink that combined a chocolate syrup with acid […]
If you had a hangover in the early 20th century and you asked a pharmacist or saloon keep for a solution to your problem, this would have been a common drink that would get you functional again.
An opportunity to present drink history to the bar community in New Orleans always inspires my creativity. With so many great bartenders and mixologists churning out great cocktails, my efforts are less public than they once were. I’ve eschewed the shotgun approach for the more refined sniper tactics. The Wet Grave is one of those bullseye cocktails that combines everything […]
Few drinks were as popular at the soda fountain as the Wild Cherry Phosphate.