Pharmacist James Vernor started selling his ginger ale in Detroit in 1866 — making it the oldest American ginger ale brand.
That means this year marks Vernors’s 160th anniversary, and a big birthday bash is in the works.
The daylong celebration is set for Sunday, June 14 in Detroit’s Eastern Market district, featuring Vernors floats (better known as Boston Coolers), historical exhibitions, its mascot Woody the Gnome, and a toast planned for 3:30 p.m.
Chef Noelle Prater of Marrow in the Market is even planning a Vernors-themed brunch menu that will be served throughout the day.
“Everyone from the Detroit area has a Vernor’s story to tell. It’s a part of our culture,” organizer Keith Wunderlich says in a statement. “Everybody’s mother gave them Vernor’s if they were feeling sick. And we knew it was officially summer when our moms gave us Vernor’s with vanilla ice cream in it. The Vernor’s 160th Anniversary celebration gives us all a chance to relive a little bit of our childhood and, hopefully, show the next generation that some of the simple things in life are the best.”
Vernors was long produced in Detroit and served at soda fountains throughout the city, but after the Vernor family sold the brand in the 1960s, production in the Motor City ceased in the 1980s. The brand is now owned by the Kuerig Dr Pepper conglomerate, though its packaging is still emblazoned with the message, “A Michigan Original.”
