Vernors Va Va Voom!
And now a word from my sponsor. 
(This is actually a free advertisement since I've not yet figured out how to get paid for putting adds of my choice on my blog.)
.
There is a beverage called Vernors that is as close as I come to "strong drink." It's unlike any other "ginger ale" on the market, and according to historical records, Vernors is the oldest "pop" in America. It's actually a civil war story.
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I'll point out that the can is green, but that is a gnome on the old logo and not a leprechaun.
For years Vernors was only bottled in Detroit. My brother Dave and I once rode our bikes there to apply for work. The factory smelled sweet the moment we walked in the door. They weren't hiring, but it was fun to say we tried.
Years later I was living in Iowa and found one six pack of Vernors on the shelf at Hy-Vee (which is sort of like Meijer's in that it has Dutch roots in its founders. Ours was, in fact, the Hy-Vee that once employed Super Bowl Champion Quarterback, Kurt Warner, as a bag boy when he sat the bench at UNI.) I bought the cans and saved them for rare occasions, because Hy-Vee said it was just a sample shipment. I kept one of the cans. It's down on the top shelf in "the cabin" on the top shelf. [above]
Now that I'm back in Michigan, it's readily available and always on hand. This picture does not show
"diet" Vernors, but that's what we always get. (Just thought I'd throw that out there for good measure... no pun intended.) My kids say it tastes like medicine, which is ironic because my mom always bought it for us when we were sick to our stomachs. Since there was never "pop" in our house as kids (except a case of "Town Club" for New Year's Eve), it was great to have some in the fridge "just for you." It was a perk for being sick. Maybe that's why I'm so fond of it.
When I was a kid, the commercials simply said, "Vernor's--Va Va Voom!" because it is a known fact that this stuff is more highly carbonated than any pop in the world. If you pour it in a glass, and drink it too soon, you'll sneeze--it tickles your nose that much. I love it. It few years back, it bought by a big conglomerate, and they took the apostrophe out of the name. I think they took down this old sign, too, but thank heavens they left all the fizz in the "pop."
So anyway, here's to whatever Irish blood that's in you!
(This is actually a free advertisement since I've not yet figured out how to get paid for putting adds of my choice on my blog.)
.
There is a beverage called Vernors that is as close as I come to "strong drink." It's unlike any other "ginger ale" on the market, and according to historical records, Vernors is the oldest "pop" in America. It's actually a civil war story.
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I'll point out that the can is green, but that is a gnome on the old logo and not a leprechaun.
For years Vernors was only bottled in Detroit. My brother Dave and I once rode our bikes there to apply for work. The factory smelled sweet the moment we walked in the door. They weren't hiring, but it was fun to say we tried.
Years later I was living in Iowa and found one six pack of Vernors on the shelf at Hy-Vee (which is sort of like Meijer's in that it has Dutch roots in its founders. Ours was, in fact, the Hy-Vee that once employed Super Bowl Champion Quarterback, Kurt Warner, as a bag boy when he sat the bench at UNI.) I bought the cans and saved them for rare occasions, because Hy-Vee said it was just a sample shipment. I kept one of the cans. It's down on the top shelf in "the cabin" on the top shelf. [above]
Now that I'm back in Michigan, it's readily available and always on hand. This picture does not show
"diet" Vernors, but that's what we always get. (Just thought I'd throw that out there for good measure... no pun intended.) My kids say it tastes like medicine, which is ironic because my mom always bought it for us when we were sick to our stomachs. Since there was never "pop" in our house as kids (except a case of "Town Club" for New Year's Eve), it was great to have some in the fridge "just for you." It was a perk for being sick. Maybe that's why I'm so fond of it.
When I was a kid, the commercials simply said, "Vernor's--Va Va Voom!" because it is a known fact that this stuff is more highly carbonated than any pop in the world. If you pour it in a glass, and drink it too soon, you'll sneeze--it tickles your nose that much. I love it. It few years back, it bought by a big conglomerate, and they took the apostrophe out of the name. I think they took down this old sign, too, but thank heavens they left all the fizz in the "pop."So anyway, here's to whatever Irish blood that's in you!
posted by .Tom Kapanka | 12:05 AM
6 Comments:
Love the Vernor's!
We bring it back to New England by the caseload whenever someone goes to visit the Michigan relatives.
Can't wait to see my kids get their first Vernor's sneezes.
I was up late last night trying to post just after midnight for St. Pat's Day. I posted it then quickly reopened the text to tweak picture placement...posted again,
and there was a comment. Wow! That is the fastest comment ever...AND... from a fellow Vernors fan to boot! How did you find this post that fast? Thanks for stopping by.
I found your post just by luck - I like to hit the "next blog" button and see where I end up. It's a good way of seeing what I might never see if I just searched for topics I'm normally interested in. It seems to be a random thing, sometimes I get a blog post on Vernor's. Sometimes I get something that makes my eyebrows raise.
I've never done that. Sounds serendipitous (if there were such a thing). Come again.
I use Vernors to make Boston Coolers in the summer. Yet, I remember touring the Faygo plant after interviewing for a job in Detroit; however, I hired in with General Biscuit Brand, Inc. (their main competitor: National Biscuit Brands, aka Nabisco) instead.
JR,
My brother and I also applied at the Faygo plant. They were making orange pop when we were there, and when we left, we smelled like lifesavers. I also went to the old Velvet Peanut Butter plant--but that was a school field trip. I wonder if they still make Velvet?
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