# Nostalgic American Beverages? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [March 21, 2021, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350 "2021-03-21T16:39:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/61 "2021-03-22T12:15:40Z")
Coincidentally I was at ACE Hardware on Friday and they had a ton of bottled soda including Kickapoo Joy Juice. I’ve definitely seen Dr. Brown’s here. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/62 "2021-03-22T12:16:38Z")
Dr. Brown’s is readily available here in South Texas. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/63 "2021-03-22T12:19:25Z")
When I was a kid in New England, there was a soft drink called “Birch Beer”. I thought it tasted “syrupy” myself, but I guess it arose from the fact that there are so many Birch Trees in that region. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/64 "2021-03-22T12:33:24Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Local bagel shop in Wisconsin carries the full line of Dr. Brown’s. Which local bagel shop where? I need to know!! I miss Graf’s sodas, particularly 50/50 (their grapefruit/lemon/lime). Canfield’s took it over but it was a Milwaukee original. I did enjoy the Jolly Good revival, a pity it didn’t last long. Can’t even find it in Random Lake, lately. Also the Springtime Anytime brand of soda out of Sheboygan, WI. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/65 "2021-03-22T12:36:20Z")
Bagels Forever, maybe? God I miss their cinnamon raisin bagels. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/66 "2021-03-22T12:40:13Z")
Here in Chicago, I typically only see them at Jewish/Jewish-style delis. I’m not sure if I’ve seen them in a supermarket or anywhere else. Moxie, I’ve always wanted to try. It sounds completely like a drink up my alley. My understanding is that it’s flavored with gentian root, which gives it its bitter, medicinal flavor – I literally have a bag of gentian root a foot away from me, so you know I like the stuff! 🙂 Curious what the other flavors in it are. Green River is still reasonably easy to find and I find it annoyingly and cloyingly sweet. I just don’t like that stuff. Sarsparilla has become quite difficult to find. I think Sioux City brand is the only one I’ve seen in recent memory here (if they even still make/distribute that one here.) Back in the 90s, in college, for some reason a friend of mine and I got it in our heads one evening to hunt down some sarsparilla and it took several hours of driving around town before we finally found a grocery store that stocked it. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/67 "2021-03-22T12:49:07Z")
Any other New Englanders have fond memories of [ZaRex](https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/the-return-of-zarex/)? ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/68 "2021-03-22T14:39:42Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Which local bagel shop where? I need to know!! > > I miss Graf’s sodas, particularly 50/50 (their grapefruit/lemon/lime). Canfield’s took it over but it was a Milwaukee original. It is indeed Bagels Forever! Where you can get bagels that are 30 seconds old, still warm… and soft! My kid takes dozens back to the east coast after every visit. They also make to-die-for bagel sandwiches. And now you’ve got me nostalgic for 50/50. It was the key ingredient in my dad’s carefully-concocted Old Fashioneds (in Milwaukee). I just saw 2-liter bottles at Festival Foods, but I’m trying to find bottles or cans. > [@pulykamell](#): > > Moxie, I’ve always wanted to try. It sounds completely like a drink up my alley. My understanding is that it’s flavored with gentian root, which gives it its bitter, medicinal flavor… Oh, my god, we used to make it sound so great to visitors of Acadia Natl.Park (Maine), then we’d laugh at their expressions when they tried it. Hey, if “bitter, medicinal flavor” is a plus in your book, go for it. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/69 "2021-03-22T14:43:25Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Oh, my god, we used to make it sound so great to visitors of Acadia Natl.Park (Maine), then we’d laugh at their expressions when they tried it. Hey, if “bitter, medicinal flavor” is a plus in your book, go for it. I drink Malört and enjoy it! (That one is bittered with wormwood. In fact, it’s pretty much just alcohol and wormwood, as far as I know.) All those weird Italian bitters – that’s made for me (and my parents – they’re where I get my love for bitter liqueurs from). I guess I could bite the bullet and pay the buck to two bucks per can on Amazon to experience it for myself. ETA: Curiosity won out – 12 pack coming my way! ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/70 "2021-03-22T14:57:12Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > I was hoping for someplace closer to SeaTac. You think Gary Ridgeway was a fan? ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/71 "2021-03-22T14:58:32Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Squirt is still around (I had that brand as a client, 20 years ago) Yes it is. I saw it just yesterday at the Wegman’s in Brooklyn. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/72 "2021-03-22T15:06:13Z")
Do not bad-mouth Moxie! That shit’s great! A boutique grocery store the next town over has an aisle of weird and rare soda. They’re the place I go for Moxie, Dr. Brown’s, AJ Stephans (which BTW is the BEST ginger beer on the market), Cheerwine and the like. They also have a beer cave that is better stocked than dedicated liquor stores 3 times their size. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/73 "2021-03-22T15:08:19Z")
You can find some oldies here (hey, I notice not only Green River, but Diet Green River), but also some you’ve never heard of that are flavored by things you might not expect. We got Bug Barf, Teriyaki Beef Jerky, Martian Poop, and Black Lemonade (skull/crossbones on label) and gave them to my wife’s bro. He said next time he’d prefer cash. [https://www.pops66.com/soda-ranch/](https://www.pops66.com/soda-ranch/) > **[Arcadia, OK - World's Largest Pop Bottle and Store](https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/16081)** > > Visit reports, news, maps, directions and info on World's Largest Pop Bottle and Store in Arcadia, Oklahoma. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/74 "2021-03-22T15:32:16Z")
Moxie’s an acquired taste that I almost had acquired but I ran out of local sources so I stopped trying. Blenheim’s extra hot ginger ale is a very memorable experience. I find the heat varies from bottle to bottle though. First time I tried it, 'twas so hot I sprayed it convulsively out of my mouth, where the wind caught it and blew it into my wife’s face. She was NOT pleased. Subsequent batches have been variably spicy but always good. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/75 "2021-03-22T15:44:49Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > ETA: Curiosity won out – 12 pack coming my way! Do report back! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/76 "2021-03-22T16:18:45Z")
Oh, you know I will! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/77 "2021-03-22T16:49:11Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Moxie’s an acquired taste that I almost had acquired but I ran out of local sources so I stopped trying. I used to drink Moxie’s but I feel they have changed the formula. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/78 "2021-03-22T17:17:12Z")
Back in the early 1960s there was **Veep** It had nothing to do with the vice president. It was a lemon-lime soft rink from Coca Cola, kinda like the later Teem noted above (which might have taken the “ee” name from Veep). It was replaced by Sprite. > **[1961 VEEP Vintage Soda Bottle, Coca Cola Bottling Of N. Y. | eBay](https://www.ebay.com/itm/1961-VEEP-Vintage-Soda-Bottle-Coca-Cola-Bottling-Of-N-Y-/174555792957)** > > Condition is "Used". > **["Veep" Soda containers | Collectors Weekly](https://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/242798-veep-soda-containers)** > > Shop for—and learn—about vintage and antiques. Browse the best of eBay, connect with other collectors, and explore the history behind your favorite finds. [10 forgotten Coke and Pepsi products of the 1960s](https://www.metv.com/lists/10-forgotten-coke-and-pepsi-products-of-the-1960s#:~:text=10.-,Veep,for%20the%20nearly%20identical%20Sprite). Veep doesn’t spoil your appetite. Or so they claimed > **[Veep Soda "Refrigerator" - Media Collections Online](https://media.dlib.indiana.edu/media_objects/0z709c98v)** ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/79 "2021-03-22T17:53:17Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > Jolly Good soda was a Wisconsin specialty. It disapeared for while but now is back: Does it still have the joke in the bottom of the can? It had better! The other Wisconsin pop of my youth was Little Chute. Mix and match a case! Not enough “cola” so you have to buy green and red flavors. But the only thing nostalgic about it is remembering when we could afford big brands like Coke, and didn’t have to drink those multi-flavored approximations of real pop. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2021, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350/80 "2021-03-22T18:18:47Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Does it still have the joke in the bottom of the can? It had better! Here’s a link to their current can jokes: [Recipes - Jolly Good](https://jollygoodsoda.com/joke-jam/) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-american-beverages/938350.md?page=5)