If you’ve never had the pleasure of drinking a Dr. Brown’s soda, you should make that priority #1. Available in five flavors, such as Cel-Ray (celery), black cherry, cream soda, ginger ale, and root beer, Dr. Brown’s is a revered brand that has captured the hearts of a multitude of soda lovers.
You’ll find Dr. Brown’s sodas mainly at Jewish delis and online with Beverage Universe. Each can or bottle features a black-and-white sketch of different New York City landmarks, such as the Central Park Carousel, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty.
Let’s take a look at the amazing history of Dr. Brown’s soda.
The Story of Dr. Brown’s
Legend has it that in the late 1860s, a man named Dr. Brown (it’s unclear whether he was a physician or pharmacist) became concerned about the burgeoning state of malnutrition among Jewish children in New York’s immigrant communities. This led him to develop a slurry of seltzer water and celery seeds mixed with sugar to make the concoction more palatable.
He sold his concoction door to door in those communities, but didn’t secure a contract to sell and market it more widely until 1869 when he partnered with a bottling company on Water Street. It was packaged as Dr. Brown’s Celery Tonic, which was changed to Cel-Ray in the 1940s.
Dr. Brown’s immediately found a receptive market that was drawn to the carbonated fizz of the drink paired with vegetal drinks hailing from the old country. By 1920, New York’s Jewish population had increased to 1.5 million people, many of whom lived on the Lower East Side. At this time, this neighborhood was the most densely populated neighborhood on the planet. Most of the immigrants were from Eastern Europe, Germany, and Russia, where carbonated water was touted as being very good for your health.
However, those carbonated waters were considered something only the elite could afford to take for their illnesses. Jews at that time were not wealthy. That didn’t stop the connection being formed between health, carbonation and luxury, though.
The late 18th century saw an English scientist named Joseph Priestly experimenting with infusing water with fixed air to create carbonation. This revolutionary seltzer drink soon came to America where it was met with great interest, specifically in the Jewish neighborhoods of New York where vendors sold bottles from pushcarts around the neighborhood for just one cent. This affordable, self-prescribed concoction could “cure” anything from an upset stomach to a stressful day.
Soon, soda fountains started adding syrups and sugars to the carbonated water for extra money, which snagged the interest of children. This was the precursor to what we know today as soda.
Buy Your Canned Beverages at Beverage Universe
No need to head to your local Jewish deli to stock up on your favorite Dr. Brown’s sodas: buy them in bulk with us! Got questions? Just contact us today.
