Vernorswhip

It began when a druggist was toying with an invention for stomach aches.  He was called away to serve in the Civil War, so he put his concoction in an oak barrel and went into battle.  When he returned years later, he pulled the mixture from the barrel, and found a liquid Nirvana named Vernors, which may cure tummies, but is also just great soda pop. 

Vernors was a Detroit invention, and it’s still limited in its sales area, but it’s known for three things:

• Some ginger ale aficionados don’t consider it ginger ale, in part because of its very strong ginger flavor (making it more like ginger beer, they claim), and its very, very strong carbonation.  If you pour this stuff over ice and let it sit for a minute, you will still get carbonation up your nose with the first, second, and even sixth sip.  If you want to have some taste-testing fun, get a can of Vernors and a can of Schweppes or Canada Dry ginger ale.  Once you try the Vernors, the other two will taste like water.
• This is likely the only ginger ale, even soda pop, that is served hot.  More than a few Detroit kids came in from a winter afternoon of sledding to find hot Vernors waiting.  This was pre-microwave, so the Vernors was poured into a pan and heated for 3-4 minutes, then poured into a mug—and even after all that pouring, there was still carbonation leaping from the soda.  This leads me to believe you could likely revarnish your floor with this stuff, but even if you can, I don’t want to know.
• The Boston Cooler.  Once Vernors was discovered, the task was to promote it.  Easy enough; just add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, mix gently, and voila—you have an ice cream cooler, which was named, not after the East Coast city, but, at least in part, after the street where the Vernors plant was located in Detroit—Boston Boulevard.  The Boston Cooler went on to become an ice cream bar in 1967, and I’m sorry to say you can’t find that ice cream now.

Vernors just came out with a version of its soda that is the Boston Cooler in a can.  It’s getting mixed reviews, but it goes to show the power of innovation.

While Vernors was tinkering with its ginger ale, the folks at Dole foods were developing a non-dairy soft serve ice cream flavor that is fruit based.  It’s called Dole Whip, and its pineapple flavor has been at Disneyland for a very long time.  Ice cream shops now offer it in nine flavors, and you can get it retail—and it’s really good.

Here’s the thing. While Ben and Jerry’s (Phish Food and Cherry Garcia) and Talenti (Chocolate Fudge Gelato Layers) have truly mastered the art of chocolaty non-dairy treats, it seems no one can make a dairy free vanilla that doesn’t have an aftertaste similar to really bad diet cola, or battery acid.  Since vanilla flavor is technically a fruit, what if the folks at Dole took their Whip recipe and added a tenth flavor—Vanilla Whip?  The non-dairy ice cream clients could have sundaes, banana splits, and yes, Boston Coolers to their heart’s content.

If you think this is an idea worth pursuing, let them know by reaching out here.  It shouldn’t take a war for non-dairy treat lovers to enjoy a good Boston Cooler.

Anemone

After most summer flowers announce their presence with
Fanfare
Color explosions
And sometimes even bats
It glides from the ground in August
Blossoming with hushed tones
High above
The soon spent impatiens.

We married in August
And their quiet, beautiful poise
Reminds me of the honor
I know in every day
Of life with an anemone bride.

Like what you see? Subscribe for free!