I hope you will all visit It's A Blog Eat Blog World for more information on Manic Monday. This week's Manic Monday word is Green.
Those of you over the age of 30 from a small Midwestern town may remember when you could go into a soda shop (yes, they still had a few back in the 70’s) and order a Green River. I was a big fan of these, but my husband remembers Green Rivers with so much nostalgia, it makes me want one all over again. Of course now a Green River can be made with Midori, which is totally different than the innocent lime-flavored soft drink, but I digress.
Here is the story of this great soft drink. The rise and fall of the Green River:
Here is the story of this great soft drink. The rise and fall of the Green River:
Green River soda hit it's stride about the same time as Prohibition, when the bright green lime flavored soft drink was produced by a Chicago Brewery and sold at soda fountains throughout the country. Green River soda was introduced to Midwestern drinkers in 1919, just as Congress was passing the 18th Amendment establishing Prohibition. When Prohibition officially went into effect on January 16, 1920, some breweries turned to making a nonalcoholic drink call Near Beer, while others were churning out ice cream. The Schoenhofen Edelweiss Brewing Company of Chicago turned to Green River. The soda was poured into old beer bottles and sold in the market. It was an immediate hit. The soft drink was so popular that Al Jolson recorded a song written about Green River.
By the end of Prohibition on December 5, 1933, Green River trailed only Coke in fountain sales throughout the Midwest. However, after Prohibition the brewery made Green River a second priority and sales dropped. In 1950 the brewery went broke.
In 1992 after a raft of owners, the 73-year-old brand was alive only in Seattle. Now Green River is on the rise again. Clover Club Bottling Co., Inc., an 85-year-old company, bought the brand and are expanding its bottler network.
So why is Green River coming back now? There is no other flavor like it on the market, and it has visual appeal with its bright green color. The brand takes people back to a pleasant time in their life, in the 1950's and 1960's - a time of corner soda fountains and drive-in movies. At first only the old timers were buying, but now everyone is.
11 comments:
I will be looking out for this! Thanks for the info :) Happy Monday!
It isn't often someone comes up with something that I have never, ever seen or heard about. Green River never made it to the west coast in any form.
Thanks for the surprise.
Never heard of Green River. If I get the chance, though, I'll buy one just to see what it tastes like.
I do love Midori, so I'll have to look for this :)
Lived on the West Coast my whole life so never even heard of Green River. Thanks for the history lesson. Have a great MM :)
I wanna try that. Cool. *hugs*
Hmmmmm. Never heard of this brand.
We always had Rolling Rock in green bottles when I was growing up!
;)
Wow, I've never seen that! Interesting. Thanks and happy MM!
I've tasted those and they are yummy. I think I might prefer the one with Madori though.
I grew up in Kansas. I remember the soda fountains. Pepsi had a bottling company in my town and we were pepsi all the way. So I never heard of Green River. It was Pepsi everything back home.
But I do remember the soda fountains. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Later Y'all
I've never heard of this either! I give you the originality award for this week's manic monday for sure. :)
Thanks for dropping by (and sorry I'm late).
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