"Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA - April 11, 2012: A can of Vernors shot in the studio and isolated on a white background. Created by Detroit, Michigan pharmacist  James Vernor in 1866, Vernors is America's oldest surviving soft drink."
Food - Drink
The Distinct Flavor That Sets Vernors Ginger Ale Apart
BY CLARICE KNELLY
Vernors ginger ale is arguably one of the oldest sodas in America, and was first concocted in the 1800s by James Vernor, a pharmacist at Higby & Sterns drugstore in Detroit. While the origins of the drink are debated, there's no denying that the Vernors soda blend has a complex flavor that, to some, outshines every other ginger ale.
Allegedly, Vernor once attempted to replicate Irish ginger ales, but had to drop everything to go fight in the Civil War, so his ginger syrup was left to age an oak cask for four years. Though a member of Vernor’s family claimed that created the soda after returning from the war, today's Vernors products still carry the complexity of the original.
Vernors has a note of vanilla, like a cream soda, and a rich caramel color, though the ginger still holds its own and presents a spicy kick. This ale also has high carbonation, as fan Christine Kole told the Detroit Free Press: "You taste the ginger in it, and it always makes me sneeze when I first drink it. It bubbles. That immediately hits my nose."