Buffalo Rock Ginger Ale

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Buffalo Rock Ginger Ale is a strongly flavored golden ginger ale produced by the Buffalo Rock Company and distributed in the southeastern United States.

The drink was first created in 1901 by grocer Sidney Lee as a non-carbonated tonic for stomach ailments. Lee worked with his father-in-law, Selma chemist Ashby Coleman to create a carbonated soft drink from the tonic which he sold through his Alabama Grocery Company. The name was first used in commerce in 1906, and a trade mark was applied for in 1917. By 1927, Lee dropped all of his wholesale products to focus on making and bottling Buffalo Rock Ginger Ale.

In the modern context of "dry" ginger ales, Buffalo Rock is notable for its strong ginger "bite", but in an earlier era, the drink could be advertised for its "mild, mellow bouquet" relative to the "hot, fiery, biting taste" of other ginger ales. Both a "standard" and a "pale-dry" version were offered for sale by licensed bottlers in 1930.

Buffalo Rock celebrated the 100th anniversary of its flagship product in 2001 with a commemorative 6½ oz. glass bottle. Currently the drink is only available in 12 oz. cans, which are sold mainly in the Birmingham area or shipped by the case from the company's website.

In 2016 Buffalo Rock partnered with Good People Brewing Company to produce a "Shandygaff" blend with an apricot-infused pale wheat beer.

References

  • Carlton, Bob (March 13, 2020) "Alabama needs an official soft drink, and this is the one." The Birmingham News

External link