Canada Dry GINGER Ale put to the test

Ginger ale, that most sophisticated of sugary sodas, is Canada’s brand ambassador around the globe — although artisanal brews taste better

Canada, meet your unsung hero. Shockingly, this country has produced perhaps only one iconic, recognizably True North packaged food product. What name springs to mind when people are asked to identify Canadianborn eats or drinks? (Unfortunately Belleville, Ont.’s own Cheezies don’t qualify; they were invented in Chicago). Of course: Canada Dry. But what about the name behind the name?

Freemason, entrepreneur and award-winning chemist John J. McLaughlin opened a small beverage plant in his hometown of Toronto in 1890, and sold carbonated water to soda fountain businesses. Long an admirer of hearty Irish ginger beer, he created his own recipe, Belfast Style Ginger Beer, that same year. Not only did McLaughlin develop the notion of selling his soft drinks in bottles (at that time soda pop ingredients were mixed behind drugstore counters and not portable), but he took his wares to the people, selling ginger beer at sports events and beaches. After a trip to France, McLaughlin decided to perfect a lighter, less syrupy refresher reminiscent of “dry,” sparkling French Champagnes. Hence Canada Dry Pale Ginger Ale, formulated in 1904 and patented in 1907. The original label featured a map of Canada along with a beaver. There was a tussle over the beaver; the Canadian Pacific Railroad claimed the rights to the animal, so the soon-to-be-famous green bottles substituted a crown. The product acquired cachet when The Eighth Duke Of Devonshire, one Spencer Compton Cavendish, pronounced McLaughlin’s invention “the champagne of ginger ales.” A few years later, alcohol of all kinds became Canada Dry’s greatest booster, as McLaughlin’s ginger-with-hintsof-lemon-and-lime preparation effectively masked the taste of booze during Prohibition.

Now, in the multinational age, Canada Dry’s Canadian roots have vanished; the big plastic supermarket torpedoes are dismal to look at; and many consumers are choosing artisanal ginger ale products. No one is suggesting Canada Dry should change its spots and go all crafty and organic, but the company seems to have become egregiously lowbrow. Given its unique history, why isn’t the brand offering heritage ginger ales? Shelf Life is willing to bet that if John J. McLaughlin were to come down from his celestial crates of bottles, he would find a way to put Canada on the map all over again.

Raising a glass to a Toronto man with a plan are this week’s expert judges: Catherine Didulka, creative services director at wine giant Constellation Brands Canada; writer/director

Kim Gertler, wine projects specialist at Radar Media; and legendary mixologist Christine Sismondo, author of the essential popular history America Walks into a Bar: A Spirited History of Taverns, all in Toronto. Space limitations prevent us from evaluating every item in a given category; items reflect the luck of the draw. Entries are blind taste-tested and awarded between zero and five stars.