# Celery soda



## pyshodoodle (Dec 6, 2008)

OK - so I was reading about Celery soda on (somebody's[]) website... always wondered about this stuff. Discovered they still make some by the name of Dr Brown's Cel-Ray. Hmmm... I'm thinking - have to try that some day. Went to Weis's last night, was walking through one of the aisles - noticed Kosher food - hey look - Dr Brown's soda! Nope - only had normal flavors there... But wait! Wegman's has lobsters for $6.99 a pound this weekend - and I'll bet they had Cel-Ray!  
 The lobster[] was much better than the soda![:'(]

 OK - can't quite tell you what I thought of it. I could drink it - I didn't need to spit it out and didn't gag... and I did keep trying it - I was just trying to figure out what it tasted like - and why this was so popular. It's better than most cooked vegetables, I guess. 

 So how many of you have actually tried this stuff and what did you think of it? Does anyone here like it? Why?!  I tried Moxy once too - didn't like it either. 

 One more question - is there a difference between celery soda and celery cola? 

 Kate


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## kbobam (Dec 6, 2008)

Hiya, Kate!
 Never really liked the 'smilies' they have here, but those two were visually perfect the way you teamed them up with 'lobster' and 'soda'!
 A genuine LOL on my part, and I don't do that very often!
 As someone born and bred on the lower east side of Manhattan, I'm a little embarassed to say that I never tried Cel-Ray.
 I think it continues to exist, especially in areas of multiple-generations going way-back-when, because it's probably our only remaining soda which is still thought of in a slightly 'patent-medicine' kind of way, and that sort of thing gets passed on in families.
 Is this the same sort of thinking that makes people 'know' that Listerine 'works' because of the taste?  Who knows?  Bob  ( :


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## celerycola (Dec 6, 2008)

I have over three hundred bottles and advertising items in my Celery Soda collection. There were hundreds of different companies making some variation of Celery Soda from the 1880s to the present. The flavors varied widely. 

 Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray is a Celery Tonic which was most popular in New York and New England although I have items in my collection from other places like Mississippi and Louisiana. They had a lot of competition especially in New York City area and Boston. Celery Phosphate was a variation popular across the North. Celery Cream was a celery/vanilla combo similar to Cream Soda. Celery=Cola was a caramel-colored drink similar in taste to Coca-Cola. There was even a celery/alfalfa combo called Alfa-Celo sold briefly in California around World War I.

 Often I give away sample tastes of Cel-Ray when I exhibit my Celery Soda collection at a bottle show. Some hate it and some like it enough to ask for more.

 Here's a partial list.

 Alabama        	
 Celery=Cola

 Arkansas         	
 Celery=Cola

 Arizona	
 Hulettâ€™s Celery Phosphate
 Celery-Vig        
 Thomasâ€™ Celery Phosphate

 California     
 Alfa-Celo
 Celery=Cola
 Brownâ€™s Celery & Phosphate
 Dr. Carpenterâ€™s Celery Phosphate
 Imperial Celery & Phosphate
 Pioneer Celery Phosphate
 Smithâ€™s Celery & Phosphate
 Sarsaparilla & Celery
 Osgoodâ€™s Celery Phosphate
 Murrayâ€™s Celery Phosphate
 Celery Beer
 O-Celery
 Malto-Celery
 Owl Celery Phosphate
 Cel-Pho
 Yosemite Celery Phosphate
 Cel-Reo
 Celery Soda
 Dr. Brownâ€™s Cel-Ray

 Colorado         	
 Celery=Cola

 Delaware         	
 Celery=Cola

 Florida          	
 Celery=Cola
 Celo

 Georgia         	
 Celery=Cola
 Celery Coca
 Celery Pepsin

 Iowa	
 Sedgwick & Smith Celery Tonic
 Celo             

 Idaho            	
 High Ball Chaser

 Illinois         	
 Celery=Cola
 Olympic Celery
 Hot Beef & Celery
 Celery & Iron
 Celery Tonic
 Celery Cream
 Celery Phosphate
 Richelieu Celery Phosphate
 Celery Royal

 Indiana               	
 Kolatona
 Celery=Cola

 Kansas                  	
 Celery=Cola

 Kentucky                 	
 Cel-Tol
 Celery Phos
 Reedâ€™s Celery Phos
 Celo

 Louisiana         	
 Celery=Cola
 Celery
 Celery Tonic
 Celery & Iron
 Arnyâ€™s Dicky Bird Celery
 Roseâ€™s Celery Phosphate
 Silvertide Celery
 Champagne Celery
 Cascade Celery

 Massachusetts	
 Celery=Cola
 Celerina
 Celery Cream
 Bernhard Celery Tonic
 Goulding Celery Tonic
 Celery Phosphate
 Blue Seal Celery

 Maryland         	
 Celery=Cola

 Michigan         	
 Celery Phosphate
 Celery=Cola
 Celery-Ade
 Celerytone
 Bee Brand Celery
 Kolatona

 Minnesota        	
 Bromo Celery 

 Missouri         	
 Celery=Cola
 Orin-Kola
 Celery Phosphate

 Mississippi     	
 Jarvisâ€™ Celery Tonic
 Lakeâ€™s Celery
 Celery Phosphate
 Arnyâ€™s Celery
 Sumrall Celery
 Celery

 Montana	
 Brownâ€™s Celery & Phosphate

 Nebraska         	
 Celo

 Nevada  	
 Brownâ€™s Celery & Phospahte
 Smithâ€™s Celery & Phosphate    

 New Hampshire	
 Mar-Vo  

 New Jersey       	
 Singerâ€™s Celery Beverage
 Brownâ€™s Celery & Phosphate
 Brookdale Celery
 Williams Celery
 Celery=Cola
 Celery Tonic	
 Zimmerman Celery Tonic  

 New York  	
 Celery=Cola
 Celery Fizz
 Celery Flavor
 Celery Soda
 Celery Tonic
 LaGrassa & Rosenfeld Celery Tonic
 LaGrassa Celery Tonic
 LaGrassa Celery
 DeLisserâ€™s Celery Tonic
 Dr. Steinâ€™s Celery
 Celery Phosphate
 Celery
 Houseâ€™s Cream of Celery
 Gordon & Levine Celery Tonic
 Hammerâ€™s Celery Soda
 Dr. Reissâ€™ Celery
 Myer 1890 Celery
 Jacobâ€™s Celery Tonic
 IXL Celery
 Cross Bay Celery
 Kirsch Celery Soda
 True Fruit Celery Tonic
 Kola Cella	
 Seelyâ€™s Cream Celery
 Wannamaker Celery Phosphate
 Ferro-Celerine
 Dr. Brownâ€™s Celery Tonic
 Dr Brownâ€™s Cel-Ray
 Briarcliff Celery Beverage    

 North Carolina   	
 Celery=Cola
 Cel-I-Ko
 Celery Tonic
 Celery Phosphate
 Celio Cola

 North Dakota	
 Kolatona    

 Ohio    	
 Kolatona
 Celery=Cola
 Celery Nerve Tonic
 Celo

 Oklahoma       
 Celerazone

 Oregon        	
 Celro-Kola


 Pennsylvania	
 Celery=Cola	
 Bikola
 Blue Anchor Celery	
 Power Celery	
 Celery Phos	
 Celery

 South Carolina	
 Celery=Cola	
 Phos-Pho-Celery

 South Dakota	
 Celery=Cola

 Tennessee	
 Celery=Cola
 Celery-Ade
 Cel-Cel-Cer
 Co-Ko-Celery

 Texas	
 Celery=Cola
 Celery Champagne 
 Celery Koke
 Celery Tonic
 Union Celery & Iron
 Star Celery & Iron

 Utah	
 Brownâ€™s Celery & Phosphate

 Virginia
 Celery=Cola

 Washington
 Celery
 Celery Punch
 Hot Celery Phosphate

 Wisconsin	
 Konga Kola	
 Celery Cream	
 Celo
 Osce Kola

 West Virginia	
 Celery=Cola

 AUSTRALIA	
 Celery=Cola

 CUBA	
 Celery=Cola

 CANADA	
 Celery=Cola
 Dr. Brownâ€™s Cel-Ray
 Drewryâ€™s Celery-Kola


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## capsoda (Dec 6, 2008)

Good greef that stuff was popular. Never realized celery soda was so popular. You can still get it??? Where???

 I would like to try some.


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## pyshodoodle (Dec 6, 2008)

No you wouldn't!

 But look in a large grocery store that has lots of specialized foods. I found it in the Kosher section at Wegman's.

 There is also a recipe on-line that I found:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/celery-soda-recipe/index.html

 I might try that too. Why not, huh?!


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## pyshodoodle (Dec 6, 2008)

I can be a glutton for punishment. But at least the recipe calls for REAL SUGAR! So many different types of celery sodas - I don't want to assume they're all bad.

 Kate


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## kbobam (Dec 7, 2008)

Amazing.  It could be a lifetime study in itself!  Thanks for the great celery info!
 I've always enjoyed the "Good Eats" show, but don't remember this one.
 Since I've never actually tried to prepare anything from there, this might be fun.  ( :


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## celerycola (Dec 7, 2008)

I can't call it a lifetime study since I'm still alive (life work in progress, maybe?) 

 I've been researching Soda in general and Celery Soda in particular for forty years. I have thousands of pages of research on the Celery=Cola brand alone.

 I've published several books on soda topics I sell at shows and occasionally on ebay. Now that I understand the 'fine print' about accepting checks on ebay I will be listing again this month.


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## pyshodoodle (Dec 7, 2008)

*RE: Celery soda UPDATE homebrew taste test*

Celerycola - stop wasting your money on Cel-Ray and make a batch with that recipe! 
 OK - I admit when I smelled the celery seeds, I thought I was going to hate it (smelled like Cel-Ray) so, since I have fresh ginger in the fridge that I'm probably going to do nothing with (good to chew on for stomach troubles - really - it works!) I put 3 strips of that in. I can't actually taste the ginger, I don't think.  But anyway - it's pretty good! 
 I'm giving it a thumbs up. I may have put more syrup in than I should have - wasn't all into measuring 1 cup of soda to be acurate, but that's what's nice about making it yourself.. flavor to taste!


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## pyshodoodle (Dec 7, 2008)

*RE: Celery soda UPDATE homebrew taste test*

Thumbs up, but not way up... Definitely better than the store stuff. 

 Would like to hear from anyone else daring to try it!  It was really easy to make.


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## cyberdigger (Dec 7, 2008)

I would definitely try it!! Tonight, I think I will try a variation on this.. coriander, ginger, and horseradish.. if I skip the syrup and the bubbles,  add a few cubes of filet mignon, a baked potater, ..sauteed mushrooms and onions....   mmmmmI better go now! -Charlie


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## pyshodoodle (Dec 7, 2008)

By the way.. celery seed has lots of homeopathic qualities...

 One is a diuretic...

 Dont'e know if it helps anything else, but this one I will attest to!


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## dollarbill (Dec 8, 2008)

Yep which makes it great for lowering blood presser at least thats what I am told . 
          bill


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