Decades-old bottle of Vernors found in Detroit home; is it safe to drink?

Without the Civil War, there would be no Vernors.

That's because without Detroit pharmacist James Vernor’s service during the war, he might not have left his new drink mix in an oak cask for four years.

What Vernor discovered when he returned to Detroit in 1866 was, as the Vernors website calls it, a “transformed” drink that “had taken on a zippy, zesty, gingery flavor” that “was like nothing he had ever tasted.”

And what Anthony Tanksley discovered was a taste of that past in his 1920s-built home in Detroit.

Tanksley was born and raised in the house on 371 Chalmers St. He and his mother had recently begun remodeling the home when, on May 29, Tanksley was adding a support beam underneath the bathtub when something heavy fell out and almost hit him on the head.

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“I thought it was a mouse or something because it’s a 1920s house,” he said chuckling.

What "it" was was an antique bottle of Vernors ginger ale with the original contents still inside.

Keith Wunderlich, one of Vernors biggest fans and an avid collector, said he thinks the bottle is from the 1940s or 1950s. This is mainly because the label reads "Vernor's" with an apostrophe. The company got rid of the apostrophe in the name in 1959.

He also noted that on the bottom of the bottle, there is a two-digit embossed number that is the year of production. But to add to the confusion, that number is when the bottle was made. It could have been refilled for many years after that date as it is a returnable bottle.

Tanksley said he was astonished with his find since he has lived in the house his entire life and had never seen anything like it before.

“When it jumped out and hit the counter, I realized what it was from the markings before even picking it up,” Tanksley said.

This led him to start researching the company and its history.

Vernor had been experimenting with a stomach-calming tonic of vanilla, spices and ginger in 1862. When he left to go to war, he left the liquid in an oak cask. Four years later, Vernor discovered the fermentation from the cask had resulted in what is now known as the distinct Vernors flavor.

According to the Detroit Historical website, for years the only place a person could taste the drink was from the fountain at Vernor's pharmacy in downtown Detroit. But demand grew until soda fountains throughout the city sold it.

Vernor closed his pharmacy in 1896 and opened a bottling plant at the end of Woodward Avenue, so Vernors ginger ale could be mass produced.

By the late 1920s, James Vernor had died, but the company continued under his son, also named James Vernor, according to the Detroit Historical website.

It's unclear whether the bottle of ginger ale is safe to drink. Wunderlich said he wouldn't drink it.

"The caps were only good for keeping in carbonation for so long," he said. "As carbonation leaked out, who knows what leaked in? Better as a conversation piece and go to your local store and buy a fresh Vernors to drink."

But what is clear to Tanksley is that a piece of Detroit history was found in his home. And one that has a personal connection as well.

"Out of all the pops I drink, Vernors is my favorite ginger ale and it's a Detroit staple," he said.

From the archives: 1985