green river soft drink
green river soft drink
Posted by: liz (---.dsl.okcyok.swbell.net)
Date: March 04, 2010 09:32PM

From Wikipedia


Green River
Green River is a bright green, lime-flavored soft drink originating in Chicago.

The drink was developed in 1919 by the Schoenhofen Brewery of Chicago as a non-alcoholic product for the Prohibition era. It was popular for decades as a soda fountain syrup, trailing only Coca-Cola in popularity
However, after Prohibition ended in 1933 the Schoenhofen Brewery made
Green River a second priority to alcoholic drinks. The Brewery then
closed in 1950. . It was a fountain drink during the '60s in some drugstore fountains.
The drink is now produced by the Clover Club Bottling Corp. of Chicago.
It is frequently marketed as a nostalgia item and can be found in some
1950s-themed restaurants, all Hackney's restaurants, or more generally
in supermarkets during the days leading up to St. Patrick's Day.
The ingredients of the drink are: Carbonated water, high fructose corn sweetener, citric acid, natural lime oils, yellow #5, and blue #1. There is also a diet version, without sugar.


Early 20th Century entertainer Eddie Cantor, while with the Ziegfeld Follies of 1918, penned a jingle for the soft drink entitled "Green River." The ditty was performed by Cantor and the singing duo, Van and Schenck.
The refrain was:
"For a drink that's fine without a kick,
Try Green River,
It's the only soft drink you should pick,
Try Green River."The name for the Creedence Clearwater Revival album Green River was inspired by the drink according to Tom Fogerty

I remember as a kid you could get this in many restaurants we would always order it.is green river the same as the old one.

Re: green river soft drink
Posted by: bwalsh (---.dsl.chcgil.ameritech.net)
Date: March 05, 2010 01:12AM

I use to always order a Green River with my hamburger from the drive-in by my house. This was in the '60s. It seemed like it disappeared for awhile and then when it came out again, just didn't seem as good as I remembered. Or perhaps my taste buds changed.

Re: green river soft drink
Posted by: shoreline (---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: March 05, 2010 01:34AM

Liz,
Thanks for the excellent background info on Green River and its connection to music history.I knew nothing about Eddie Kantor beyond what I was told by my grandparents, but CCR was my generation. My favorite cut off the album was Bad Moon Risin.
As kids we would buy the drink in cups from a vending machine in the Randolph - State subway station.( We didn't know about the high fructose corn syrup additive). The Green River was part of the Saturday afternoon Loop adventure.
I happened to notice the other day that the beverage is available in bottles in my local supermarket. Hackney's restaurants are nearby so maybe I'll get one there.

Re: green river soft drink
Posted by: WayOutWardell (---.dsl.chcgil.sbcglobal.net)
Date: March 05, 2010 12:06PM

Was it my imagination or was GR also sold in a powder that could be mixed with water ala Kool-Aid?

Re: green river soft drink
Posted by: daveg (130.36.62.---)
Date: March 05, 2010 12:55PM

Had a Green River earlier this week. Jewel was selling it, probably the "green" for the upcoming St. Pat day. And I agree with bwalsh, didn't taste the same.

There is a 50s themed eatery nearby that has Green River year round. They also have Riverview memorabilia hanging on the wall.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/21/2011 06:47PM by daveg.

Re: green river soft drink
Posted by: bwalsh (---.dsl.chcgil.sbcglobal.net)
Date: March 05, 2010 08:52PM

I wonder if it's just the carbonation or lack of that makes it taste different? At the drive-in, it came from a dispenser. When you buy those liters at the Jewel, it's straight from the bottle.

Re: green river soft drink
Posted by: querencia (---.dsl.chcgil.sbcglobal.net)
Date: March 10, 2010 11:21PM

They sell Green River at Treasure Island.

Re: green river soft drink
Posted by: the_mel (---.arm-bsr1.chi-arm.il.cable.rcn.com)
Date: March 10, 2010 11:35PM

I've seen Green River at Butera.

Re: green river soft drink
Posted by: Daytonology (---.225.27.123.Dial1.Cincinnati1.Level3.net)
Date: April 05, 2010 09:54PM

They sold it in cans during the 1960s. I remember it well. It was [i]really[/i] green!

Re: green river soft drink
Posted by: jk (---.central.biz.rr.com)
Date: April 06, 2010 03:25PM

I don't remember a powder, but it was sold as a syrup base, in squat bottles.

Re: green river soft drink
Posted by: querencia (---.dsl.chcgil.sbcglobal.net)
Date: October 21, 2010 01:05AM

Green River is currently (October 2010) sold at Treasure Island.

Re: green river soft drink
Posted by: WindyCityGuy (---.deiworldwide.com)
Date: October 21, 2010 07:17PM

This is very interesting. I never had the drink before but will try it now! Thanks a lot everyone.

Re: green river soft drink
Posted by: chevyliddle (---.proxy.aol.com)
Date: February 14, 2011 10:14AM

The only place I ever had it was in the late 1950s in a Rexall drug store soda fountain and you could also get a cherry coke, cherry phospahte and chocolate phosphate. All were dispensed into glasses from a pumper handle.

Re: green river soft drink
Posted by: charliesource (---.dsl.emhril.sbcglobal.net)
Date: February 21, 2011 03:02PM

I remember as a kid growing up in Forest Park there was a place on the north side of Madison st. Between Circle Ave. and Des Plaines that had a soda fountain and sold these Green Rivers. The lady at the counter loved kids and we used to stop in there and visit with her and drink these.. Just a great memory from years ago.

Re: green river soft drink
Posted by: Elf Odin (---.mc.net)
Date: February 22, 2011 03:28PM

I remember having a few Green Rivers from the soda fountain at Meyer Drug, on the southeast corner of Ashland and Melrose. A long-gone establishment, of course. :(

Re: green river soft drink
Posted by: Kchi (---.dsl.chcgil.ameritech.net)
Date: March 04, 2011 11:42AM

When I went to school in the 60's the local candy store had a small fountain where the drinks were 7 or 10 cents. In addition to Green River, another favorite was cherry or a mixture of cherry and cola.

Another memory of the fountain was that for food they served a grilled cheese,hot dog,hamburger, or cheesburger. They did not have a grill and this was long before microwaves, so the sandwiches came wrapped in celophane and were thrown in a infra red box oven that heated them. The taste was not very good, but it was a inexpensive hot meal. This was the day where parents were responsible to feed their own children and most children went to school with a sandwhich wrapped in wax paper and a carton of milk. Today we have government (taxpayer) paid for hot meals, many of the children are overweight and according to many newspaper articles a good portion of the food gets thrown out.

Re: green river soft drink
Posted by: daveg (130.36.62.---)
Date: March 04, 2011 12:08PM

Getting close to St. Pat's day. Look for Green River to start appearing here and there.

And Kchi, I too remember the wax papered sandwiches mom used to make. We got milk in a glass container with a cardboard pull off cap. Ate lunch at our desk. No cafeterias in the Catholic schools I went to. My kids - same.

I believe we spent more time outside running around and doing other stuff than perhaps the average kid does today.

Something else just came to mind. I don't recall not being able to bring peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to school for lunch. Never heard of kids being allergic to peanuts back then. Maybe some were but science hadn't figured that out yet.

Re: green river soft drink
Posted by: Judy (---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: March 12, 2011 01:22AM

I always pick up a few bottles before St. Pats day and a few more to celebrate the ending of lent...lol

Re: green river soft drink
Posted by: daveg (---.lightspeed.joltil.sbcglobal.net)
Date: March 13, 2011 01:52PM

Green River alert.

Our local Jewel had an ample supply of GR on the shelves yesterday.

Re: green river soft drink
Posted by: Brule Laker (---.c3-0.mart-ubr1.chi-mart.il.cable.rcn.com)
Date: May 08, 2011 01:22AM

Had them at the Glencoe Theater as a youngster in the '50s. Cup dropped down, syrup and fizz followed.

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