HFCS is a standard substitute for sugar in soda these days, and became standard in the late 70s.

I recall that I drank about as much Coke as anyone else at the time; and one day I got a Coke that had a sickly-sweet flavor to it. My first thought was that I'd somehow 'outgrown' soda, so I stopped drinking it. In fact, it was the HFCS that gave it this flavor.

Probably why Green River today just doesn't taste the same. Made with HFCS, not sugar.

virino Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> HFCS is a standard substitute for sugar in soda
> these days, and became standard in the late 70s.
>
> I recall that I drank about as much Coke as anyone
> else at the time; and one day I got a Coke that
> had a sickly-sweet flavor to it. My first thought
> was that I'd somehow 'outgrown' soda, so I stopped
> drinking it. In fact, it was the HFCS that gave
> it this flavor.
>
> Probably why Green River today just doesn't taste
> the same. Made with HFCS, not sugar.


That would certainly be my guess. When I was a kid I never liked Green River, but I did drink a lot of Pepsi. I too notieced the difference in the taste of Pepsi, as well as in Coke. Just recently when I was in Chicago, my son had some Pepsi bottled in either South America or Mexico that was made with pure cane sugar. Clearly a big difference.

As a teenager, I worked at the soda fountain at the Beverly Pharmacy on 95th street near the Vanderpoel school. Green River was quite popular, whether we used the syrup for the namesake soft drink, as a Coke mixin, ice cream sodas or milkshakes. I particularly liked a Green River Coke.

I worked as a fountain guy on the north side of Chicago and I don't remember making any Green River Cokes, although there was a person that asked for it on his Sundays.

I used to get Green River all the time when I was a kid in the 80's (I'm not old enough for soda fountains). I liked making floats with it.

Also, thought I'd share:


[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/williamdhopkins/3908090679/]Picks Me Up![/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/williamdhopkins/]William 74[/url], on Flickr

Bunny Hutch. I don't know if they still have it, but I know in the 80s they did. I grew up on burgers and Green River there. And video games, mini golf, and batting cages!

Beverly Theatre served Green River in the vending machines. It was delicious.

I suggest a Green River float over at the Polar Bear in North Riverside. They're open only Spring through Oct... http://www.yelp.com/biz/polar-bear-north-riverside

I first had a Green River float from a similar custard shop on Ogden Ave in Berwyn around Clintion or Home in the 60s. My grandparents would drive down there from Oak Park.

[b][color=#FF3333]wow[/color][/b]wow...its been ages ago i saw a green river bottle.(tu)

I could NEVER figure out what flavor it was, I just liked the color!

Check out the Green River dispenser on the counter! That's how I use to make Green Rivers back in the day. You had to mix them up. The jug is just the syrup.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/masmiguel/6880915935/in/set-72157631473844764

Last Green River I had was at a Woolworths 5 & 10. It was served in a cone shaped paper cup which was inserted into stainless steel holder, it looked lihe an hour glass Larger on the bottom

Ah, we never had it in my household. My late mum was allergic to the green dye, and one sip would give her a bad headache!

Not in Chicago, but in Antioch Il., was a burger and icecream shop Known as Aunt Minn's and previously known as Lindy's. They had the Green River syrup and Made Green River shakes and Malts.

I remember Green River being carbonated in 12 oz cans and being uncarbonated in larger, 32 oz cans. I drank a lot of that stuff back when I was real young.

I know pre 1990 Green River delivered their own brand. They had 2 small delivery trucks. One route ran from Madison Street up to the Wisconsin border and the other Route truck ran from Madison Street south quite a way.

I just had some at Mattson's steak house good stuff

I can remember making Green Rivers at the drug store soda fountain in those paper cups with the metal bases! We would have to pump the Green River syrup in the cups and add the water. We also made Green River shakes back then as well!

In the late-1960s, one of my first jobs out of high school was as the quality control inspector at the then new Canfield bottling plant on the SE side of Chicago. One of the soft drinks we canned was Green River. I had the opportunity to drink as much of the soft drinks as I could tolerate. It was a great job, for tasting, for about 2 months ... after which I never wanted to drink pop again!

Back in the 50's I remember Green River, cherry and chocolate cokes, chocolate phosphates all in paper cone shaped cups that fit in a stainless stand and then they switched to glasses sometime later. We would go to the corner drug store and soda fountain on 51st and Western Ave "Yandas". Does anyone remember malt pills that came in a bottle? You could eat them direct or put them in a glass of milk.