Pharmacist James Vernor invented the drink. The oldest story (not the only one nor the one told by his family decades later in 1936) was that he has been seeking to create a tonic for stomach ailments and left a batch of his formula in a wooden barrel when he left Detroit in 1862 to serve in the Civil War. After returning to Detroit from military service he began selling in tonic in 1866 to his pharmacy customers, who liked it whether or not their stomach was upset. Vernors is today one of the oldest still marketed soft drinks in the nation. In 1896 Vernor closed the pharmacy and simply sold the beverage. The beverage was originally sold as “Vernor’s,” but in 1959 the company dropped the apostrophe. The firm was family-owned until 1966. Although today marketed nationally, the beverage still enjoys its best sales in Michigan.
