Canada Dry facts for kids
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| Type | Soft drink |
|---|---|
| Owner | Keurig Dr Pepper |
| Country | Canada |
| Introduced | 1904 |
| Markets | Canada, United States, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru, Europe, Japan, Middle East, Africa |
| Previous owners | Cadbury (1986–2008) Canada Dry Ginger Ale Inc. (1923–1986) John J. McLaughlin family (1904–1923) |
Canada Dry is a brand of soft drinks founded in Toronto, Canada in 1904, and owned since 2008 by the American company Dr Pepper Snapple (now Keurig Dr Pepper). For over 100 years, Canada Dry has been known mainly for its ginger ale, though the company also manufactures a number of other soft drinks and mixers. Although it (as the brand name suggests) originated in Canada, Canada Dry is now produced in many countries such as the United States, Panama, Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica, Japan, and in a number of countries of Europe and the Middle East.
Contents
Etymology
The "Dry" in the brand's name refers to not being sweet, as in a dry wine. When John J. McLaughlin, who first formulated "Canada Dry Pale Ginger Ale", originally made his new soft drink, it was far less sweet than other ginger ales then available; as a result, he labelled it "dry". The name has given rise to a clichéd joke: "Don't drink Canada dry", uttered when someone is taking too long (at one's expense and patience) at a water fountain.
History
In 1890, Canadian pharmacist and chemist John J. McLaughlin of Enniskillen, Ontario, after working in a soda factory in Brooklyn, New York, opened a carbonated water plant in Toronto. McLaughlin was the eldest son of Robert McLaughlin, founder of McLaughlin Carriage and McLaughlin Motor Car. In 1904, McLaughlin created "Canada Dry Pale Ginger Ale". Three years later, the drink was appointed to the Viceregal Household of the Governor General of Canada and the label featuring a beaver atop a map of Canada was replaced with the present crown and shield label.
When McLaughlin began shipping his product to New York, it became so popular that he opened a plant in Manhattan shortly thereafter. After McLaughlin's death in 1914, the company was run briefly by his brother, Samuel McLaughlin. P. D. Saylor and Associates bought the business from the McLaughlin family in 1923 and formed Canada Dry Ginger Ale, Inc., a public company.
Canada Dry's popularity as a mixer began during Prohibition, when its flavor helped mask the taste of homemade liquor. In the 1930s, Canada Dry expanded worldwide. From the 1950s onward, the company introduced a larger number of products.
Norton Simon took an interest in the company in 1964, and it merged with Simon's other holdings, the McCall Corporation and Hunt Foods, to form Norton Simon Inc. Dr Pepper bought Canada Dry from Norton Simon in 1982. In 1984, Dr Pepper was acquired by Forstmann Little & Company, and Canada Dry was sold to R. J. Reynolds' Del Monte Foods unit to pay off acquisition debt. RJR Nabisco sold its soft drink business to Cadbury Schweppes in 1986. Today, Canada Dry is owned by Keurig Dr Pepper, which was spun off from Cadbury Schweppes in 2008.
Products
- Canada Dry Ginger Ale
- Diet Canada Dry Ginger Ale (rebranded in November 2020 as Canada Dry Zero Sugar)
- Canada Dry Fruit Splash Cherry
- Canada Dry Fruit Splash Cherry Zero Sugar
- Canada Dry Club Soda
- Canada Dry Tonic Water with Quinine
- Diet Canada Dry Tonic Water with Quinine
- Canada Dry Bitter Lemon
- Canada Dry Ginger Ale and Lemonade
- Diet Canada Dry Ginger Ale and Lemonade
- Canada Dry Ginger Ale and Orangeade
- Canada Dry Lime Ricky
- Canada Dry Tahitian Treat (now just Tahitian Treat)
- Canada Dry Hi-Spot Apple, Hi-Spot Orange, Hi-Spot Tutti (cherry and fruit punch) and Hi-Spot Lithiated Lemon
- Canada Dry Golden Cockerel Ginger Beer
- Canada Dry Sparkling Green Tea Ginger Ale
- Canada Dry White Tea with Raspberry Ginger Ale
- Canada Dry Cranberry Ginger Ale
- Diet Canada Dry Cranberry Ginger Ale (rebranded in as Canada Dry Cranberry Zero Sugar)
- Canada Dry Blackberry Ginger Ale
- Canada Dry Lemon Ginger Ale
- Canada Dry Sparkling Seltzer Water (unflavored and mineral free)
- Canada Dry Flavored Sparkling Seltzer Water (Lemon Lime, Mandarin Orange, Raspberry, Triple Berry, Pomegranate Cherry, Peach Mango and Cranberry Lime; all available in low sodium and sodium free varieties)
- Sussex Golden Ginger Ale
- Sussex Pale Dry Ginger Ale
- Sussex Red Oval Ginger Ale
- Sussex Old English Ginger Beer
- Sussex Cola
- Cactus Cooler
- Purple Passion
- Canada Dry Lemon Soda
- Canada Dry Lemon Lime Soda
- Canada Dry Vanilla Cream Soda
- Canada Dry Cocoa Cream Soda
- Canada Dry Wild Cherry Soda
- Canada Dry Black Cherry Soda
- Canada Dry Sunripe Orange Soda
- Canada Dry Mandarin Orange Soda
- Canada Dry Concord Grape Soda
- Canada Dry Grapefruit Soda
- Canada Dry Spur Cola (a caffeine-free cola introduced in 1968, then discontinued in the 1970s)
- Canada Dry Jamaica Cola
- Canada Dry Rooti Root Beer
- Canada Dry Barrelhead Root Beer
- Canada Dry Wink
- Canada Dry Pink Wink
- Canada Dry Collins Mixer
- Canada Dry Tonic Water Mixer with Quinine
- Canada Dry Hi-Grape
Brands with limited availability
Limited availability flavors are produced in Pennsauken Township, New Jersey, by Pepsi-Cola/National Brand Beverages and are distributed in southern New Jersey, Delaware, southeastern Pennsylvania, eastern Maryland, and northern Virginia. At one time, the flavors all had uniquely designed labels; but now all of them use the standard Canada Dry crest logo.
Brands with limited availability in the United States include:
- Canada Dry Pineapple
- Canada Dry Peach
- Black Cherry Wishniak
- Island Lime
- Wild Cherry
- Vanilla Cream
- Blackberry Ginger Ale
- Cranberry Ginger Ale (nationwide; however, only sold during the Christmas season)
- Canada Dry Bold Ginger Ale
- Canada Dry Winter Variety Pack- (Club channel only during Winter months)- Canada Dry Ginger Ale Regular, Canada Dry Ginger Ale Cranberry Regular, and Canada Dry Blackberry Ginger Ale Regular
- Canada Dry Summer Variety Pack- (Club channel only during Summer months)- Canada Dry Ginger Ale Regular, Canada Dry Ginger Ale and Lemonade, and Canada Dry Ginger Ale and Raspberry Lemonade
Locale-specific brands
Asia
- Canada Dry "Dry" Ginger Ale (Japan)
Europe - United Kingdom - Schweppes Canada Dry Ginger Ale
The Middle East
- Canada Dry UAE Dubai
- Canada Dry Dana
- Canada Dry Orange Soda (Iran)
- Canada Dry Cream Soda (the Middle East)
South America
North America
- Cranberry Ginger Ale (Canada during the Christmas season, although also available in the United States during the Christmas season)
- Blackberry Ginger Ale (Canada, spring 2016, summer 2022 & 2023; also sold in some U.S. stores as 20 oz. bottles, but not all stores that sell Canada Dry sell the Blackberry variant)
- Canada Dry Pineapple (U.S.)
- Canada Dry Peach (U.S.)
- Black Cherry Wishniak (U.S.)
- Island Lime (U.S.)
- Wild Cherry (U.S.)
- Vanilla Cream (U.S.)
- Pomegranate (Canada spring time 2023)
Marketing
Nylon Studios produced the song used in the Rabbit's "Jack's Farm" commercial featuring Canada Dry Ginger Ale. A Cantonese version of the ad was also produced.
See also
In Spanish: Canada Dry para niños
- Canada Dry–Gazelle
- List of Canadian inventions and discoveries
