The Boston Cooler Controversy  

This is what I envision when I think of a Boston Cooler

Wow, did I open up the proverbial can 'o worms when I set out to write today's Thoughtful/Thankful Thursday post!  This one had me thinking, as in researching the web, too much for this short blog.  Alas, I try to be as accurate as I can so the work had to be done!   Okay, this all started innocently enough when I thought I'd do a bit about Boston Coolers.  Sounds easy enough, right?  Well, wrong.  There were many conflicting stories out there so I sifted through scores of sites and I'll try and give you the most truthful rendition I can. The originator of the Boston Cooler was none other than the originator of

The World will never know!

Vernors Ginger Ale, James Vernor.  That info was the easy part.  All the rest gets sticky and not from the pop (soda for the Midwestern challenged).  First off, Vernors is a must for a true Boston Cooler.  For those familiar with James V's ale legend, he started the brew before he left to serve in the Civil War and 4 years later came back to discover, ta da!, a "deliciously different" drink.  Ah, how romantic!  However, his son is on record as saying he didn't come up with the formula until after the war, although the idea was floating (heehee pun) in his head during the war.  The official trademark application from 1911 for the drink states it was not sold until the 1880's.  Confusing, eh?  Next on the agenda is the main attraction, the Boston Cooler.  I knew it was big in Michigan but didn't know it has no connection to the city in Massachusetts other than they share the same name. I could NOT find out why it's called a Boston Cooler since it originated in Detroit.  And no, it seems it's not connected to the Boston/Edison historic district. It's just one of the great mysteries of life.

The quandary...blended or "plopped"?

 The birth of the Cooler started out it's life known as a Vernor's Cream, made with a few shots of sweet cream which then morphed into the ale and ice cream version.
Now here is a point of contention...is a proper Boston Cooler blended in a milkshake sort of way or is the vanilla ice cream delicately plopped into the bubbling ginger drink?  Well, after plodding through multiple information sites, I couldn't come up with a clear answer to that,either! I was aghast to discover that the blended version was even an alternative as in my experience a B.C. was ALWAYS of the plopped variety.  According to some, the blended type is the cooler and the plopped is called a Vernor's Float.  Hmm, news to me!  I talked to my bestie and asked her, without knowledge of my quest, what a Boston Cooler was and she, as I, stated it was of the simple plop method.  If we both agree on something, it must be so!  At least that's what I'm going with.

Phew!  I can't believe how much time and thought (oh, it's Thursday, I suppose) I put into something as seemingly simple as a Boston Cooler.  However, things are not always as they appear and I have found that out again as I write this post. But after brushing away all the clutter and controversy we have the simple, yummy goodness of the Boston Cooler on a hot summer day.  So why not partake of a B.C. today?  Blended or plopped...I suppose that's for you to decide :)