Last week my stomach was not happy with me. For 2 days, I just did not feel right and I’m pretty sure I know why. We have been installing baseboard molding and it is the molding of my dreams. Contemporary, no frills and 5 1/2″ tall. We have been painting, cutting and sanding and I haven’t had much time to go to the grocery store or cook and we’ve had absolutely no desire to wash dishes (like we ever do). A few times we went the fast food route and on Tuesday and Wednesday my stomach and I were not on speaking terms. Insert great husband. Marc went out and came back with a bag from the pharmacy and I was wondering what he had in his bag of tricks. Pepto Bismal? Ugh. Rolaids? Bearable. Inside the bag was a case of Vernor’s and vanilla ice cream. You see, friends, Marc’s family believe that a Vernor’s float and Nyquil can cure any ailment you have. Marc’s Dad has been known to whisper from the couch that he could use some Vernor’s and ice cream when he didn’t feel well. Not that my family doesn’t have its own weird “cures” (mostly old-school German superstitions) but the pop and ice cream thing boggled my mind.
Ever have Vernor’s before? I have to admit that I was an adult before hearing about the stuff, even though I grew up only 3 hours west of Detroit. The story of Vernor’s is that James Vernor, a Detroit pharmacist, had brewed up a secret mixture of 19 ingredients including ginger and vanilla and put it in an oak cask. In 1862, James was called up to fight in the Civil War and returned 4 years later to find that the aging process had turned his mixture into delicious Vernor’s. It also says on every can that they continue to age their soda in oak barrels to give Vernor’s its distinct flavor.
We don’t usually keep pop (yep, I’m from the Midwest!) around, but Vernor’s is unique. I think the best way to describe it is a mix of cream soda with a bit of gingery flavor. It’s sweet and super bubbly. If you take a breath too close to your Vernor’s, you’ll soon be hacking like a heavy smoker. The extreme carbonation, however, turns the creamy vanilla ice cream into vanilla foam and that’s when the magic happens. I told Marc’s adorable Grandma that he made me a Vernor’s float when I didn’t feel well and her response was, “Well, I don’t know about the ice cream, but the Vernor’s sure helps.” Ha. Well, we’ve proven no facts here, but darn it, this skeptic felt better.
I got my dose of Vernor’s from a Polish store in Hamtramck this summer. I’m not sure about the ice cream but ginger ale is a cure-all in our house too, and the ice cream can’t hurt, right? (what’s that about a spoonful of sugar helping the medicine go down?)
You get to Michigan from time to time? A few years back, Marc’s family took us to a Polish restaurant that is in the basement of a home in Hamtramck. That was an interesting way to throw me into Detroit culture.
I recently cured a sinus infection Meg had by giving her a Vernor’s float. She thinks that the sinus meds, vaporizer, and steam treatments did the job, but I think we all know it was the Vernor’s.