Dr. Brown’s

Dr. Brown’s is a line of sodas best known for Cel-Ray, a celery soda. A brand with distinct regional appeal, it can be found in New York City and major soft-drink markets where New Yorkers have relocated. The cans claim that Dr. Brown’s has been sold since 1869. Whether there really was a Dr. Brown who founded the brand is obscured by time. The sodas were produced by Schoneberger & Noble, a New York–based drink company, which originated the brand.

By 1910 its labels advertised “Dr. Browns [sic] Celery Tonic,” made with crushed celery seeds, as a “pure beverage for the nerves” that “strengthens the appetite and aids digestion.” By 1928 the American Beverage Corporation had produced and bottled the brand. In the 1930s it was advertised in local Jewish newspapers and on the radio. In the 1950s Food and Drug Administration objections to the use of the word “tonic” led the company to change the name to Cel-Ray. Dr. Brown’s is also known for its black cherry soda and vanilla-flavored cream soda.