Boston Cooler

Vernors Ginger Ale and vanilla ice cream in a float — James Vernor's 1866 oak-aged Detroit formula, named for Boston Boulevard, Detroit — not Boston, Massachusetts.

The Boston Cooler is one of Detroit's most enduring soda-fountain treats — vanilla ice cream blended with Vernors ginger ale into a thick, milkshake-like drink — despite a name that has no real connection to Boston, Massachusetts. Vernors was created by Detroit pharmacist James Vernor, who developed his ginger soda formula before the Civil War and aged it in an oak cask while away serving; when he reopened the cask in 1866, the extended oak aging had mellowed and improved the recipe, and Vernor began selling it commercially, eventually closing his pharmacy to focus on the soda full-time. The exact origin of the "Boston Cooler" name is genuinely disputed. The best-documented explanation is that "Boston cooler" was a generic early-20th-century soda-fountain term applied to various combinations of soda and ice cream — including sarsaparilla floats and even a scoop of ice cream served in a halved melon — and that the term became specifically tied to the Vernors-and-vanilla-ice-cream combination as it grew popular in Detroit. A competing folk theory credits Detroit's Boston Boulevard neighborhood, though that street wasn't platted until 1891 and its first homes weren't built until 1905 — years after the drink was already established in the city — making the connection unlikely. Detroit confectioner Fred Sanders, credited with introducing the ice cream soda to the city in the 1870s-80s, is also associated with popularizing the combination through his soda fountains. Vernors made the name officially its own in 1967, trademarking "Boston Cooler" for a branded ice cream bar.