News from Bird Bottom Farm The Queen’s Ginger Ale

News from Bird Bottom Farm
The Queen’s Ginger Ale

By Ursula B.G. Kilner, Salisbury

The year 2002 marks the Golden Jubilee Year of Queen Elizabeth II's reign with celebrations year round in Great Britain. When I was in grade school one of my friends had a special father. He was the advertising account executive for Canada Dry Ginger Ale. For years he felt he had a tremendous opportunity for "his" product, if only he could shake the shackles of restraint imposed by his advertising agency employers and the English royal family.

England has been know for its ginger beer and still is known for it. Ginger beer is a beverage (soft) far more gingery than our ginger ale. We all, I think, have had ginger ale to calm an upset stomach. It seems that young Princess Elizabeth (now Queen Elizabeth II) had a nervous stomach as a child, and the English home beverage of ginger beer was too strong for her tender tummy. So each month a case of Canada Dry Ginger Ale was shipped (and at that time it indeed went by ship) to England for Princess Elizabeth to help soothe her nervous, sometimes upset stomach. What a wonderful ad that would have made: a princess with a nervous tummy—calmed by Canada Dry Ginger Ale. Imagine the artwork with English gardens, British ceremony, and the "colonies" coming to the aid of British royalty.

Sadly for my friend's father, it was not to be. The princess grew up and her nervous stomach calmed down, and she soon became queen. Now, in this 50th year of her reign, the tale of Canada Dry Ginger Ale and the young Princess Elizabeth should finally be told before it dissolves into the mists of time.