W.J. Barritt moved to Bermuda from England in 1839. In 1874, after being denied a pay increase he opened a store in Hamilton. There he bottled mineral water and the family later bottled soda. The Barritt family has been producing it's ginger beer soda in Bermuda since 1874.
The first time I heard of any ginger beer I had picked up a bottle at a grocery store. Because I had never heard of it I assumed it was some sort of ginger ale. I was in for a bit of shock because it was very spicy and only seemed to get hotter the more time passed after each swig. This will be the first ginger beer I've had since then.
There's a firm scent of ginger root from the bottle that reminds me of ginger sauce. This particular ginger beer is well carbonated an doesn't have the spicy burn I remember but tastes like chinese restaurant ginger sauce. You might even say it has a hint of pine needle taste. It's odd that I can enjoy ginger ale so much but have never found a ginger beer that I can even finish a bottle of. I suppose it's just one of those flavors you love or hate.
Ginger Beer is best taken with Goslings Black Seal Rum and a twist of lime. This is known as a Dark & Stormy, one of the two national drinks of Bermuda.
ReplyDeleteAs for ginger ale, try Vernors for the best. It is most definitely not a dry ginger ale like Canada Dry. Vernors was part of the first ice cream soda back in 1875, now called a Boston Cooler, which is a Vernors and vanilla ice cream milk shake.