North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Doc Lisenby <longdistshtr@shtc.net>]

Tom wrote:
"My mother in-law will often give us "raspberry vinegar? to drink.  You add
water to it.  They tell us it was the "soda pop" of their day, in rural
Ontario.

It sounds strange, but is tasty."

I've been told that diluted hard apple vinegar was commonly served to guests 
in the southern US in the not too distant past.  It was served warmed when 
the weather was cold and cooled by keeping it in a springhouse or well for 
serving in hot weather.
Seems like I read that a Philadelphia pharmacist, Hires, bottled the first 
commercial soda pop in the form of Hires Root Beer around 1900.
Doc Lisenby