Though its relationship to Massachusetts is murky, today, the Boston cooler’s most devoted fanbase is situated in Detroit. The fizzy beverage, composed of bubbly ginger ale and rich vanilla ice cream, is something of a local mainstay in the Motor City. While the Boston cooler’s origins have long been disputed, when it comes to the ingredients, the consensus is pretty clear. An authentic Detroit Boston cooler should start with Vernors ginger ale.
The carbonated star of a classic Boston Cooler is one of America’s oldest sodas. Vernor’s ginger ale was pioneered by licensed pharmacist and Detroit local, James Vernor, and first made its public debut in 1866. The Boston cooler is not quite a milkshake, and not quite a float. A precursor to TikTok’s fluffy Coke, you need only to blend together the two ingredients to whip up Michigan’s take on the Boston cooler. Many recipes define the correct Boston cooler ratio as three parts ice cream, one part ginger ale.
Where does the Boston cooler come from?
The Coney Island hot dog probably wasn’t invented at Coney Island, and the Boston cooler likely wasn’t born in Boston. However, both geographically-named delicacies boast Michigan ties. Some speculate that the Boston cooler was named for Michigan’s Boston Edison neighborhood, while others point to the adjacent Boston Boulevard as the namesake. Truthfully, versions of the Boston cooler showed up at soda shops and ice cream companies across the country, the drink’s contents evolving over time.
Before its current iteration and Midwestern celebrity status, the name “Boston cooler” was attached to a variety of soft drinks. The term grew in popularity as the soda fountain industry boomed in the 1900s. While Vernors likely did not invent the drink, the Michigan-based company sought to lay claim to the Boston cooler, trademarking the name in 1967. This move further solidified Detroit’s relationship to the Boston cooler.
