Most Kentuckians can spot a bottle of Ale-8 from a mile away. We’re drawn to that emerald green glass like a moth to a flame. The crisp, ginger soda with citrus notes is like ginger ale, but so much better — thanks to a nearly 100-year-old secret family recipe. Take that, Canada Dry.
Considering drinking an Ale-8 is basically Kentucky’s rite of passage, we thought we’d pull back the silver cap on this Kentucky-invented soda that just turned 97 — and leave you with a few places in Derby City to get your fix.
Before Ale-8, there was Roxa-Kola
Ale-8 has been around since 1926, but Founder George Lee Wainscott actually started in the soda biz in 1902.
To make a long soda story short, here are a few fast facts about George:
- Originally bottled distilled water + fruit-flavored sodas
- Developed his first soda formula in 1906 called Roxa-Kola
- Coca-Cola subsequently sued him, but George prevailed
- Created the Ale-8-One recipe after the court case and launched it in 1926
- Discontinued Roxa-Kola in 1968
- Ale-8 is the only soft drink invented in Kentucky still in existence
A secret family recipe
The company has remained independent and family-owned since and continues to operate its Ale-8-One Bottling Company plant in Winchester, KY — about 87 miles from LOU.
A white spiral case inside the factory leads to a locked batching room where Fielding Rogers, the company’s president + George’s great-great-nephew, mixes the secret formula that goes into every batch.
Best in the Bluegrass
Today, there are 5+ Ale-8 flavors, including diet and caffeine-free versions. Aside from snagging a six-pack from almost any Kroger shelf, here are some ways to sip it around town:
- Feast BBQ’s Ale-8 bourbon slushie
- Louisville Cream’s Ale-8 float
- Frazier History Museum’s Ale-8 vending machine
This content is sponsored by Heine Brothers Coffee. As Louisville’s original coffee roaster since 1994, they take pride in the city just as much as the coffee. Order ahead and Drink Up.
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