Barq's Root Beer

Welcome to our Antique Bottle community

Be a part of something great, join today!

SODAPOPBOB

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2010
Messages
11,502
Reaction score
49
Points
0
I have been searching New Orleans directories and the earliest listing for Barq Brothers is 1894. They are not in the 1890 through 1893 directories. When we couple this with the 1893 newspaper article I posted, it appears the Barqs did not return from France until 1893 at the earliest. But even more interesting than that, the 1894 directory list them as "cordial" manufactures. As we know, cordials are a form of sweet liqueurs. Now I'm wondering if the Barq's first business ventures in New Orleans primarily involved the bottling of cordials and not soda pop? I'm also wondering if Orangine was some type of carbonated/sparkling liqueur and not necessarily a true soda pop? I guess I'll have to think about that question for a while and try and answer it later. In the meantime, here's the listing from a ...

1894 New Orleans, Louisiana Directory

Notice the 547 Royal Street address - which we discussed earlier

Barq 1894 New Orleans Directory (2).jpg

Barq 1894 New Orleans Directory.jpg
 

SODAPOPBOB

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2010
Messages
11,502
Reaction score
49
Points
0
P.S.

I'm not sure where hundreds of references came up with the claims that state the Barq's Brothers Bottling Company was established in New Orleans in 1890, but I'm challenging those claims because I'm currently of the opinion that it wasn't established until 1893 at the earliest. I will stand corrected if/when my observation is proven to the contrary.
 

SODAPOPBOB

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2010
Messages
11,502
Reaction score
49
Points
0
Food for thought ...

Orangine Liqueur ~ Belgium

Orangine Belgium.jpg
 

SODAPOPBOB

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2010
Messages
11,502
Reaction score
49
Points
0
Of all the brief histories I've read about Barq's, this is my current favorite. I especially like where it says ...

1. "About" 1890
(Allows leeway with date)

2. "Edward Barq formulated an orange drink, called Orangine"
(Says "orange drink" and not "soft drink")



http://20thcenturyfamous.blogspot.com/2014/01/edward-charles-edmond-barq-inventor-of.html


Edward Charles Edmond Barq – the inventor of Barq’s drink:

He was born in the French Quarter of New Orleans on March 4, 1871. His mother was listed as Maria Gevrgina Savonniere, born in Paris in 1842 and his father was Jules Auguste Barq.

His father was an attorney who processed Civil War claims, and his mother was a piano teacher. Edward Barq was one of four children, with the others being Gaston, Eugenie and Jules.

His father died when Edward was two and the family returned to France in 1884.

In France, Edward and his brother Gaston began to study sugar chemistry at the University of Paris. He was interested in the science and art of flavor chemistry.

About 1890, Gaston and Edward returned to New Orleans, where they opened Barq’s Brothers Bottling Company. The brothers bottled carbonated water and created soft drinks of various flavors including its own formulated citrus-flavored drinks.

Edward Barq formulated an orange drink, called Orangine, which won a gold medal at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago.

It was Edward’s invention of root beer with its own distinct flavor that brought him success. In 1898, his company began manufacturing root beer.

His soft drinks gained popularity during the temperance movement of the later nineteenth society and claimed to have health-giving properties.

By 1902, he changed of the company to Barq’s Bottling Works. He had 62 bottling plants in 22 states, mainly in the south.

Edward Charles Edmond Barq died in New Orleans in 1943 at the age of 72.
 

SODAPOPBOB

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2010
Messages
11,502
Reaction score
49
Points
0
Footnote:

I'm not saying Orangine wasn't a soft drink. I'm just suggesting that it might have started out as some type of cordial that eventually "developed" into a soft drink. The same applies to the Schmidt & Company version of Orangine. I don't normally associate the word "tonic" with a typical soft drink. Plus, there seems to be increasing evidence to suggest that "Orangine" type beverages might have originated in Europe.
 

Mudbug

Active Member
Joined
May 15, 2014
Messages
30
Reaction score
25
Points
8
Location
Way down yonder in New Orleans
Footnote:

I'm not saying Orangine wasn't a soft drink. I'm just suggesting that it might have started out as some type of cordial that eventually "developed" into a soft drink. The same applies to the Schmidt & Company version of Orangine. I don't normally associate the word "tonic" with a typical soft drink. Plus, there seems to be increasing evidence to suggest that "Orangine" type beverages might have originated in Europe.

I don't know if you've seen this,but,here's a recent ad describing orangine as an orange liqueur and cocoa eau-de-vie(translates to brandy or spirits):

http://www.distilleriedebiercee.be/en/our-product-range/eaux-de-vie/orangine/
 

Bass Assassin

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2013
Messages
1,039
Reaction score
7
Points
38
Location
Deep south
Did the Orangine made by Schmidt out in CA contain alcohol and was basically a tonic? If so, maybe Barq's took the same drink and turned it into a soda by removing the alcohol. Just throwing stuff against the wall to see if it sticks. I'm starting to believe Barq's "stole" the Orangine drink from Schmidt. But if so, why wasn't there a lawsuit?
 

SODAPOPBOB

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2010
Messages
11,502
Reaction score
49
Points
0
Bass

I haven't seen anything to indicate that Orangine contained alcohol, nor anything about trademark infringement lawsuits, but notice in this article where it includes the Schmidt & Company Orangine with various other alcoholic beverages. Thyes was the sole agent for Orangine in Reno, Nevada who, according to the article, apparently owned a bar where he served it. I realize this doesn't mean Orangine contained alcohol, because the article also mentions sarsaparilla and iron water, but I do think its interesting that Orangine was lumped together with what appears to be an advertisement for a bar.

Reno, Nevada ~ 1891

Orangine 1891 Reno Schmidt & Company.jpg
 

Members online

Latest threads

Forum statistics

Threads
83,217
Messages
742,900
Members
24,229
Latest member
TracyPecora
Top