Tasting our History–Fairley’s Pharmacy

Writing historical fiction can be challenging. How do you write a scene in a prohibition-era soda fountain (for my up-coming novel, Mistaken) if you’ve never tried a cherry phosphate and can’t even imagine why anyone would order something called an “egg cream?”

The answer? A road trip that involved consuming more calories than anyone should–all in the name of research and historical authenticity.

 

I borrowed my critique buddy, Heidi (also willing to sacrifice her diet in the name of art) and we visited historic Fairley’s Pharmacy in Portland, Oregon. Soda-jerk Mercedes didn’t blink an eye when I told her why we wanted to sample a wide variety of drinks. She was a delightful hostess–suggesting flavors and letting us pepper her with questions.

We started our research with a cherry phosphate–one of the most popular “soft drinks” of the prohibition era. It is basically made up of cherry syrup, soda water and a dash of phosphate. Mercedes informed us that phosphate adds a sour flavor and can be adjusted to your personal taste. We tried the soda with just a few drops of phosphate and then again after she added some more and were astounded at the difference.

We tried three popular phosphate soda  flavors–cherry, green river (lime), and banana. They were all yummy. We also tried a strawberry egg cream–surprised to learn that it didn’t contain egg or ice cream–just strawberry syrup, whole milk and soda water. Once you get over the name confusion, the egg cream was AMAZING! Mercedes told us that everyone asks about the egg cream, but this is the first time someone had actually ordered one from her. We felt like such rebels. Or it may have just been all the sugar kicking in.

And of course, since soda fountains were known for their ice cream, we also sampled an ice cream soda–strawberry with vanilla ice cream.  It was ridiculously good and made with fresh, local, Sunshine Dairy ice cream.

In addition to the sugary goodness of the soda fountain, the history geek in me was thrilled at the display of vintage pharmacy items–show globes (used to display a pharmacist’s chemical mixing talents), scales and wonderful old medicine bottles and ads–everything from asthma cigarettes to cocaine toothache drops.

The internet is an amazing tool for doing historical research. But nothing beats trying the real thing–soda, that is–not cocaine toothache drops!